Andrew Lord has called on his Cardiff Devils players to hit ‘full throttle’ from the start of Wednesday’s home clash with Guildford Flames.
Devils were left frustrated after losing against struggling Dundee Stars at the Viola Arena in Cardiff Bay on Sunday, although head coach Lord and his players did earn three points from a possible four over the weekend.
They are still in touch with Belfast Giants and have to play the leaders another five times in Elite League fixtures.
Devils hope to have defencemen Mark Richardson and Drew Scheistel available to face Flames, although they will have to sit out one import.
Lord was delighted by Devils’ performance in their 8-3 win at Fife Flyers on Saturday, saying: “That was phenomenal, one of the best by our team in over a month or longer. A total team performance.
“We had energy, excitement to play, passion, togetherness and a killer instinct.
“There have been a few flat starts on home ice when we have allowed teams to get into the games, particularly trapping teams like Dundee.
“Our second period was great. We were all over Stars and could have scored more.
“We got one late in the second period, but that was unfortunately waved off. The goalline technology was down at the time and it couldn’t be checked.
“The third period wasn’t good enough as a whole. Defensively we had some lapses and when it comes to a shootout anything can happen.
“Stars defended hard at times when another goal or two would have been crucial, but we need to defend better.
“We had to work hard to score our goals, but on the flip side we let the puck into our net without much of a challenge.
“There were glimpses of form against Dundee, but maybe we took a step back in a few areas. All we can do is use this result as another lesson and come out full throttle on Wednesday.”
TICKETS – You can still buy tickets for Wednesday’s home game against Guildford plus other fixtures ONLINE HERE or by calling 0800 0842 666 or in person at the reception desk at VIOLA ARENA right up until face-off at 6pm.
Devils remaining fixtures in December:
Wednesday 5 v Guildford Flames (home, 7.30pm)
Sunday 9 v Belfast Giants (away, 4pm)
Friday 14 v Glasgow Clan (home, 7.30pm, Challenge Cup)
Saturday 15 v Manchester Storm (away, 7pm)
Thursday 20 v MK Lightning (away, 7.30pm)
Saturday 22 v Dundee Stars (home, 7pm)
Sunday 23 v Guildford Flames (away, 6pm)
Wednesday 26 v Coventry Blaze (away, 6pm)
Thursday 27 v Coventry Blaze (home, 7pm)
Sunday 30 v Guildford Flames (away, 6pm)
Tickets for Devils games are on sale.
ELITE ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE 2018-19
| TEAM | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | PIM | STREAK |
| Belfast Giants | 23 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 36 | .783 | 89 | 46 | 320 | 0-1 |
| Nottingham Panthers | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 35 | .673 | 85 | 73 | 422 | 5-0 |
| Cardiff Devils | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 33 | .750 | 91 | 61 | 227 | 0-1 |
| Fife Flyers | 24 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 30 | .625 | 85 | 81 | 323 | 1-0 |
| Guildford Flames | 22 | 13 | 9 | 0 | 26 | .591 | 78 | 69 | 287 | 1-0 |
| Sheffield Steelers | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 24 | .500 | 75 | 80 | 365 | 1-0 |
| Glasgow Clan | 21 | 10 | 10 | 1 | 21 | .500 | 62 | 75 | 274 | 0-1 |
| Coventry Blaze | 22 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 21 | .477 | 72 | 82 | 330 | 0-6 |
| Manchester Storm | 23 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 19 | .413 | 62 | 83 | 688 | 0-5 |
| Dundee Stars | 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 19 | .432 | 55 | 77 | 254 | 4-0 |
| Milton Keynes Lightning | 23 | 7 | 14 | 2 | 16 | .348 | 56 | 83 | 503 | 1-0 |