The Cardiff Devils made it back-to-back 4 point weekends with wins over the Coventry Blaze and Nottingham Panthers. Throw in the midweek Cup success against Belfast and we’re undoubtedly witnessing the best run of performances put together by the club this season.
Last season, the Devils appeared to hit a bit of a wall physically and mentally down the stretch. They were still winning games, but not performing to their best. Having to battle game in game out eventually took its toll as they just missed out on the league title.
This season feels different. The team has turned up a notch (or two) just at the right time. It not only seems to be playing to a very high standard, but with a confidence and belief that is very encouraging for fans as they seek their first league title in 20 years.
Coventry are struggling right now and were outclassed on Saturday as the Devils strode out to a 5-0 lead. The final score of 6-3 may not have fully reflected the Devils’ dominance, but the conservation in the third period served them well the following night against Nottingham.
The Devils came firing on Sunday, and delivered a first period as close to ‘total hockey’ as you can get at this level. The Panthers couldn’t live with the Devils and 3 first period goals proved to be enough.
The Panthers rested number one goalie Miika Wiikman and were fresh off a war with Sheffield the previous night, but it’s difficult to have seen any side coping with the way the Devils played that first period.
A plethora of superb individual performances and great team chemistry are all contributing to this recent run of form. Joey Haddad was Sunday’s MOM, which was deserved as much for his performances over the past 2 months as his play on the night.
Having spent numerous seasons in the Italian league, it was likely it would take some time for Devils fans to see the best of Sean Bentivoglio and Layne Ulmer. That said, the decision to split the two long time line mates has proved impactful. Bentivoglio has found instant chemistry with Martin and Lord and Ulmer is on a tear in front of net.
Crucially, the Devils now have high end secondary scoring that takes pressure off the Martin line and becomes a big challenge for other teams to stop. Add that to a third unit that can play against any line in the league and a fourth line that, with more minutes, has found a real identity and it’s no surprise the Devils have looked so good as of late.
Just prior to the game in Coventry, the Devils announced that American forward Denny Kearney had signed with the club. I was in favour of the Devils bringing in an additional player in their final push for the title prior to Morissette’s injury, so I think this is a good move.
Kearney has good size, excellent hands and is a competitor. Perhaps most encouragingly, Andrew Lord was speaking to Kearney two seasons ago about coming to Cardiff. As ever with Lord, due diligence has been done, which is even more crucial when bringing a player in mid-season (especially during a title run-in)
I must apologise personally to Devils fans, as I was due to interview Kearney this week for IceTime TV, but got struck with food poisoning and had to cancel. Gaz, John and I are all heading over to Belfast so will aim to get some good audio content for Devils fans this weekend.
The Devils improved their lead at the top of the Elite League as both Sheffield and Belfast dropped 2 points to Nottingham and Fife respectively.
Giants fans may be worried by their form entering this crucial part of the season. They ‘bounced back’ from the Cup hammering to Cardiff by labouring to a 6-3 win over Dundee thanks to 3 third period goals. Then, on Sunday they collapsed in Fife, losing the third period 5-1.
Belfast will play their first game against Cardiff (Friday) without Captain Adam Keefe, as well as assistant coach Rob Stewart. Keefe was assessed a game misconduct for instigating a fight in the final two minutes in Fife and will serve an automatic 1 match suspension, which also affects Stewart as the named coach.
I can understand Keefe’s frustration and he made the choice to send a message to his club and teammates. While he’ll be missed on Friday it could have a galvanising affect, just as the loss of Andrew Hotham did for the Devils in the Cup Semi Final. Keefe’s return to the line up on Saturday will no doubt get a huge reception from the home crowd.
The suspension is straightforward in this case, but wouldn’t it help with transparency if the league just published its rulebook?
For mine, it’s a shame Keefe won’t be there for both games as I’d like to see the first and second placed clubs go at it with full rosters in what should be a memorable weekend. Of course, the Devils will still be without their Captain Jake Morissette due to injury.
I don’t believe Keefe’s absence will be of a particular concern for the Devils. They are playing their best hockey of the season and must feel confident they can beat any team anywhere right now. I’m sure the focus will be on what they can control.
For Belfast, this weekend may be make or break. It’s difficult to see Belfast coming back if they suffer a bad weekend at the end of a bad week. If they respond well this weekend, they’ll gain a huge amount of belief and momentum. It’ll certainly be a weekend not to be missed whether in Belfast or on GiantsTV.
A reminder that the next game Live on IceTimeTV is Devils V Blaze on Saturday 25th. The following weekend we’ll have Live and Exclusive coverage of the Challenge Cup final between Cardiff and Sheffield. I’ll write more on that in the week before.
Finally, a big congratulations to Stacey and Ollie on the birth of their son. Stacey is a part of the IceTimeTV team and does wonders behind the scenes. She has a seemingly boundless source of energy, which she’ll now need to call on with her own son, rather than making sure the three big kids (Gaz, John and I) are organised!
Tan Y Tro Nesaf!
aleddrums 