So after the trip to Scotland on Saturday, we come home on the Sunday to face those pesky puddycats from down the M1. Yes the Panthers are in town and all attentions will be focused on keeping that unbeaten Arena record intact. They can be beaten, we know that, but we also know that any lapse in concentration is likely to be punished with ruthless efficiency.
The big question is, can we beat them?
Categorically we can, they are beatable as much as any team are and that includes ourselves in that equation. We have to play them with the same intensity like we did for the first 35 minutes on Hallowe'en night in the NIC; just like Real Madrid of hockey in Thommo terminology. If we play like we did for the other 25 minutes though, the unbeaten Arena record is going to fall. A solid 60 minute hockey game is needed.
I think we also owe Panthers a decent hammering too, it seems ages since we had that 9-4 win which was a night that none of us will ever forget in a hurry: I still have that game on DVD lurking somewhere. That was a night we clicked and really brought an "A" game to the fore. We need to repeat that. But it won't be at all easy. As we have found out to our cost recently, any team can beat the other on any given night.
We need to be ready from the get go and make it uncomfortable for them. This means no switching off in defence, leaving open rushes and firing plenty of rubber at Miika Wiikman. Special teams will be particularly vital too. Our powerplay, which is slowly improving, needs to click and when on the penalty kill: we need to be immaculate. Panthers have probably the finished article on the PP, and players such as David Ling and David Clarke will be crucial to shut down on this. Passing lanes for them need to be closed and force them out onto the periphery where they can do less damage.
I am sure Thommo will have addressed all this in the week with the lads.
So what am I predicting as a score? Sure I would love nothing more than a caning that sends the puddycats down the M1 with their tails firmly between their legs but realistically it ain't gonna happen. We will edge a close run encounter 3-2 in regulation, and that'll do me perfectly. What's your take on it?
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