Devils stay four points clear at top

Photo: James Assinder

Cardiff Devils stayed four points clear at the top of the Elite League with a 3-2 win over Coventry Blaze at a sold-out Vindico Arena, in what became an increasingly more feisty game as the night went on.

An explosive start for the Devils, who were on the front foot from the off, saw them go two up inside nine minutes. Josh MacDonald tipped Gleason Fournier's shot past Mat Robson through a screen to open the scoring with 6:16 played. Some 90 seconds later, another Fournier shot from the point went through a crowd and although Robson saved this time the loose puck was swept home by Joey Martin.

68 seconds into period two, Jackson Cressey took Terrance Amorosa's feed to the front of the net and, left all alone, slotted past Mac Carruth to make it a one-goal game. 

A boarding call on Kohen Olischefski gave the visitors the ideal opportunity to level, but instead they were beaten shorthanded by Evan Mosey who slid the puck past Robson at 23:30 to put the Devils back two ahead.

The final period saw temperatures rising, but also excellent chances at both ends. Jack Hopkins made two stellar blocks on the same shift to keep the Blaze just two behind, while the Blaze couldn't make use of another Olischefski minor inside the final ten minutes. 

Robson left the net with 69 seconds to play, and with just two to go Grayson Constable finally got the puck over the line. The Blaze shot the puck from the resulting faceoff but only to give Carruth a routine save, however Nick Seitz chasing down the puck led to a line brawl in the corner of the Devils zone at the final buzzer.

After that was all sorted out, it ws the Devils who celebrated two points.