Dundee Stars part of trio battling for final play-off berth

Three teams are locked in a race to grab the last spot for the PredictorBet Elite League play-offs.

However, all three teams could still qualify.

Dundee Stars, Coventry Blaze and Manchester Storm are the teams battling for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Cardiff Devils, Belfast Giants, Nottingham Panthers and Glasgow Clan have already secured their place but the rest of the teams from fifth to 10th have yet to lock up their spot in the post-season.

Only seven points separate Guildford Flames in fifth down to Dundee in 10th and with the maximum of 10 points available to some teams, no one’s fate is guaranteed.

However, Milton Keynes Lightning are guaranteed to finish at the foot of the table and have announced their intention to join the English Ice Hockey Association’s newly formed National Ice Hockey League next season.

The real interesting battle is the one developing for the last playoff berth, which is currently occupied by Manchester Storm. The Altrincham side have played 56 out of 60 games and have 55 points.

Their last four fixtures see them face the two sides battling it out for the league title. This weekend they host Belfast before travelling to Cardiff and in the final week of the regular season they are on the road against Milton Keynes before facing rivals Coventry Blaze at home.

The Blaze face a similar challenge in their last five games.

Also, on 55 points but with a game in hand, the West Midlands club take on Dundee tonight before a trip to Guildford this Sunday.

A midweek encounter with Belfast follows before their penultimate fixture against Manchester. Danny Stewart’s side round off their season at home against Cardiff.

Dundee, who lie just a point behind Manchester and Coventry, have a chance to leapfrog the pair into eighth, if they can win tonight.

Their last home game of the regular season comes against Cardiff this Sunday before a daunting road weekend in their final two matches. A trip to Belfast is Stars’ second last game before the long drive south to Guildford the following night.

Stars head coach Omar Pacha knows his team face a tough set of fixtures but insists his team are not getting ahead of themselves.

He said: “You just have to go one game at a time and that is what we are focusing on.

“We just take it as it comes and go from there, you can’t control the other results, all you can control is the game on Wednesday.”