Cardiff Devils 3-2 Sheffield Steelers (result)
Yared Hagos and Andreas Valdix are both out but Sheffield will sign d-man Jace Coyle as a spare import.
The club first decided to try and bring him back weeks ago. And as there are no suitable offensive players seemingly available it is likely Coyle will drop into the D allowing either Mike Ratchuk, Anders Franzon or Zack Fitzgerald to play wing.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLast night, Steelers went into combat at league leaders Cardiff icing three centres including d-man Mike Ratchuk and four sets of wingers.
If there was a player who’d really want to score in Cardiff it is ex Devils winger Jonathan Phillips - and he opened the scoring at 23;25.
But Markus Nilsson took a penalty, Andrew Lord equalised and Guillaume Desbiens blew his top with the officials, getting kicked out of the game at 24.18.
Steelers, who beat Edinburgh on Saturday 7-1, then had a goal disallowed and went behind to a Guillaume Doucet goal at 36:01.
Things move quickly in hockey!
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLevi Nelson’s 10 minute misconduct left Steelers so unmanned the chances of equalising seemed remote.
However winger Mathieu Roy wouldn’t follow the script and made it 2-2 at 43;32.
Franzon had a couple of chances to win the game for Sheffield but when Fitzgerald was given a minor penalty Devils’ Gleason Fournier hit the winner with two minutes to go.
Cardiff are now 11 points ahead of second place Steelers.
But Paul Thompson’s men have five games in hand -
RESULTS
Sunday 27th November
Elite League
Cardiff Devils 3 Sheffield Steelers 2
Dundee Stars 6 Manchester Storm 3
Edinburgh Capitals 6 Braehead Clan 4
Nottingham Panthers 3 Fife Flyers 2
FIXTURES
Wednesday 30th November
Elite League
Cardiff Devils v Nottingham - 7.30pm
Saturday 3rd December
Elite League
Braehead Clan v Dundee Stars - 7.00pm
Cardiff Devils v Edinburgh Capitals – 7.00pm
Fife Flyers v Belfast Giants – 7.15pm
Manchester Storm v Coventry Blaze – 7.00pm
Nottingham Panthers v Sheffield Steelers – 7.00pm
Sunday 4th December
Elite League
Coventry Blaze v Manchester Storm – 5.15pm
Dundee Stars v Braehead Clan – 6.30pm
Edinburgh Capitals v Belfast Giants - 6.00pm
Sheffield Steelers v Nottingham Panthers - 5.00pm