PredictorBet Play-offs Grand Final 2018

“I think we just broke the last curse!”

The words of Cardiff Devils Head coach Andrew Lord after his team had clinched Playoff Final victory.

It’s been a nineteen year wait for the organisation – an agonising tale for fans who last tasted playoff success back in 1998-99 and have endured twelve unsuccessful playoff campaigns in the Elite League since.

The opening period was naturally a tense affair between the two teams who contested last years final – Sheffield prevailing in 2017 with an overtime winner after an epic comeback to tie the game in regulation.

Cardiff had the better opportunities such as they were, and tested Ervins Mustukovs with just six seconds on the clock.

The Devils earned the only power play of the frame but were too ponderous with the puck and failed to threaten the Steelers net.

Sheffield felt hard down by not to earn a power play of their own but would have been happy to head into the intermission at level pegging having been out-shot 11-7.

Second Period:

Last years champions began the middle frame with a little more intensity but Cardiff were doing an excellent job of getting in the shooting lanes and Ben Bowns barely saw a puck despite extended zone pressure from Sheffield.

The deadlock would be broken on the power play and it was almost Sheffield who struck through a fine short-handed effort from Mathieu Roy.
Instead it was Cardiff with a fantastic shot from Matt Pope, which hit the inside of the post and underside of the crossbar on it’s way behind Mustukovs.

It was a goal worthy of gracing any big game and the Devils nearly doubled their advantage with Joey Martin’s redirection from a Andrew Hotham attempt forcing a brilliant stop from Mustukovs.

To Sheffield’s credit they bounced back from the blow of conceding, carried the majority of the play and forced Ben Bowns into action through Robert Dowd.
Unable to capitalise on their first power play of the game or get enough shots through Cardiff’s staunch defense, the Steelers would find themselves trailing by two thanks to a late period strike.

Moments after Mustukovs had pulled off a wondrous glove save to deny Jake Morissette on a breakaway set up by Joey Martin, it was Hotham who broke Sheffield’s resolve.

The defenseman was allowed to glide into the right circle unattended and that only usually ends in one result. Hotham’s blistering shot was nestling the Steelers twine before Mustukovs could blink and now Cardiff could almost taste success.

Third Period:

Any celebrating from the Devils fans was severely premature as Bowns was called into action to deny Dowd with a right pad save and then turn aside Levi Nelson on the same shift.

At the three minute mark, Layne Ulmer would have been disappointed not to convert on a 3-on-2 break for Cardiff.

Everyone inside the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham then came together with five minutes on the clock.
“Let’s Go Broncos” reverberated around the arena in tribute to Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, who have lost fifteen of their number following a tragic road accident Friday evening.
In the same breath it was a sombre and uplifting sixty seconds in which the UK hockey community came together.

With the focus switched back to the action on the ice, Sheffield put themselves back within striking distance.
Eric Neiley finding a way past Bowns with a terrific top shelf rocket which beat the Welshman’s glove hand.

There were still thirteen minutes remaining at this juncture and the Steelers fans and players were galvanised.
Chances were few and far between for Sheffield to net a tying marker despite them owning the majority of possession.
The teams exchanged power plays without success and as the game wound down the tension only grew.

Surprisingly it was Cardiff who appeared the most composed and were even running down the clock inside the final four minutes by controlling the puck deep inside the offensive zone.

The drama was far from over however as the officials assessed a roughing penalty to Sean Bentivoglio with 85 seconds left in regulation.

It surely couldn’t happen again, could it?
That must have been the thoughts of many a Cardiff and Sheffield fan but it was the former who would breath easier as the Devils stayed calm and composed on the penalty kill before settling proceedings.

It was somewhat fitting that it was left to Devils Captain Jake Morissette to secure victory with an empty net goal with 17 seconds remaining.

Nineteen years.
Nineteen years forgotten in an instant as the Cardiff Devils celebrated their first playoff final victory since 1999 and secured the double after winning a second successive league title.