The Sheffield Steelers look to lock up the best record in the league on Wednesday in an away fixture with the Cardiff Devils.
When asked about his outlook for the season moving forward, Head coach Aaron Fox said: “We’ve still got some work to do for sure. I think we put ourselves in a great spot though.
“Heading to Cardiff on Wednesday to play for a trophy and, with nine games remaining, I think we’ve definitely done a great job.”
The Devils currently hold the second best record in the league with 67 points, trailing only the Steelers, who lead with 79 points.
In four previous matchups this season, the Steelers and Devils have won two games each.
The Steelers will need to work their way past the Devils’ goaltender Ben Browns, arguably one of the best at his position this season. He is currently fourth in the league in save percentage, however the Steelers’ Matthew Greenfield sits in first place.
After a 3-1 victory over the Guildford Flames in the Challenge Cup final on Wednesday, the Steelers have the rare opportunity to claim the Elite League grand slam by winning the league championship, Challenge Cup and playoff championship in a single season.
Last season, the Belfast Giants took the first Elite League grand slam since the Nottingham Panthers did in 2013.
Following a tense game on Saturday night, Coach Fox said he expected his team’s quality of play to be down after a massive cup final win on Wednesday night.
“There was a bit of a lull from our group tonight, for sure. It was something I expected,” said Coach Fox. “We talked about trying to make sure mentally we were switched on from puck drop. The come down from Wednesday was obviously going to be there.”
Nevertheless, Coach Fox was pleased with the result of the match and praised the play of Greenfield in the shootout.
The playoffs are set to begin in April and the Steelers are ready to make a deep run. Should the Steelers finish top of the league, which they are almost certain to do so, they would face the eighth placed team in a best of three series.
Should the Steelers claim the league championship this week, they must ensure not to get complacent in the final two weeks of the regular season.
