A depleted Genting Casino Coventry Blaze side were beaten 0-5 by title-chasing Cardiff Devils in front of a packed Skydome Arena on Saturday night.
The Blaze went into the contest short-handed, missing defensive pairing Ivan Chukarov and Colton Saucerman, along with forwards Grant Mismash, William Boysen and Adam Robbins.
Following an incident in Cardiff the previous evening which saw Devils forward Riley Brandt ejected, emotions were already running high. Brandt and Blaze defenceman Connor Russell dropped the gloves just 12 seconds into the game, setting the tone for a feisty encounter. Further roughing penalties followed at 0.43 as tempers continued to flare.
With Mike Pelech and Jere Vertanen both in the penalty box, the Devils capitalised on a well-executed 5-on-3 powerplay to open the scoring. Joey Martin marked his 600th Elite League appearance in style, firing home with assists from Cole Sanford and Kristoff Kontos.
Cardiff doubled their advantage at 13.37 when a blocked shot fell kindly, allowing the visitors to spring a short-handed breakaway. Kohen Olischefski made no mistake, finishing clinically with Ryan Barrow and Evan Mosey picking up the assists.
The physical edge remained right up to the first-period buzzer, with David Clements and Jimmy Oligny both sent to the penalty box.
The second period was highlighted by outstanding goaltending at both ends. Mat Robson for Coventry and Ben Bowns for Cardiff produced a series of high-quality saves to deny clear scoring chances.
Despite the Blaze resistance, the Devils struck again late in the period. A Blaze turnover allowed Brandt to break clear, and the forward beat Robson at 37.41 to give Cardiff a commanding 0-3 lead heading into the third.
Cardiff extended their advantage at 46.29 with another breakaway goal, this time Cole Sanford skating in alone to make it 0-4. The Devils then added a fifth on a delayed penalty, converting a 6-on-4 opportunity at 51.45 through Brett Ferguson.
Frustration began to show for the Blaze as the game wore on. Home debutant Jordan Power became involved in a further altercation with Brandt, before assistant captain David Clements was assessed a game misconduct. Head Coach Kevin Moore was also ejected late in the contest, venting his displeasure with the officiating as he left the Blaze bench with just minutes remaining.
Photo credit: Scott Wiggins
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