Tonight: Top 2 clash headlines Sunday

Sunday games from 1630

The top two clash on Sunday afternoon as part of four games across tonight.

1630 Glasgow Clan vs. Sheffield Steelers

It’s a top of the table clash in Glasgow as the Clan and Steelers go head to head in a battle of first versus second. Whichever teams wins tonight will end the week top of the pile.

Clan suffered their second road defeat in a row in Kirkcaldy last night against Fife, a result which means the team have now conceded 18 goals in their last three games. On home ice however they’ve built a winning streak, and Wednesday’s victory over Cardiff will give them nothing to fear tonight.

Sheffield avenged last weekend’s zero-point haul with a 4-1 win over Coventry at home yesterday. Those two points moved the Steelers to within one of the Clan, although they have played a game more. A loss and Cardiff winning would see Sheffield end the weekend in third, however.

1730 Coventry Blaze vs. Belfast Giants

Coventry host Belfast a few weeks after the Giants’ comfortable win at the Skydome, but with both sides looking for their first points of the weekend.

The Blaze were on the wrong end of a 4-1 scoreline in Sheffield last night but have been very strong at home of last. Their last outing on home ice was a 9-2 humbling of Glasgow, showing that they can beat anyone on their day.

Belfast, by contrast, have now lost three in a row following their home defeat to Dundee on Saturday night. Adam Keefe’s side have managed just three goals in as many games following defeats to the Stars and two in Nottingham.

"We didn’t like how the last weekend against Belfast turned out and we will be looking to right that this time. We felt we deserved better that weekend but we made a couple of mistakes and it cost us." - Ross Venus (Forward, Coventry Blaze)

1800 Cardiff Devils vs. Fife Flyers

Valuable wins for both Cardiff and Fife mean that tonight’s fixtures at the Viola Arena will see one of these teams end the week with a four-point weekend.

Cardiff bounced back from their midweek defeat in Glasgow to win in Manchester and end their mini-negative series away from home. The Devils moved up to third with the win and suddenly have the top two in their sights – another win, considering the Clan and Steelers play each other, would bring them well into the mix for first.

Fife got a much-needed home win to end their run of losses, and doing so against local Rivals Glasgow and coming from two goals down will have done no end of good in the Flyers’ locker room. Fife were comfortable 5-1 winners when the sides met in Kirkcaldy a few weeks ago.

"Fife beat us convincingly the last time we played in their rink, and that was a performance where we just were not ready to play. I expect much more from our players tonight, especially after a solid, grinding win in Manchester." Andrew Lord (Head Coach, Cardiff Devils)

1800 Guildford Flames vs. Manchester Storm

The only game of the week for Guildford sees them welcome the team five points behind them.

Guildford have played the fewest number of games of any team in the Elite League to date and sit just inside the playoff places – although by points percentage they rank as the fifth-best team in the league.

The Flames haven’t lost at home since 20 October, and a win tonight will extend that streak to more than a month.

Manchester fell back to five points behind at the foot of the table after a home loss to Cardiff – 4-1 the final score but two of the goals were inside the final two minutes of the game. It’s a rink where the Storm have not traditionally done well – since Guildford joined the Elite League, Manchester have just one win at the Spectrum which came in February 2018.

“We have not seen each other yet this season so it is a little unusual in the middle of November to be heading into a game where you don’t have any first-hand knowledge of your opposition, but in the end we are looking for the same thing we want for every game and that is a fast-paced, engaged performance from all of our guys.  We are at our best when we are getting in quickly on the forecheck and we will try to disrupt Storm enough over the course of the night to collect a win. It is our only game of the weekend so there is always that added bit of pressure of making sure you take something away from your only chance.” - Paul Dixon (Head Coach, Guildford Flames