Tonight: All to play for in two games
Will there be a new league leader after tonight?
It's a huge night in the Elite League at both ends of the table.
1900 Belfast Giants vs. Fife Flyers
It could be 'win or bust' for both Belfast and Fife tonight but for very different reasons.
Belfast picked up three of four points last weekend but still five themselves five points off the league leaders with a game in hand. A win will put the Giants third although they've played more games than teams around them, but losing could see them fall to fifth if Coventry win their games this week.
With Cardiff and Sheffield playing each other, the Giants can't afford to lose much more ground if they're to stay as outsiders in the title race. The Giants have not lost in three home games, and have only lost one of their last seven at the SSE Arena.
Fife Flyers are five points shy of the playoffs and have just six games to go to make up that difference. With rivals Dundee and Glasgow playing each other tomorrow, that gap could also get widened so the Flyers have little option but to pick up two points - five points, or more, with only five games left, might be a bridge too far.
The Flyers ended a horrible losing streak with a win in Dundee two weeks ago, their first win on the road since 21 December, but let a two-goal lead slip in Sheffield last weekend in going down 8-2. September 2018 was their last win in Belfast.
1930 Cardiff Devils vs. Sheffield Steelers
It's a precursor to Sunday's Challenge Cup Final in Cardiff but this clash between the Devils and Steelers is worth an awful lot more than momentum going into that game.
Cardiff will go top of the Elite League with any sort of win against Sheffield. The Steelers have been top of the league for most of this season but are now in a position where this game becomes 'must win' - they're only one point ahead of the Devils, but have played three games more.
Sheffield won on their last visit to the Viola Arena but have lost one there, and another two at home to the Devils, this season. Their lead at the top shrunk down when they lost four games in a row, but since then the Steelers have won three of four two.
Cardiff saw a three-game unbeaten run ended with a heavy defeat in Nottingham last weekend, but bounced back with a home win against Dundee. The Devils haven't lost at home since that Steelers visit on 18 January.
