Saturday: All set for Pride Weekend
Photo: Panthers Images
Three teams celebrate their Pride Games this Saturday night as part of the Elite League's 2024 Pride Weekend - re-affirming our commitment, highlighted by fans at the 2019 Playoff Finals Weekend, that hockey is indeed for everyone.
Belfast Giants host Coventry at the SSE Arena for the first time since the Blaze knocked them out of the Challenge Cup shortly before Christmas. Since that the, the Giants racked up seven win in ten games, and were on a three-game winning run util they were defeated last Sunday in Coventry. The Blaze have won four straight in the league, and seven of their last eight games, but were brought back down to earth with a bump on Wednesday night with a 6-0 thrashing by Sheffield in the Challenge Cup.
Click here to watch Giants vs. Blaze.
Pride Night in Dundee sees the Stars host local rivals Fife Flyers on Saturday night. Dundee's recent form has see them stay inside the league's top six, and open up a three-point cushion on Glasgow below them. Fife's victory over Sheffield last weekend moved them closer to the playoff places, but they still trail the top eight by three points with only one win from their last five games. The Stars thrashed a short-benched Flyers 10-1 on 27 December, and hold a 3-2 series lead over their Scottish neighbours so far this season.
Click here to watch Stars vs. Flyers.
Cardiff Devils and Guildford Flames meet a little under a week ago in a game that went to a shootout, and now find themselves locking horns again in Wales. The teams are tied on 37 points each, although Cardiff have played two fewer games, and placed third and fourth respectively. Guildford, who haven't won in three games, took a 6-2 win in Cardiff on New Year's Eve and have not lost in regulation against the Devils in four games - they've also won their last two games at the Vindico Arena.
Click here to watch Devils vs. Flames.
A battle between two teams in the lower reaches of the playoff places takes place on Pride Night at Braehead Arena. Seventh-placed Glasgow Clan host the team a place and two points below them in Manchester Storm with both teams trying to build up a cushion to keep themselves in the top eight. This is Storm's second visit to to Braehead this season after an OT defeat in November. Both teams ended losing runs with wins in their last games - for Storm, that was on Sunday over Clan in Altrincham. Austin Farley is set to make his Storm debut after arriving midweek from Nottingham.
Click here to watch Clan vs. Blaze
Nottingham Panthers look for their first win over Sheffield Steelers since September 2022 when the teams meet on Saturday night at the Motorpoint Arena. The Panthers' home defeat to Glasgow midweek extended their winless run to five games since winning in Fife. The Steelers, who were beaten by the Flyers a week ago, have now have now gone two games without defeat - scoring six goals in those pair of matches.
Click here to watch Panthers vs. Steelers
