Weekend Preview; Devils on road to Clan then host Panthers at home

League Record So Far; 28-12-5, 61pts, 4th Place

L10GP; 5 – 4 – 1

CARDIFF, WALES – It is a Friday night hockeyfest across the EIHL, with 4 games featuring for the busiest night of the weekend, hoping to come away with much needed points and avenge some errant results in Braehead this season.

Clan are fighting to push up the table as much as possible, with Devils 9 points and 9 games left to play, this has more to it than meets the eye.

Here are some key areas to explore and keys to the game vs Clan;

1. Finish road stint strong

Starting in Sheffield, then a DH in Belfast, Devils have 1 win in 3, so this is a must win game to keep up with at least the pace of the top 4 of the table.

They have had some very close games vs Clan, all but one of five ending as single goal games, with 3 wins and 2 losses so far. Out of 5 games and 10 maximum points, Devils have claimed 7 and would be in desperate need to continue their playing form that they found in Belfast.

Their away record has been pretty decent, collecting 29 points from an available 48, sitting 3rd in the form table, behind Giants and Panthers by a single point, Panthers tied.

Contrary to popular belief, Clan at home isn’t a fortress many think it is, however the likes of Flyers and Stars might assume so due to their records subjectively.

Clan are 7th overall at home, two places below Devils, which might surprise some. So, coming away from Glasgow with full points is a must for the Devils.

2. Continue the prowess

Much was said about the scoring and finishing for the Devils going into the DH recently, so coming away with a split weekend and putting up 9 markers, albeit from 4 different players, has been a much needed tonic.

The hardest part is to improve and extend this.

Now that Sanford has found his form again, he will be looking to remind all nay-sayers and even prove to himself he is an elite finisher.

Brandt has eclipsed his own pro scoring record with a hat-trick on Sunday, so he would be on the radar, especially if he is on a line with Kontos again.

The ones to truly look out for are Barrow, Olischefski and MacDonald. Between them is a high ceiling of potential, can this game be the catalyst to get the saliva frothing for their fans?

3. Shut down key Clansmen

Despite a rocky season and subpar position for their ambitions, the Clan have some fine players in their line up, even after losing Mitchell Heard.

Tristan Langan (41 pts) leads his team and with him, Brett Neumann (31 pts) is never far behind. They seem to be a dynamic duo.

From January 28th, Langan has dropped points in just 3 games, collecting 18 from 13GP. Quite impressive. Of those 18 points, he has scored 5 times.

Neumann, from the start of February, has contributed in all but 2 games. He put up 16 points across the last 10 games.

These are a dangerous duo.

They have linked up in 12 games of the 45 played, putting up a combined 34 points, with 14 of those as goals. The majority have come from Neumann with 10. Just over 47% of their combined points have come from their link ups.

This is just regular season.

Next up, Nottingham Panthers.