The final weekend of the 2025/26 regular season is here, and it begins with a full schedule of five games on Saturday night.
League champions Belfast Giants host Guildford Flames for the first time since December as the sides complete their season series. The Giants have already secured first place, but the Flames still have plenty to play for, with fifth place within reach. Guildford come into the weekend in strong form, having won eight of their last 10 games.
Cardiff Devils welcome Coventry Blaze with both teams still chasing improved playoff seeding. The Devils sit second, one point ahead of Nottingham and Sheffield after beating the Steelers midweek to make it five wins from their last six. Coventry are seventh and in a tricky position: sixth remains achievable, but they could also drop to eighth if results go against them. The Blaze have won five of their last eight, but have lost both league visits to the Vindico Arena this season after an early Challenge Cup win there.
Manchester Storm host Nottingham Panthers after Wednesday’s tightly contested meeting, which the Panthers won in the final 45 seconds. Storm head into the weekend in fifth but could slip to sixth if they fail to pick up points here or against Guildford on Sunday. Nottingham, Challenge Cup winners, are just one point behind Cardiff in the race for second. Both teams have won two of their last five games, and have a win each at the Storm Shelter this season.
Sheffield Steelers and Glasgow Clan face off in a home-and-home series to close the regular season, starting in Sheffield. The Steelers have struggled on home ice recently, losing their last four there and winning just two of their last seven league games. Clan, meanwhile, have been inconsistent but dangerous, alternating wins and losses since early March. Glasgow have had the better of this matchup this season, winning three of the four meetings so far. Sheffield can still finish second with results elsewhere going their way, while Clan are likely to finish eighth unless they can produce a strong final weekend and get help in other games.
In Scotland, Fife Flyers and Dundee Stars round off their seasons with a home-and-home series. The Flyers, at home on Saturday, will finish last for the second consecutive season, while Dundee are set to place ninth after making the playoffs in each of the previous two campaigns. With only pride on the line, both teams will look to end their seasons on a positive note, with each having won once on the road and once at home in the series so far.
Photo: William Cherry