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Tonight: All 10 teams in league action

Points up for grabs to climb the league table

It's a full Saturday night of Elite League action with all 10 teams in action.

1900 Cardiff Devils vs. Belfast Giants
Having battled directly for two of the three trophies last season, Belfast and Cardiff have seen new teams come to the league title party this campaign. The Devils and Giants will contest two games in the Welsh capital this weekend.

Cardiff go into this weekend second in the table, three points behind Glasgow with a pair of games in hand. The Devils have two wins on the spin both overall and at home going into these fixtures.

Belfast made midweek changes to their roster with the arrival of David Goodwin and the departures of Jean Dupuy and Jesse Forsberg. Adam Keefe’s team are looking to end a run of four straight losses.

It's a huge weekend for both teams. We have two good wins last time out, but now have to continue those good parts of our game into these against Belfast. These games have been well-contested in the past few seasons, and I expect no different this time around.” – Andrew Lord (Head Coach, Cardiff Devils)

I expect high-intensity games. Anytime we face the Cardiff Devils, there is a little bit more intensity level, I find, and I expect Saturday and Sunday to be no different. It is a big weekend for us and a great challenge for us to go into Cardiff’s home and try to take points out of it." – Adam Keefe (Head Coach, Belfast Giants)

1900 Dundee Stars vs. Coventry Blaze
24 hours after the Challenge Cup first leg again Glasgow, Dundee are on home ice again with the visit of Coventry.

Dundee’s draw with Glasgow means that the Stars are now unbeaten in their last four games. Three wins in a row in the league have moved them to within a point of the league’s top eight, but if they are to climb up the table further then they’ll need to improve on a 50% points percentage at home.

Sitting just two points outside the top two, Coventry have the second-highest points total from road games in the league. However, the Blaze are looking for their first win in two away from home after defeats in Belfast and Sheffield.

"Hopefully we can have the same jump as we had last night, and maybe be a bit more direct and go to the net straight away. We just have to keep the positives, keep moving and go into what's a huge game ready to go." - Omar Pacha (Head Coach, Dundee Stars)

We are looking to bounce back after the disappointment of Wednesday with a good road performance. It was a close game the last time we were there and we don’t expect any different this time around.” – Dayle Keen (Assistant Coach, Coventry Blaze)

1900 Glasgow Clan vs. Guildford Flames
League leaders Glasgow entertain a Flames team that beat then in overtime at the end of October, and knocked them out of last season’s playoffs in their last visit to Braehead.

Clan played last night in Dundee with a well-earned draw in their Challenge Cup encounter, and in the league are the EIHL’s strong home team: six wins from seven games and the highest number of points on their own ice of any side in the league.

Guildford, by contrast, have the league’s worst road record. The Flames have only picked up one win in five starts away from home, but nevertheless sit just inside the playoff places overall. While they do have games in hand on the teams around them, the Flames are slowly moving into territory where they need to pick up some consistent points to move up the table.

"It's always rocking, so very exciting to play at home. We have the best home crowd in the league and all of our guys love playing there. It's another big game that we're looking forward to." - Zack Fitzgerald (Head Coach, Glasgow Clan)

We have only played the one time so far this season and it was about as even as a game could get so although we edged it out by a goal, it was a coin flip in terms of who could have won the evening.  This time, we are on the road and we will need to find a way to be hopping early so we ensure our response to the travel needs of the night have no impact on the outcome.” – Paul Dixon (Head Coach, Guildford Flames)

1900 Sheffield Steelers vs. Nottingham Panthers
Sheffield and Nottingham meet for the fifth time this season but now with league points on the line.

Sheffield have the upper hand in the teams’ battles so far winning three, and have had no problems finding the net – the Steelers have scored 16 across those games. Only three points behind Glasgow at the top, Sheffield have slipped back a little of late with a record of one win in five.

Nottingham return to league action full of confidence after advancing to the Continental Cup finals. Domestically the Panthers are unbeaten in five games as they look to climb the table following a disappointing start.

Having Michael Davies back will give us a boost, however the loss of Aaron Johnson (injury) and Anthony DeLuca (suspension) will once again mean we are a little short-handed. Nottingham have improved greatly since we played them in the cup games, their recent run of results has been excellent and their progression to the final of the Continental Cup impressive. The nature of this fixture is that for either side to win they have to bring their A-game.” – Aaron Fox (Head Coach, Sheffield Steelers)

1915 Fife Flyers vs. Manchester Storm
Four points but five places separate Fife and Manchester, making their meeting tonight vital for each of the teams as we edge closer to the mid-point of the season.

Fife got a much-needed home win against Glasgow last weekend to break a winless run, and while they then lost in Cardiff they pushed the defending playoff champions through 40 minutes with no goals. The concern for the Flyers is that they’ve played more games than all bar one team in the league, and by points percentage would actually be two places lower than they are – meaning they need to start picking up more, especially at home where they’ve been strong already.

Manchester may prop up the league, but at the same time the Storm have two wins from their last three games and are only three points outside the playoff places. They are coming into this game off a confidence-boosting midweek win in Coventry in the cup.

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