The weekend is almost upon us and the games are coming thick and fast as we head towards the halfway point of the season. Cardiff currently are an astonishing 13 points ahead of us in second place. We have however an equally astonishing 6 games in hand!
That's all good, but you've got to win those games in hand to make them count. Any slip up now could have a good bearing on how this season will pan as we chase for that historic three-peat that nobody in the Elite League, since its conception, has ever accomplished.
Talking about slip ups, this weekend could provide one easily. Our opponents on this home and home series are none other than this team:
Yep it's those underachieving Bears, sorry Panthers, from down the M1. A team that seems to have garnered its season expectations into winning the Continental Cup. Sure we wish them all the best in the Super Final but with a fan base that lauds success, shouldn't they be making a concerted effort into getting as many trophies in the cabinet? That way it allows Gary Moron, yes even some of my Panthers friends think he's an ageing dinosaur and at times a club embarrassment, to work himself up and start up the "we're the best team in the League" comment.
The fact we have seen this season that the Panthers roster is quite simply average, and some of the roster aren't as good as the players they've replaced. They started off the season like the proverbial house on fire, and until their first lot of Continental Cup action: were racing away with the league. But either this change of focus or some complacency kicked in, and now they find themselves in an abysmal 6th place in the league standings. Put it this way, if 9th placed Edinburgh won their games in hand on Corey's men - they'd be level on points. That ain't good enough.
Yet they always seem to find a way to upset us, especially in the NIC. We can go into games with them and be the team everyone expects to win but something seems to happen there which never goes our way and we come out of there sans the win. The key to Saturday is to play Panthers like we have offensively over the games in the Arena so far, take the game to them and silence the building so much the natives start getting on their backs and it then transmits into play from those wearing black and gold. We've done it before, why can't we do it more and more often. Is it a psychological thing? Your guess is as good as mine here.
A lot of what happens Saturday, will also determine how both teams approach the game on the Sunday. If we win, confidence that we can make it three home wins out of three against them will be high and Panthers will be looking to right that unwanted stat. A Panthers win would have the opposite effect, increase their confidence whilst deflating ours and causing massive cheers down in South Wales. We have seen it already, the defence isn't the greatest and left Pacl on both occasions here in Sheffield - hung out to dry more than a pile of dirty washing. Neilson's actions last Arena home game left a lot to be desired from both sets of supporters as he let the bleeding continue and didn't call a time out all game. It looked like his mind was elsewhere and he didn't care.
Predictions: Panthers to win 4-2 in the NIC, but Steelers to enjoy revenge on the Sunday with a 6-2 home win. I just have this nasty feeling they (Panthers) will actually perform Saturday and show what they are possibly capable of and inflict a painful blow to our ambitions. What about you?
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