Pressure no problem for Hull in showdown with the Devils

Hull have arguably been handed the hardest possible route to the Elite League’s post-season showcase event at the National Ice Centre next weekend, facing the only opponents they failed to beat during the regular season.

Player-coach Sylvain Cloutier would probably have been happier facing any one of the other top four teams at the quarter-final stage and will now be hoping his players can produce two perfect games, starting with tonight’s first meeting at Hull Arena (7.00).

Defenceman Bannister, whose first game for the Stingrays back in November was a 12-0 thrashing in Cardiff in front of the live TV cameras, accepts the East Yorkshire club face a tough ask to somehow knock Gerad Adams’s team out at the first hurdle.

But the 36-year-old former NHLer believes if Hull can emerge from the first leg in close contention with the regular season runners-up, the potential to pull off a shock in South Wales is there.

“If we can go to their rink with any kind of lead that would be great,” said Bannister. “But even if we can come out of the first leg tied or maybe just one goal down adrift, it could make them a little bit nervous on their ice.

“The pressure is on them because they are supposed to win. Outside of our own locker room there’s no pressure on us.

“Anything close going back to Cardiff will only increase the pressure on them and if we can get through the first period and still be in contention then every minute that ticks down while we’re still close is only in our favour.”

Bannister said Hull had to stay disciplined over the two games if they were to make life uncomfortable for Cardiff.

“We’re going to have to work on our discipline and cut out the unnecessary penalties because their powerplay has killed us all season,” he added. “We can’t afford to take stupid penalties at critical points.”

One other problem Stingrays will have to overcome is their lack of secondary scoring in comparison to their opponents.

Jereme Tendler is second in the league for goals with 50 to his name this season, but only two other team-mates – Andrew Coburn and Jason Silverthorn – have reached the 20-goal mark.

By comparison, Cardiff have plenty of sharp-shooters to back up Jon Pelle, the league’s leading goal-scorer with 55, with three other players in the league’s top 10 of points scorers.

Regular season champions Sheffield Steelers should become the first side to book their place in Nottingham next Saturday after they travel to Scotland for the second leg of their quarter-final against Dundee Stars tonight.

Leading 6-1 from the first leg on Tuesday, Ben Simon’s team should comfortably avoid a shock defeat to their Scottish hosts.

Bench coach Neil Abel said: “We need to keep the momentum going because I think the boys are playing pretty well, since our last defeat. If we keep going the way we are now through to the finals weekend then whoever we face there will have a difficult time.”

Hear Drew Bannister and Neil Abel discuss the Elite League play-offs by listening to the latest edition of our HockeyTalk podcast, which can be found in the Audio & Video section of this website.