Friday: All eyes back on the playoff race
Photo: Mark Ferris
After the first trophy of the season was decided on Wednesday night, all eyes are now firmly back on the league this Friday evening.
Cup runners-up Guildford Flames are on the road for a double-header in Belfast as they look to catch the Giants up and move into fourth. The Flames are on a three-game losing run, however, which has seen them slip to just one point clear of fifth. Belfast's four-game winning run was ended in Sheffield last Sunday, but with a pair of wins here the Giants would all-but lock themselves into third place ahead of the playoffs.
Click here to watch Giants vs. Flames.
Dundee Stars slipped out of the playoff places on Tuesday evening when Fife beat Nottingham, and now the Panthers are heading up to Scotland as the Stars try to re-gain position on the Flyers. The Stars have lost their last four games and have a dismal recent record of just two wins in 13 games. The Panthers are .500 of late, but have played all of their games in hand on the teams around them and are still four points off the playoffs. Both teams have only eight games to play after tonight. The Stars will be wearing their excellent retro jerseys for this fixture.
Click here to watch Stars vs. Panthers.
Manchester Storm and Coventry Blaze will meet four times between now and the end of the regular season, with both teams trying to stay in the playoffs but also having the chance to finish higher up. Storm could end the night fourth, or conversely Coventry could close the gap on them to just a point, depending on tonight's results. The two meetings between the teams so far this season were both won by the visiting team.
