Cardiff Devils 9, MK Lightning 1
Cardiff Devils will need to earn a point in Coventry to secure a third consecutive Elite League title after thrashing Milton Keynes Lightning at the Viola Arena.
Devils paid tribute to Josh Batch, who made his 500th Elite League appearance and played a full part in a one-sided victory.
Sean Bentivoglio scored the first for Devils after 33 seconds and they scored four goals in each of the first two periods.
Cardiff are level on points with leaders Belfast giants in the table with one fixture to play.
Giants have finished their regular season, while Devils take on Coventry at the Skydome on Sunday (5.15pm).
Reaction: Andrew Lord & Tim Wallace after @cardiffdevils' big win over @MKLightning #EIHL pic.twitter.com/DAFtxMEuEs
— Elite Ice Hockey League | #EIHL (@officialEIHL) March 30, 2019
“It was a complete effort by every player,” said head coach Andrew Lord. “We came out really moving our feet and the pace we played at was outstanding.
“Our fan base phenomenal. The energy in our building was great.”
Devils now head to Coventry for their final match of the League season and Lord said: “We’ve been in big games before and know what it takes, how to deal with the pressure.
“It’s a tough game in a small rink against a team who play hard. We need another 60 minute performance.”
Devils were lethal with the man advantage, scoring on three of their five powerplay chances they had, while they outshot Lightning 54-21.
Goalie Ben Bowns made 20 saves for the win and was only beaten in the final minute when James Griffin tipped the puck past Bowns to ruin his shutout attempt and make it 9-1 at 59-13.
The final period saw Devils rolling four lines and conserving energy for the huge game in Coventry on Sunday.
Match stats:
Scorers, Devils: Charles Linglet 2+3, Matt Pope 2+1, Joey Haddad 1+0, Layne Ulmer 1+0, Gleason Fournier 1+0, Evan Mosey 1+1, Sean Bentivoglio 1+2, Joey Martin 0+2, Mike Hedden 0+1, Mark Richardson 0+1, Mark Louis 0+1, Matthew Myers 0+1, Stephen Dixon 0+3, Drew Schiestel 0+1, Jake Morissette 0+1,
Lightning: James Griffin 1+0, Georgs Golovkovs 0+1, Tim Wallace 0+1.
Period scores (Devils): 4-0, 4-0 (8-0), 1-1 (9-1).
Shots on goal: Devils (on Goss/Killeen) 19+20+15=54, MK Lightning (on Bowns) 5+6+10=21.
Penalties in minutes: Devils 2+2+2=6, Lightning 8+2+0=10
Special teams: Devils PK 3/3, 3/5; Lightning PK 2/5, 0/3.
Players of the match: Devils, Charles Linglet; Lightning, Georgs Golovkovs.
Referees: Matt Rose and Matt Thompson
Attendance: 3,100
Belfast Giants 6, Dundee Stars 4
Belfast have done everything in their control to try and win the league title, beating a battling Dundee side at the SSE Arena in their final game of the regular season.
Giants lead the league by virtue of a better tie-break record over Cardiff, but Devils have one game still left to play.
Manchester Storm 1, Coventry Blaze 4
Coventry handed Manchester their 11th and ultimately most costly home defeat of the season to confirm their place in this season’s play-offs and end Storm’s season.
Elite League, Saturday results: Belfast Giants 6, Dundee Stars 4; Cardiff Devils 9, Milton Keynes Lightning 1; Glasgow Clan 2, Fife Flyers 3; Manchester Storm 1, Coventry Blaze 4; Nottingham Panthers 0, Guildford Flames 2.
Sunday fixtures: Coventry Blaze v Cardiff Devils (5.15pm), Milton Keynes Lightning v Sheffield Steelers (5.15pm), Guildford Flames v Dundee Stars (6pm), Fife Flyers v Glasgow Clan (6.30pm).
ELITE ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE 2018/19
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | PIM | STREAK |
| xBelfast Giants | 60 | 45 | 13 | 2 | 92 | .767 | 238 | 147 | 741 | 4-0 |
| xCardiff Devils | 59 | 43 | 10 | 6 | 92 | .780 | 234 | 143 | 670 | 1-0 |
| xNottingham Panthers | 60 | 29 | 19 | 12 | 70 | .583 | 183 | 181 | 1026 | 0-2 |
| xGuildford Flames | 59 | 30 | 23 | 6 | 66 | .559 | 186 | 176 | 700 | 2-0 |
| xFife Flyers | 59 | 30 | 23 | 6 | 66 | .559 | 186 | 200 | 860 | 1-0 |
| xGlasgow Clan | 59 | 30 | 24 | 5 | 65 | .551 | 198 | 184 | 724 | 0-7 |
| xSheffield Steelers | 59 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 62 | .525 | 179 | 202 | 876 | 0-1 |
| xCoventry Blaze | 59 | 26 | 25 | 8 | 60 | .508 | 206 | 220 | 726 | 1-0 |
| Manchester Storm | 60 | 27 | 28 | 5 | 59 | .492 | 179 | 208 | 1179 | 0-1 |
| Dundee Stars | 59 | 22 | 25 | 12 | 56 | .475 | 165 | 198 | 568 | 0-1 |
| Milton Keynes Lightning | 59 | 15 | 40 | 4 | 34 | .288 | 147 | 242 | 966 | 0-3 |