Tonight the Coors Belfast Giants face the league leading Coventry Blaze at the Odyssey Arena. The first of two games for the Giants this weekend, the Blaze arrive in Belfast short on numbers.
Sylvan Cloutier, Neal Martin and Curtis Huppe are all sidelined with injury. And while the Blaze have enlisted the services of former Giants D-man Troy Neumeier in the interim, the league leaders have struggled of late.
A 2-0 shut-out last Sunday at the hands of the Giants was followed up on Wednesday night with a 5-3 defeat to the Basingstoke Bison. The Giants will hope to capitalise on this slip by the Blaze tonight but will do well to keep out of the penalty box. Coventry hold one of the strongest powerplays in the league today, and despite their troubles of late, Paul Thompsons side are expected to strike again, and soon.
Coverage of tonights game will be available by webcast on BelfastGiants.com and of course all in game stats are available on ih-update.co.uk
Patrick Smyth
| P | TEAM | GP | W(OT) | L(OT) | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants | 54 | 46(0) | 5(3) | 95 |
| 2 | Steelers | 54 | 41(0) | 11(2) | 84 |
| 3 | Panthers | 54 | 38(0) | 12(4) | 80 |
| 4 | Devils | 54 | 32(0) | 12(10) | 74 |
| 5 | Blaze | 54 | 32(0) | 20(2) | 66 |
| 6 | Clan | 54 | 31(0) | 19(4) | 66 |
| 7 | Stingrays | 54 | 16(0) | 34(4) | 36 |
| 8 | Stars | 54 | 13(0) | 35(6) | 32 |
| 9 | Capitals | 54 | 13(0) | 37(4) | 30 |
| 10 | Flyers | 54 | 8(0) | 40(6) | 22 |
| Points | Robert Dowd | 78 |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Robert Dowd | 40 |
| Assists | Craig Peacock | 49 |
| PIM | Adam Keefe | 247 |