League Record So Far; 7-1-1, 15pts, 1st Place
L5GP; 3-1-1
CARDIFF, WALES – Devils host a weary, frustrated Panthers team looking to claim a huge confidence boost on the road, before they then hit the road to face off against a tough, unpredictable Blaze team that is currently holding their own this season.
Both of these opponents were in the cup final last season, yet failed to progress beyond the group stage this time around.
During the week, Devils updated their fans that Riley Brandt is out injured until March, with Welsh out until around January and Helgesen is soon to return.
They have since placed Brandt on IR (injured reserve) and brought in a Finnish forward, Linus Nyman to help support the roster – here is a detailed insight into what to expect; https://hockeysteve.co.uk/2026/11/11/what-the-newest-devils-signing-brings-to-the-table-what-it-says-about-their-off-season-recruitment/
It is expected that Nyman would be dressed for and will ice for action this weekend – he will be the first ever Devil to wear #72.
Here is a look ahead to this weeks’ Devils games;
Wounded Panthers
Friday 13th November 2026 | Vindico Arena, Cardiff, Wales | 7pm
Panthers L5GP; 2-0-3
This would be the first time they would meet during regular season action for 2026/27, following two wins for the home team in the cup against their opponents on Friday night.
The cup struggles that Panthers faced became a snapshot into their early season struggles overall, with a road record of 2-3-2 so far across the EIHL this season.
Two losses from OT and a shootout, one win in regulation and three regulation losses on the road isn’t the form a championship hopeful would want.
In the league, they are currently playing .500 hockey – similar to the Devils at the start of the season after six cup games.
Devils have of course dropped just one game at home, so would look to continue their incredible home form, regardless of how the game plays out.
Points are points.
Panthers’ struggles stem from poor defensive leaks mixed with mainly one line contributing offence. Their goals for and against in regular season action currently sits at 15:17.
They rank 8th for goals scored which highlights their struggles definitively. If that form was maintained for the same games played on average in comparison to the league currently, they would still rank 8th overall.
Last week they added Brendan Harris to help provide missing offensive firepower, he had 43 points from 53GP during his time at Panthers, winning the Challenge Cup* and the IIHF Continental Cup*.
Former Devil, Zach O’Brien has been a silver lining during the course of this season, putting up 19 points from 16GP across both EIHL competitions.
Panthers recently snapped a 5 game losing skid, with a narrow one goal victory over the Devils’ next opponents last weekend, so that with their previous loss to Devils seeing them eliminated from the next stage of the cup, they would undoubtedly be looking for an upset.
Current Trends
Brandon Estes | 13 Points | 19GP | 84.6 PP%
Josh MacDonald aside, Devils have a few a players worth looking at, especially Brandon Estes, who was last weeks’ EIHL Face-Off Podcast’s one to watch, has now gone to a three game point streak in regular season games, with points in his L5GP overall, going to 7 points in that stretch.
With Welsh out of the line up for a long while, he would be relied upon heavily to help support offensive production from the blue line.
80% of his helpers are from primary assists, making him a key playmaker from the point, with his added 3 tallies, his primary point percentage (PP%) sits a little higher.
Kristoff Kontos | 14 Points | 15GP | 71.4 PP%
If Kontos stays healthy this weekend, he will hit 150 All time EIHL games. On top of that, his is 4 points from his last 3GP and needs just 3 more helpers for 100 overall in the league.
71.4% of his points so far this season have come from assists, amazingly, in just two games during cup he put up helpers.
60% of those apples are from primary assists, adding to the 4 goals scored so far this season, his primary scoring contribution sits at ironically, 71.4%.
Joey Martin | 11 Points | 19GP | 81.8 PP%
The captain has featured on the same line as the leagues top goal scorer and one of the EIHL’s overall points leaders, rolling out on the top line for more than half the season now.
Yet he hasn’t scored a goal for 7 regular season games straight and not in his last 8 games overall, a goalless skid stretching for 27 days.
Despite his struggles to find the back of the net, that would help to chip in for a better spread of goal scoring and take the weight off his line mate, his primary points percentage is just as elite as two of the most in form play makers.
So, despite limited contributions in comparison and coupled with a deflating return on goals, his own efforts are still up there with the best, reaffirming that ‘Goat’ status – but, as the previous diagnosis of where the Devils are currently at, as shared above, is this sustainable?
He still plays over 19 minutes per game on average, features on the top power play unit and plays on the top line. His points per game average is 0.58, so with his PP%, that is still a very good factor, yet whether he needs to stay on the top line to get the best out of him is a bigger conversation.
