The Belfast Giants fell a further 2 points behind the league leading Coventry Blaze with a disappointing loss at home to the Sheffield Steelers.
The game had started well for the Giants, they had succesfully killed off a couple of powerplays for Sheffield and they certainly had the majority of the scoring chances. However, a sloppy powerplay at the start of the second period saw Steelers' Mike Peron break-away and score short-handed.
Not for the first time this season, the Giants appeared to be suffering from "Perfect Goal Syndrome" with each player trying to set up another for a highlight-reel goal. Unfortunately, this only seemed to result in them losing possession of the puck or taking a rushed, soft shot at the Steelers' goalie, Jamie Platt.
With no goals forthcoming, the Giants pulled goalie Martin Klempa in the dying seconds, but it only served to allow Mark Dutiame to score into the empty net, securing the win for Sheffield.
Coventry took all the points in a 3-0 win at Nottingham, leaving the Giants 5 points adrift with only 5 games left. This means that the Giants must hope for the Blaze to lose one of their remaining games, before the double-header in Belfast, to have a chance of winning the league title.
| 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 |