Blaze, Flames and Flyers host key evening clashes
Photo: John Uwins
Three evening games round out Week 7 in the Premier Sports Elite League with key clashes as teams battle for early position in the top five.
1730 Coventry Blaze vs. Dundee Stars (Tickets | Webcast)
Coventry host Dundee at the Skydome the night after both teams pick up road points with battling performance.
Coventry went to Cardiff short benched but came away with an impressive 2-1 cup victory to get their weekend off to a great start. Now back in league action, the Blaze can move themselves closer to the top three if they can pick up both points tonight in what would be their first four-point weekend of the season.
Dundee picked up their first away point of the season with an overtime loss in Nottingham, although had enough chances towards the end of regulation to have taken two. Omar Pacha's team go into their second road game of the weekend still looking for that elusive first away win in the league, but have put up 10 goals in their last three games despite one of those being shut out in Fife.
1800 Fife Flyers vs. Cardiff Devils (Tickets | Webcast)
Cardiff make their first trip up of the season up to Scotland hoping to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to Coventry.
That cup defeat was the Devils' second straight home loss, but tonight their focus turns to league action and ensuring they don't fall further behind leaders Sheffield, who are already seven points ahead having played three games more.
Fife's only game of this weekend comes a week after the Flyers shut out local rivals Dundee 5-0. While Todd Dutiaume's team have suffered successive road defeats of late, they are unbeaten in two straight home games without conceding a goal - and putting in 13 at the other end!
1800 Guildford Flames vs. Sheffield Steelers (Tickets)
A top-of-the-table clash at the Spectrum pits two sides against each other hoping to make it a four-point weekend.
Guildford kept pace four points behind Sheffield with an impressive 6-2 win in Manchester live on Premier Sports yesterday night, a result which maintained their solid start of picking up 63% of points on offer in the league. A win for Paul Dixon's men tonight would cut the gap on the Steelers to two points with a game in hand.
An outstanding first period helped the Steelers to a 7-1 demolishing of the Belfast Giants on Saturday night. Aaron Fox's team hit four goals in under eight minutes to blow their visitors out of the water, with Barry Brust stopping 95.65% of shots - he has only conceded one goal across eight periods.
These teams have split a win in each other's buildings through two games this season so far.