Devils Ready For Storm To Hit Cardiff Bay Wednesday

Cardiff Devils will play Braehead Clan or Coventry Blaze in the PredictorBet Elite League play-off quarter-finals.

Champions Devils are waiting to see which of those teams claim the final play-off slot.

Seven teams have made sure of their place among the eight qualifiers, while Clan, Blaze and Dundee Stars have been battling it out for the final spot.

Captain Jake Morissette and his Devils have three home matches left to complete their regular season, starting against Manchester Storm at Ice Arena Wales on Wednesday evening (7.30pm).

Cardiff Devils captain Jake Morissette is among the best shot blockers in Elite League.

They then entertain Belfast Giants (7pm) and Milton Keynes Lightning (6pm) this weekend, again in Cardiff Bay.

Dundee hopes  ended when they lost 6-2 against Fife Flyers, while Clan are one ahead of Blaze by with two games to play.

Devils are keen to end the season in winning style which would give them momentum going into the play-offs.

Morissette and his team have already won the League title and Erhardt Conference this season, taking their tally of trophies to serve in the last four seasons.

Their major aim now is to win the play-off championship at the finals weekend in Nottingham, next month.

Devils were crowned League champions for the first time in two decades last season and have finished top again in 2017-18, while it is almost 20 years since they last won the play-offs.

Paul Heavey was coach, while Steve Thornton, Ivan Matulik and Vezio Sacratini were still strutting their stuff for Cardiff after winning the League two years earlier.

Paul Heavey is the last Devils coach to win the play-offs. That was almost 20 years ago in 1999. Pic: Getty Images.

The 1998-99 play-off finals were held in Manchester – and the local team, Storm, had won the league by six points.

Devils had to play Manchester Storm in the semi-finals and the hosts were hot favourites, but Cardiff-born forward Nicky Chinn fired three goals and Devils in an astonishing 5-0 win.

I was reporting on a Cardiff City Division Three goalless draw against Cambridge United at the Abbey Stadium while Devils played Storm and David Temme, who was owner of Cardiff’s ice hockey club, rang me to say: “We’re leading 5-0 and Chinny has scored a hat-trick.”

That sounded so unlikely after Storm had been crowned champions that it took a lot for David to persuade me he was telling the truth, but Devils had won, I dashed from Cardiff to Manchester and watched Heavey’s team beat Panthers in Sunday’s final.

That was during April 1999 – and, while Devils have been in finals, they have not won the play-offs since then.

How they would love to lift that trophy in Nottingham next month.

They will have to beat Braehead or Coventry in their quarter-final to earn a place at the finals weekend.

Braehead completed a four-point weekend when won 6-1 at Edinburgh Capitals on Sunday, while Coventry defeated Guildford Flames 3-1.

Coach Andrew Lord has led Cardiff Devils to seven championships in the last four years – and now the Welsh club are intent on winning the play-offs.

Netminder Kevin Nastiuk led Coventry to a vital win in Guildford, making 38 saves and winning the League player o the week award. The Canadian puck stopper made 14 saves in the first period alone.

Clan’s final fixtures are Nottingham Panthers at home on Friday and Guildford Flames away on Saturday and if they win both the coveted play-off place will be theres.

Blaze must hope Braehead slip up in at least one of their fixtures and they can overtake their rivals with wins against Manchester Storm away on Saturday and Flames at the Skydome on Sunday.

Remaining Elite League regular season fixtures 2017-18:

March

Tuesday 20: Nottingham Panthers v Fife Flyers.

Wednesday 21: Belfast Giants v MK Lightning, Fife Flyers v Sheffield Steelers, Cardiff Devils v Manchester Storm, Guildford Flames v Dundee Stars.

Friday 23: Braehead Clan v Nottingham Panthers.

Saturday 24: Guildford Flames v Braehead Clan, Sheffield Steelers v Edinburgh Capitals, MK Lightning v Fife Flyers, Manchester Storm v Coventry Blaze, Dundee Stars v Nottingham Panthers, Cardiff Devils v Belfast Giants.

Sunday 25: Belfast Giants v Dundee Stars, Coventry Blaze v Guildford Flames, Manchester Storm v Sheffield Steelers, Cardiff Devils v MK Lightning, Edinburgh Capitals v Nottingham Panthers.

Remaining Devils fixtures in the regular season (play-offs start later this month):

Wednesday 21 v Manchester Storm H (7.30pm)

Saturday 24 v Belfast Giants H (7pm)

Sunday 25 v MK Lightning H (6pm)

CLICK HERE to book a ticket for all or any of the remaining three Devils matches. Call 0800 0842 666 to book via the phone.

ELITE LEAGUE STANDINGS

Regular 2017/18 – all teams play 56 matches

Rk Team GP W L OTL SOL WPCT Pts
1 Cardiff Devils 53 39 11 1 2 .764 81
2 Manchester Storm 53 34 14 3 2 .689 73
3 Fife Flyers 53 33 18 1 1 .642 68
4 Belfast Giants 53 32 19 2 0 .623 66
5 Sheffield Steelers 53 31 19 2 1 .613 65
6 Guildford Flames 53 27 17 5 4 .594 63
7 Nottingham Panthers 52 29 18 2 3 .606 63
8 Braehead Clan 54 24 24 5 1 .500 54
9 Coventry Blaze 54 24 25 4 1 .491 53
10 Dundee Stars 53 22 27 3 1 .453 48
11 Milton Keynes Lightning 53 19 32 1 1 .377 40
12 Edinburgh Capitals 54 5 48 0 1 .102 11

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