Returning Players & A New Piece
Following their international stint with Team GB, Bayley Harewood and Jake Sacratini will return to action this weekend, that would help to flesh out the lines and provide needed support to the top imports.
Devils struggled to manage their games last weekend, being taken to OT against Scottish opposition in both match ups.
With new import winger, Linus Nyman, they also have a brand new element that would disrupt opposition scouting, at least for their opponents on Friday evening.
Exactly where Nyman would feature is down to the coach of course and would be anyone’s guess currently, as Devils are largely hopeful he would be available.
From my own assessment, he would feature naturally with Caron and Mieho on the third.
Nevertheless, having a fitter group with more energy would lift the on-ice value on its own, something home fans have been craving.
It would also boost the morale of the team, providing them with more gas to burn and the anticipation for speedsters having a crack at the Panthers defense is palpable, with players like Caron, Barrow, Harewood, Sacratini and now Nyman.
What does the predictor say?
Over 300 games as a working database, that on average is correct 86% of the time and improving, it is slowly working into something worthwhile.
Of course, this is just a passing fancy to see if it could work, rather than expecting or hoping it would. Call it curiosity and love the ‘game’.
Considering Panthers’ overall GFA is at 2.5, this is hardly surprising seeing their xG return at 1.57. Unsurprisingly, their biggest road win was vs Flames in the cup, scoring six in the process.
Their road form is 2.83 scored on average, which of course, is massively boosted by that Flames result, most teams have had that against them this season.
Without that game, their average would sit at 2.20 – however, the model would account for average overall, average away and average vs Devils, as we well against Devils on the road.
The model itself, is derived from a database of all league fixtures as far back as the first game in the 2025/26 season to date, averaging all wins, losses and extras, home scores on average, home or away and all per team. You name, it, it is accounted.
It isn’t definitive, however it is fun to see how it shapes up against actual results. So far, it is doing well.
On the EIHL Face-Off Podcast, I predicted a 3:2 OTW for Devils without consulting the predictor, so who knows how either would actually stack up, it is fun regardless.
Keys to the Game
1. Get Ahead Early
The last couple of games have seen Devils give up the initial lead, even despite positive play with ample amounts of puck possession.
Getting an early marker or even being the first to score would have the building sizzling and momentum firmly with them. Home ice has been incredibly advantageous so far this season, with a record to be envious of.
Devils are 66.7% likely to score first, winning 5 from 9 games in regular season so far. Despite that, even after going ahead initially, they tend to be drawn level or even trail by the end of the first frame across seven of those 9 games.
Their relationship with gaining and then holding lead is, complicated.
2. Improve Game Management
As noted with gaining a foothold first, their game management could do with improvement, as they tend to get drawn into a mess of counter scoring, especially lately.
Yet, after 40 minutes, they do end up levelling scores or at least give themselves a greater chance by trailing by a single goal. It shows positivity from adversity and to never count them out.
This is perhaps their greatest attribute as a group this season, with the foundational work being applied over the course of the last year.
Two thirds of their games have seen Devils score the first goal, yet they have only stayed ahead into the first interval just twice.
Despite showing dogged resilience, they do often lose a slender lead or capitulate after a two goal lead. This often leads to needing extra hockey, which is so far, a bonus for them.
3. (Keep) Locking It Down
Along with the ways of making life harder for themselves, they also operate a high risk, high reward strategy with forwards failing to engage defensively.
Their record at home is vastly more impressive than their road form in terms of goals against. They have let over 400 shots against them, however with a save percentage of 93.9 (callout 94 SV%), they have limited SOG to a degree, coupled with a very capable net minding tandem.
At home, that increases to over 95% (although the road comparison is weighted unfairly due to 7 home games just 2 on the road). Yet, the comparisons are nearly identical.
Devils at the other end are roughly 55% in terms of CF (Corsi For), averaging nearly 10 SOG per game more than their opponents.
So, with home form being a definitive advantage, securing the back end against a team like Panthers that is waiting to explode at any given moment is huge.
In terms of shot suppression, Devils are second overall in the league, despite teetering danger-close to collapse most games. Panthers are third overall across fewer games.
About the author
Stephen Pye is an independent ice hockey writer and the author behind HockeySteve. He covers the Elite Ice Hockey League, with a particular focus on Cardiff Devils, player recruitment, scouting and performance analysis. His work combines statistical evaluation with on-ice observations to examine players, team performance and the wider direction of the club.
He also hosts, edits and produces the EIHL Face-Off Podcast on a weekly basis, with listenership reaching over one thousand per week. His published articles reach a comparable number of visitors and readers, growing exponentially each week, reflecting an established readership and following within the EIHL community.
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