EIHL Playoffs: Quarter-Final Previews
After what has been an intriguing, action-packed, drama-laden season in the Elite League, we have once again reached the business end of proceedings. I will be covering the play-off journey of the eight teams lucky enough to have qualified starting right here, with a preview of all four quarter-final match-ups.
Speculation had been rife as to who would end up facing who in the play-off quarters due to what was generally perceived to be at best a rather convoluted seeding system, but the reality of the situation meant that in certain cases, qualification went right down to the wire, and opponents were not known until the very last buzzer had sounded. It has made for an interesting collection of match-ups and, despite criticisms of the seeding system itself, it cannot be denied that the very nature of the process has added to the excitement on a number of levels, particularly for the neutral.
Nottingham Panthers v Fife Flyers
Perhaps the most black and white of all four match-ups on paper, the newly crowned League Champions will face off against north-of-the-border rivals the Fife Flyers and will be heavily favoured by most to progress to the finals weekend. The Kirkcaldy side have suffered mixed fortunes this season but will be pleased to have qualified for the semi-finals at the expense of fierce rivals the Dundee Stars, although Dundee were architects of their own downfall in the end, losing both games of a do-or-die final weekend double header against Edinburgh to seal their fate.
In the head-to-head, Nottingham have won all four meetings between the two sides this campaign, and convincingly at that. They have the advantage of hosting the second of two legs on home ice where they are a truly formidable force, and although Todd Dutiaume’s men have given a good account of themselves this season and have perhaps exceeded expectation (coming 2nd in an extremely tight Gardiner conference and achieving 7th place in the League standings) it would take a truly herculean effort to overcome the Panthers; a side not only with confidence and momentum, but a desire to win a third play-off championship in three years.
The Panthers still have the League Cup final second leg to play and are in pole position against arch rivals the Steelers, so their fate really does lie in their hands. They were denied the ‘grand slam’ of titles as the Belfast Giants snatched the Erhardt conference trophy in the final weekend of games, but three out of four ain’t bad and for Corey Neilson, who has finally got his hands on the silverware he has coveted ever since he took over the Panthers coaching role, it would be the icing on the cake of what cannot be considered to be anything other than a total success of a season.
Fife will undoubtedly give it their all in their usual gutsy style, but their lack of strength in depth compared with their opponents is likely to be their undoing over two hard-fought legs, and it’s hard to see past a Panthers whitewash in this tie.
Belfast Giants v Edinburgh Capitals
Although many will argue that the second of the quarter final match-ups is another banker, it could well be argued that the draw against Edinburgh could be a potential banana skin for Belfast. Coming off the back of an Erhardt Conference title-winning weekend against Coventry and Sheffield, Belfast are back to full strength and are clearly in no mood to let another piece of silverware slip out of their grasp having lost their league title to Nottingham on home ice just the previous weekend.
However, the odds will not be stacked against the Caps in quite the same way as they are against the Flyers; let’s look at some facts.
The hapless Caps from the last couple of seasons seemed to be hapless once again at the beginning of this season, losing 20 from 25 games up until the end of November. However, Richard Hartmann must have conjured something magical in his dressing room as, moving into December, we suddenly saw a new Caps side emerge onto the ice. They won three of their first four games in December, most notably winning in both Sheffield and Nottingham, giving the big boys of the Erhardt Conference something to talk about.
Finishing bottom of the Gardiner conference belies the season that Hartmann’s side have put together, their league position of sixth a much truer representation of their successes, winning twice in Cardiff and again in Sheffield, and beating Belfast on home ice just three weeks ago; the Caps are no pushovers.
Doug Christiansen will be urging his players to take the Capitals seriously; if not they could face a Giant-killing on the scale of Hull’s quarter final win over Sheffield in last year’s play-off run-in. With Odyssey scheduling resulting in the first leg being Belfast’s home leg, the Northern Irish side will be hoping to rack up the scoreline so that the return leg in front of an Edinburgh crowd who have been waiting patiently for success will not prove too difficult a hurdle to overcome. With the likes of Noah Clarke and Kevin Saurette on scoring form, and plenty of other goalscorers waiting in the wings, Belfast should be able to exert their authority – but they are unlikely to have it all their own way.
Braehead Clan v Cardiff Devils
The Gardiner Conference champions Braehead have not had it easy this season. They finally laid their hands on the title in the very last game weekend of the season, having been tipped by most to lift the trophy at the beginning of the season. However it was a long road, and one that saw them lose a coach and a netminder, and deal with under-performing stars. They pulled their socks up in the latter part of the season however to storm through and take the Gardiner conference title, despite only finishing 8th in the league overall, which reflects the fact that their performances against the top sides have been less than impressive. In four meetings this season, Braehead have bested Cardiff just once, and that was way back in September.
The Devils have also suffered a turbulent season with performances perhaps not living up to their fans high expectations. Also blighted (no pun intended) with numerous changes in personnel, Cardiff had arguably the biggest character in the league in Devin Didiomete, as well as the most high profile of all the NHL signings in Paul Bissonnette. Both were ‘gone by Christmas’ as Didiomete left for personal reasons and Bissonette returned to the NHL. The Devils also lost trusted netminder Phil Osaer to Norway just over halfway through their campaign and they have floundered since signing replacement Chris Whitley, winning just three of their games since the change in netminding staff, although the lack of cohesion in the team overall after such major departures had to have played a part in their misfortunes.
Expect a reinvigorated Braehead to come out all guns blazing – they are finding their form just at the time that Cardiff can’t buy a win.
Can the Glaswegian outfit spring a surprise on their Welsh rivals? In this writer’s humble opinion, if there’s an upset to be had amongst these quarter final match-ups, I think it could well be a purple one. And despite the Cardiff fans being great value for money at playoffs, it would be great for the league to welcome the Clan to finals weekend for the very first time.
Sheffield Steelers v Coventry Blaze
And so to the final match-up and, for me, the most intriguing. Both these Erhardt conference sides have had seasons replete with highs and lows. In Sheffield, many have continued to question Ryan Finnerty’s coaching style after some early changes in personnel raised eyebrows. The Steelers failed to produce enough consistency to mount a serious challenge for the title although they were in the mix for most of the season, producing a number of impressive wins.
Coventry on the other hand have had a tumultuous season which has been a rollercoaster ride for their fans. At the heart of the organisation they have a committed group of staff and players and have pulled some great results out of the bag. Early in the season they were missing a number of key players and which seemed to bond the team, and they developed a style of playing that was as entertaining as it was dangerous, combining skill and aggression to great effect. The wheels seemed to come off however later on in the season; there was the infamous brawl in Cardiff, the loss of Matt Beleskey back to the NHL, accusations of players not pulling their weight and notable bust-ups with officials landing many players in hot water at key points. Add to this the dismissal of defenceman Jerramie Domish following a failed drugs test just this week, and it’s difficult to know which Coventry will turn up in the play-off quarter finals.
The Blaze can pull it out of the bag under pressure, but they will face Sheffield side who, 4-1 down to Panthers after the first leg of the Challenge Cup final, look to be heading for another season with no silverware. They will be desperate to avoid a repeat of last season when they were sensationally knocked out of proceedings at the quarter final stage by the Hull Stingrays amid rumours of dressing room unrest. If Ryan Finnerty’s men can show up at their best, they will be favourites to progress. However, these are two unpredictable teams who have produced some exciting contests over the course of the season, so who will emerge victorious is a difficult one to predict.
Join me next week for a full play-off finals weekend preview, as well as my reflections on the Elite League season as a whole.
