Just the single game for the boys this weekend, as the title race gets even more interesting. Our visitors to the House Of Steel are Todd Dutiuame and his Fife Flyers, and it is a game we must win to keep those dreams alive.
With leaders Cardiff having lost their fourth game in a row last night in the NIC: a crushing 6-1 loss to Mr Neilson's Panthers; we could rise to the summit of the Elite League by picking up maximum points tonight. However I remain a little bit cautious as Flyers have been in some decent form recently which has put them in pole position for the Gardiner Conference title. But surely they won't provide an upset away from "The Auld Barn", will they?
Flyers, like Edinburgh and Dundee, rely on a work ethic to get results rather recruiting big name players who have featured in the NHL. Take as a prime example, former Coventry and Newcastle winger Danny Stewart. If ever the phrase "rink rat" had been coined for a specific player, then Stewart would be probably at the top of the list for it. Stewart relies his energy and ability to rub up the opposition the wrong way to inspire his team, and he's been doing this on these shores for 10 seasons now.
Having beaten Cardiff just the other week, Flyers will have confidence in their ranks but they seemingly don't travel when going South of the Border. Whilst their last visit to the Arena resulted in a 3-1 loss; that game was a comfortable win for Thommo's men. Steelers know they can't ill afford to let complacency set in and I'm sure Paul will not allow this to happen anyway.
The team will be missing Canadian power forward Guillaume Desbiens who serves a one match suspension after that altercation with Kevin Noble in Coventry last Sunday. However, a major boost was announced yesterday when premium British forward Robert Dowd was declared ready to return to the ranks after a second spell out injured. This therefore leaves just Colton Fretter officially out injured on the treatment table but he could be back in time for the final push.
Prediction Time? Flyers have not had a good time in Sheffield since returning to the Elite League and that's something I don't expect to change. They really need to catch us on an off night. I'm fully expecting another regulation home win, one that should see us go top of the table. I think 4-1 as a scoreline.
How do you see it unfolding?
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1 comment:
Really hope we don't screw this up. We seem to have calasped on big games lately. Fingers crossed we come away with a win.
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