Tigers boss Tom Watkins will keep any formation changes a closely-guarded secret, as he prepares to make further inroads into the EPL’s top four this weekend.
A trip to face Swindon Wildcats awaits the Telford men on Saturday evening, while on Sunday they host likely title challengers Peterborough Phantoms (6pm).
Victory in both games – alongside favourable results elsewhere – could see The Tigers climb to third in the standings, two points adrift of second-placed Milton Keynes.
And with last week’s games having featured a new look for Watkins’ top lines, he could yet retain those formations this week.
He said: “I don’t think people should read too much into line changes, as they happen all the time in ice hockey. With Nathan leaving and Dan Davies out, we’ve had to balance the line-ups.
“At times if you’re looking for offence, you might try to load up two lines, as opposed to keeping the balance across every line. We’ve opted for balance because that’s what’s needed across the long haul right now.
“We can’t read anything into the form of either team we play this weekend. They’ve lost games recently, but if we take anything from that, we’ll get beaten.”
Watkins, who dished out a tongue-lashing to his players after last week’s narrow win over Bracknell, will be looking to maintain the momentum generated by the subsequent success against Basingstoke.
“We got the result on Sunday because we did the little things better and I don’t think it was about passion,” he added.
“The players care every single night, regardless of who they are playing. If we had executed everything a little better on Saturday, it would have been a totally different game.
“We can’t dwell on a poor performance, though. We have to look for the positives, which is we won the game and took two points.
“It set us up for a good game against Basingstoke the next day, and I want to see the same from the guys this weekend.”
The Telford coach is also keeping a keen eye on the transfer market, with deadline day just a week away – and he could yet bring in new faces to his injury-hit squad.
He said: “Is it likely? I can’t answer that, but are we still looking? The answer is yes, of course.”
The Tigers’ game at home to Peterborough Phantoms on Sunday, at Telford Ice Rink, faces off at 6pm. For tickets, go to www.tigershockeyuk.com.
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