Top spot on offer in cup action

Photo: Panthers Images

Saturday night's two Premier Sports Challenge Cup fixtures have top spot in the group on offer for the four teams involved.

1900 Cardiff Devils vs. Guildford Flames (Tickets | Webcast)
Group B will be decided tonight when the Devils and Flames meet at Ice arena Wales in front of another near-sellout crowd.

With both sides going into the game level on points, the maths is simple - whoever wins will take top spot and the Quarter-Final seeding - there is no way the team can be tied after tonight's game, so no tie-break rules will come into play. Whichever team does win the group will still have to wait and see where they are seeded overall until Group C has been completed.

Cardiff head into this game looking to bounce back after not picking up a single point in their two games last weekend. The Devil are .500 over their last eight games and need to find their A game more often - something Head Coach Jarrod Skalde spoke about in his midweek media availability. 

Guildford have only lost once in regulation over their last seven games, and picked up three of four points last week. The Flames have yet to beat the Devils this season, though have had two of their three meetings go to overtime.

1900 Nottingham Panthers vs. Sheffield Steelers (Tickets | Webcast)
The long-standing Panthers vs. Steelers rivalry is back for the third time in competitive action this season as the teams challenge for top spot in Group C.

Sheffield lead the group by two points having played a game more, but the tie-break criteria mean that a regulation win for the Steelers tonight would leave the Panthers unable to overtake them in the group on regulation wins. The same tie-break criteria would keep the Panthers in second even if they win tonight, but having an extra game in hand before group stage games are completed would give them the edge for winning the group.  If the Panthers do win tonight, the showdown will fall on 27 November when the sides play the final group stage game of the season in Sheffield.

Panthers picked up maximum points from a double-header at home last weekend, although did need an equaliser with seven seconds left before getting past Manchester in a shootout. Tim Wallace's side have very subtly put themselves in contention early-season in both league and cup with 71% and 90% points percentages respectively.

Sheffield are the early season leaders across the board. While they lead the league through seven weeks, they'll also go into the cup Quarter-Finals as top seeds if they can win their final two matches and are on a five-game winning streak since that home defeat to Coventry a few weeks back.

Both sides have a home overtime win against each other in cup games so far this season.