As Danny Stewart’s Nottingham Panthers prepare for their final five, Elite League, regular season outing, they’ve taken a huge step towards potential, championship success of late, last night’s (19 March) resounding success at home to Cardiff Devils, testament to that; the Nottingham Sport looks back at the past couple of weekends on the ice.

Including the visit of the Devils, the Panthers are into the last half dozen games of the regular season, before the play-offs kick in the middle of next month; recent form sees the Panthers winning four of their last five outings, starting a fortnight ago, with a rather tight pair of matches.

With captain Sam Herr leading by example, and now up to 32 goals scored this season, and Jason Grande minding those pipes at the other end in emphatic style, the move into second place, it’ll both delight, and excite, the Panthers Nation.

Steelers & Devils prove too ‘tight’ to handle

A week-and-a-half ago the Panthers welcomed the Sheffield Steelers to a sold-out Arena, before travelling to Cardiff Devils the following night, the winning the first, and losing the second.

Hosting the Steelers, fans were treated to the first of two, tight encounters, the Panthers edging a shoot-out to claim a 2-1 success; the visitors took the lead five minutes through Robert Dowd after home netminder, Jason Grande, had saved from Mark Simpson, with the same player also hitting the pipes.

Both sides created chances throughout, but Grande in the home net, and Matt Greenfield in the away, stood firm, so much so that the second period yielded no goals, the Panthers equalising in the third, through Tim Doherty, on a close-range rebound, as the game ticked towards the fifty-minute mark.

Again, chances were created in overtime, but nothing came of them, with a shoot-out needed to separate the sides – Kristoff Kontos, Tom Doherty, and Cooper Zech all netted, whilst Grande made three saves.

And so to Sunday, in Cardiff, where even less was witnessed as the Panthers picked up a second point over the two days, after this also went to overtime, the three periods finishing scoreless with Grande filing another netminders masterclass to keep the hosts at bay.

The only score arrived on 61:47 when Cole Sanford saw his low effort go past Grande and into the net; Grande, he pulled off an impressive, 46 saves, throughout the contest.

Storm & Flyers brushed aside in four-point weekend

The Panthers’ four-point weekend kicked off with a 4-1 win at Manchester Storm on Saturday (15 March) night when, after a scoreless first period, Cooper Zech produced great build-up work to set-up Matt Alfaro, his effort being turned in by Tim Doherty (23:45).

Storm levelled less than five minutes later through Gianluca Estevez as the side went into the third level at ones apiece.

Less than three minutes into the third and the Panthers had regained the lead, Alfaro netting after a clearance went straight to him; then Mitch Fossier took over with first, Zech sending him through on a breakaway before the finish was done on a forehand-backhand effort.

Under eight minutes later and Fossier completed the scoring when set up by Doherty to seal a 4-1 victory.

Twenty-four hours later and fans were treated to a goal-fest, the Panthers routing visiting Fife Flyers 9-3 in front of an expectant, home crowd, on a night of first for the home side.

A dominant opening period saw the hosts smash in five without reply through Hugo Roy (two, his second a solo effort), Kristoff Kontos (a brace), and Matt Spencer.

Early in the second period and Tim Doherty made it six for the hosts, before Charles-Antoine Paiement pulled one back; that didn’t last long however as DAVIS BUNZ netted his first Panthers goal from the slot.

Joey Stallard then bagged a quick-fire brace for the visitors to reduce the deficit to four, with a period to go.

Earlier in the second, Panthers netminder, Jason Grande, was replaced by recent signing and debutant JERE HUHTAMAA; the 24-year-old was an ITC deadline signing for the Panthers having had experience in the Finnish top tier with SaiPa, as well as having had a brief spell with the Panthers’ rivals, the Steelers.

The Panthers re-increased their lead in the latter stages of the third though through first Quinn Wichers firing in low before Tim Doherty added the ninth with less than ten remaining to take the home tally to nine.

Last night at the Arena

Although the Panthers have played more than those around them in the race for title, the 5-1 success at home to the Devils saw them move into second place, and just a point behind the leaders, Belfast Giants.

It took just 92-seconds to break down the visiting Devils, themselves sitting fourth in the table, as Davis Bunz, who netted his first Panthers goal in the demolition of Fife Flyers, saw his effort deflected into the path of Logan Neilson.

I would take more than fifteen minutes before the second Panthers score arrived, this time it was the captain, Sam Herr, who finished off a breakaway to round Mac Carruth in the visiting net.

Although the visitors reduced the deficit halfway through the second period, when Riley Brandt netted, Tim Doherty restored the two-goal advantage less than six minutes later, collecting Cooper Zech’s pass in the powerplay, to fire home first time.

That score saw the Panthers head into the third period, 3-1 to the good, and from then on, they never looked back.

In the space of just sixty-six, third period seconds, the bouncing hosts went from 3-1 to 5-1 as first Matt Alfaro cut inside to score past Carruth, before Herr double up on the night, and take his season’s tally to 32, after Zsombor Garat’s shot had fell into his line of fire off the backboards, and the captain fired home from close-range.

Coming Up for the Panthers

The Panthers recently qualified for the play-offs where, at present, they’ll be joined by the quartet of Belfast Giants, Sheffield Steelers, Cardiff Devils, and Coventry Blaze.

The race for the Elite League title is certainly in full swing; next up for the Panthers, this Saturday (22 March), Stewart’s ice stars head to Scotland when they visit Glasgow Clan, ahead of welcoming Manchester Storm to the Arena in a week’s time (26 March).

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @PanthersIHC all smiles after Panthers beat the Devils.