The Elite League playoffs have reached the semi-final stage, with all four remaining teams vying for the title at the Motorpoint Arena.
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The Cardiff Devils are a strong contender, boasting game-changing players on their roster. The Nottingham Panthers stunned the Guildford Flames in the previous round and have built momentum, while the Sheffield Steelers are eager for success and have several in-form players. And who could forget the Belfast Giants after their league and cup double success?
Elite League Power Rankings: Are the Belfast Giants still the favourites?
Here’s how we see the Elite League ahead of Playoff Finals Weekend, with senior reporter Luke James power-ranking the four remaining clubs.
4. Cardiff Devils: Elite League Power Rankings
The Devils dominated the first leg of their quarter-final tie with the Coventry Blaze, but faded significantly in the opening stages of the return fixture. Cardiff were outplayed at five-on-five, with the Blaze forechecking them into oblivion through periods one and two.
They survived — but how much do they have left to give?
The Devils finished fourth this term, were never truly in the title race, and have fallen away from their pre-pandemic peak.
However, they have several game-changing players on their roster, with Trevor Cox, Cole Sandford, and Marcus Crawford combining for 189 regular season points.
The Devils are dark-horse candidates to win it all this time around.
3. Nottingham Panthers: Elite League Power Rankings
Did anyone expect the Panthers to upset the Guildford Flames? It certainly didn’t feel likely before puck drop.
The Panthers have endured one hell of a season under new chief executive officer Omar Pacha.
It all started so brightly, with an instant improvement in the club’s front office operations. But the honeymoon wasn’t to last. Pacha was forced to sack Gary Graham after a run of dismal form saw the Panthers fall out of the title race in November.
Corey Neilson was a popular appointment, albeit one that failed to shift the needle down the stretch. The Panthers were easy to beat, quick to crumble, and poor defensively for much of the season.
But, after flicking the switch to dumbfound the Flames in round one, they are now just two wins from winning a championship. Can they do it? Sure. Neilson is a playoff specialist, with a handful of players on his roster finally hitting their stride.
David Levin has been superb lately, finishing the season with seven points (four goals, three assists) in his last five appearances. The 23-year-old boasts exceptional vision, which compensates for the unconventional skating technique that held him back while playing in the Ontario Hockey League.
Netminder Peyton Jones will also be wired to upset the Giants, who replaced him with Beskorowany in January.
2. Sheffield Steelers: Elite League Power Rankings
The Steelers have plenty of factors on their side ahead of Playoff Finals Weekend. Aaron Fox’s side are desperate to win, not least because a trophy lift would erase memories of their title race collapse and lack of recent playoff success. Also of note — the retirement of Jonathan Phillips. They will do everything possible to ensure their captain walks into the sunset with another title.
Pressure? Plenty – which bodes poorly for a squad that crumbled their Challenge Cup semi-final against the Fife Flyers.
However, the Steelers operated smoothly in the quarter-finals, bouncing back from regular-season disappointment with a resilient win over the Manchester Storm.
Fox has a handful of game-changers on his roster, starting with netminder Matthew Greenfield. The American recorded a .920 save percentage on the season, lifting the Steelers with big stops in important moments.
Whenever the Steelers are at their best, they have more than enough quality and character in the tank to win out against any opponent. Problem? Sheffield, when not at their best and the ice tilts against them, are prone to fading quickly and losing badly.
Regardless, they enter Playoff Finals Weekend as second-favourites for the title, with a real shot at going all the way in a tournament easily swayed by puck luck and streaky goaltending.
1. Belfast Giants: Elite League Power Rankings
The Giants wobbled against the Glasgow Clan in the quarter-finals but remain the team to beat ahead of Playoff Finals Weekend. Adam Keefe has built a commanding team in the Titanic Quarter, with a series of midseason arrivals propelling the club to new heights.
While Keefe was smart to nab in-form forward Grant Cooper from the Leeds Knights in January, convincing netminder Beskorowany to un-retire has proven to be a masterstroke.
Beskorowany has been near-faultless since his return, turning pucks aside with ease and confidence as the Giants found their stride in the title chase.
His save percentage? A spicy .940 in 18 appearances.
The Canadian never seems troubled by the pressure of a big game, making him uniquely equipped to backstop the Giants as they target their first Grand Slam.
Also of note — Belfast’s absurd top-six talent pool. Scott Conway, with his 90-point season, often dominates the headlines but is only one piece of a juggernaut attack. The Giants dismantled the Flyers in the Challenge Cup final, with Ben Lake providing grit and quality from the middle-six.
Yes, the Giants stuttered against the Clan.
No, you shouldn’t discount their absurd record since the turn of the year.
Belfast are still the team to beat.
