Saturday: Full schedule with 9 weeks to go
Photo: Mark Ferris
It’s a full schedule of games heading into weekend action in Week 22 of the 2024/25 Elite Ice Hockey season.
After this weekend, there are only nine weeks left before the end of the regular season. We’ll be around 70% of the way through season, and have played just short of two thirds of the league games.
Cardiff Devils hosting Nottingham Panthers puts the teams in second and third up against each other. It’s a big weekend for the Devils, who then face Sheffield Steelers on Sunday – the team placed fourth. Were results to go against them, the Devils could end the weekend fourth – they start it second, seven points off the lead with two games in hand. Nottingham, a place back, would go second if they win in regulation tonight. The Panthers have won six straight in all competitions to haul themselves back into the chasing pack as the form team. Cardiff have won both previous meetings between the teams in at the Vindico Arena so far this season.
Click here to watch Devils vs. Panthers
In Dundee, the Stars welcome Guildford Flames to Tayside with seventh hosting fifth. Both teams have only two wins in their last five games, but both have also beaten teams around them in the table to climb places over recent weeks. While there are only two places between them, the teams are separated by 12 points with 20 games to play. Guildford haven’t lost in Dundee since November 2023 and took a 3-1 victory when the teams met earlier this season.
Click here to watch Stars vs. Flames
Also in Scotland, Glasgow Clan welcome Sheffield Steelers to what’s expected to be a sold-out Braehead Arena again. Clan have two home games this weekend as they look to go back into seventh and pull themselves away from dropping out of the playoffs altogether. The hosts have one win in their last seven games. Sheffield Steelers, meanwhile, have dropped two of their last three games after a lengthy win-streak that brought them back into title contention. Sunday’s defeat in Guildford saw them drop out of the top three. With a nine point gap to, and only one game in hand on, Belfast, the Steelers’ defence of the league title has little margin for error heading into the final stretch of games. April 2022 was the last time Clan beat the Steelers on home ice.
Click here to watch Clan vs. Steelers
Manchester Storm are looking to end the league’s longest active loss streak when they take on Coventry Blaze in Altrincham. Storm have lost their last six games and have slowly seen their ‘games in hand’ advantage on the teams above them look less comfortable with the gap to the playoff places getting bigger. They start the weekend five points behind. Coventry Blaze slipped a place after shipping five third-period goals to Guildford on Wednesday night. With 20 games to go, they still have a shot of finishing in the top four if they can put a run of wins together.
Click here to watch Storm vs. Blaze
Top visits bottom in Kirkcaldy with Belfast Giants taking on Fife Flyers. The Giants arrive with an advantage of seven points at the top of the table, and on an eight-game win streak. Fife are still 18 points off the playoffs but have come close to taking points off most teams at home since Christmas. They’ve already beaten Sheffield in Kirkcaldy this season.
Click here to watch Flyers vs. Giants
