Sheffield Steelers' Elite League struggles continue in Boxing Day showdown with Nottingham Panthers

With more than half of their regular season games still to come, there remains time for Aaron Fox’s team to get back in contention, but they have to find a way back to winning games – and consistently – soon.

Their latest bid to snap their losing run didn’t get off to the best of starts when they went 2-0 down inside five minutes.

The Panthers – who won by the same 4-2 scoreline on their previous visit to the Utilita Arena at the end of November – took the lead just over two minutes in when Otto Nieminen’s pass was scuffed at by Jordan Kelsall before sneaking over netminder Matt Greenfield’s pad and over the line.

With 4.39 on the clock, the Steelers – buoyed by the return of captain Robert Dowd – then got caught 2-on-1 the other way, allowing Logan Neilson to make an excellent pass to Ollie Betteridge who beat Greenfield to double the Panthers’ lead.

It wasn’t long before the Steelers’ replied, however, just over seven minutes having gone before Maxim Golod reacted quickest to poke home the loose puck that had rolled behind Ryan Bednard from Brien Diffley’s initial shot.

The Panthers still went into the first intermission two goals ahead, though, when Zsombor Garát flicked the puck past Greenfield at 17.10.

It got worse for the hosts early in the second, Mitchell Fossier’s speculative effort being deflected by Sam Herr and then off Steelers’ Finlay Ulrick before looping past Greenfield at 24.49.

Marc-Olivier Vallerand reduced the deficit with just over seven minutes left in the period, but that was as close as the hosts’ got, the third period playing out goalless.