It’s a quiet Saturday night in the Elite League with only two games on the schedule this evening, but there promises to be no shortage of intrigue in what happens on the ice.
League leaders Belfast Giants are in Sheffield for a weekend double-header against the third-placed Steelers. The teams go into the weekend separated by six points, with the Giants also holding a game in hand. Belfast also have a superior regulation wins total, the first tie-breaker, effectively putting the Steelers seven points back. Two defeats for the hosts this weekend would almost certainly put them out of the title race. A pair of regulation wins, however, would make it very much game on in the final run-in.
The Steelers slipped to third on Friday night due to Nottingham’s win over Fife, leaving Belfast’s advantage at the top at just four points.
Belfast have won all three home games against the Steelers this season, while Sheffield took the only meeting between the teams at the Utilita Arena on penalty shots. Belfast’s last win in Sheffield came over two years ago, on 9 March 2024.
In Coventry, the Blaze host Glasgow Clan after both teams picked up wins on Friday night. Those victories left the teams tied on 49 points in seventh and eighth, with Clan taking the higher place on the tie-breaker.
Both teams have eight games to go as they look for the highest possible playoff seeding. They trail Guildford by three points and Manchester by four in the race for a top-five finish.
Coventry have won four of the five meetings between the teams this season, scoring at least four goals in each of the last three games.
Photo: Hayley Roberts