Nottingham Panthers had to win in Cardiff to keep their Challenge Cup campaign alive, and they did so in emphatic style, with a five-goal victory over the Devils, who were beaten at home for the second time this weekend.
Kevin Carr stopped 48 shots to record a shutout. “I was happy to help out tonight and do my part,” said the Panthers’ goalie. “Shutouts and wins aren’t done alone though, so hats off to the guys in front of me who were blocking shots and taking one for me when I was maybe out of position. It was a big team effort. You can’t win this game without a team effort, and we were happy with our bounce-back from last night’s game which wasn’t our best.”
A quiet opening period saw encouraging play from both sides, with multiple scoring chances at either end.
The Devils had a huge opportunity to take the lead after Jarod Hilderman received a slashing minor, gifting the home team a powerplay. However, a strong performance from Nottingham’s penalty kill kept the game scoreless through 20 minutes.
Both teams continued to push for the opener deep into the second period, but it was Nottingham who broke the deadlock. Didrik Henbrant skated the puck into the offensive zone and fired a close-range shot past Christian Stoever to give the Panthers a 1–0 lead at 34:17.
Cardiff pushed back in the closing stages of the period and generated several chances on the powerplay, but an outstanding display from Carr, including a key save to deny Ben Davies on a breakaway, kept the hosts off the board as the Panthers took their one-goal lead into the third.
The Devils took two early minors in the final period and were punished on the latter. Some slick puck movement from the Panthers set up Tim Doherty in front to tap home from Mitchell Fossier’s feed and double the lead at 45:48.
Matthew Marcinew slotted home the rebound from a Brendan Harris shot to make it 3–0 with just over eight minutes to play, effectively sealing the game. It got even better for the visitors when Fossier hit the empty net with 4:45 remaining as Cardiff chased the game, before Zsombor Garát added insult to injury with a powerplay goal six seconds from the end.
“We had a pretty stern talking to after Saturday’s game, and we understand what’s at stake now,” added Carr. “We pretty much have to win out if we want to advance in the Cup. Tonight was a good performance and a good reminder that when we play our game, we can compete with anyone in this league.”
Photo: James Assinder