It’s a full five-game schedule this Saturday in the Elite Ice Hockey League.

The day’s early start sees Guildford Flames welcoming Fife Flyers to the Spectrum. Flames picked up an overtime win on Friday night in Glasgow and remain within a win of the top five. Fife can no longer make the playoffs but could still have a big say in the race for position and the league title over the coming weeks.

In Belfast, it’s a huge double-header weekend. Giants host Cardiff Devils for two games which could have a major impact on the title race. Giants enter the weekend eight points clear of Sheffield and Nottingham, and nine ahead of Devils, with a game in hand over all of them. Cardiff will likely need to win both games, ideally in regulation, to keep themselves in the race for the league title. Giants were eliminated from the Challenge Cup midweek with a home defeat to Coventry.

Coventry are in Sheffield as they look to cause further upsets to teams inside the top four. Blaze made the Challenge Cup Final midweek with an excellent result in Belfast, and have won two of their three fixtures at the Utilita Arena this season. Sheffield must win to keep up the pressure on Belfast at the top with an eight-point gap to make up over their last 11 games. They will face Belfast twice next weekend.

Nottingham Panthers also head into the weekend with winning the only option if they want to keep their league title hopes alive. Panthers picked up a midweek win over Dundee to stay in the race. Glasgow got an overtime point on Friday night which, coupled with results elsewhere, saw them qualify for the playoffs. They now have 10 games to try and improve their seeding.

The day’s final game is in Dundee, where Stars and Storm meet again. Manchester came out 5-1 winners on Friday night when the teams played at the Shelter, a result that eliminated Dundee from playoff contention. Storm remain in fifth with a two-point cushion above Guildford chasing them.

Photo: William Cherry