It's interesting to see some of the perspectives here... both for and against your team and their performance last night.
Personally, I think that the two results we've had so far between these two teams (the pre-season stuff being largely irrelevant) almost tell the story... two hard-fought games where the home team wins by just one goal. 2 points each, honours even.
I think it's pointless to describe either side as 'superior' or as having some kind of guaranteed advantage over the full season... whilst similar in many ways, both teams have their own particular strengths, and I don't see any clear winner already.
The Devils have an initial advantage, in that they have brought into this season a team that has largely played together for some time... your team cohesion is currently superior - the teamwork is fantastic, the 'bread and butter' plays are carried out much more smoothly. This appears to be more obvious in the defence than the offence - from what I've seen so far, I believe that the Cardiff defence overall is currently the best in the league - but it carries right through the team. Is the skill level of the Devils higher? - pass, think it's too close to call... but I think that they are closer to their full potential than anyone else right now, which is an advantage. Unfortunately for the Devils, that advantage is going to be eroded as the season wears on and other teams (including the Panthers) improve their overall teamwork - the gap will narrow.
The main advantage of the Panthers is physicality... and, almost more importantly, having said physicality without losing either speed or skill. One of the strengths of the Panthers' game last night was the incessant bodychecking, which has to wear down the opposition to some extent (probably less with Cardiff than some others, but even so...). It's possible that the Panthers' offence is a bit more deadly than that of the Devils... but that one is really too close to call. Sure as hell, no netminder can relax for a second if the Panthers have the puck - Ben Bowns is a superb netminder (I simply cannot understand all of the criticism of him) but even he got caught flat-footed by some of our snipers. Not an easy thing to do...
That was a damned good game, and one in which both teams showed that they can really play hockey. I'd like to think that the belief held by some that these are the two main challengers for the league title is true, but I'm too wary of potential banana skins to fall for that one. There are teams out there who will exploit any perceived weakness, and all teams can have an off night (or more than one!).
Good game, two good teams, great entertainment and a good night overall. As a Panthers fan, I'm obviously happy with the result (much happier than with my first trip to IAW a few weeks ago!) but I'm even happier with the overall product that got seen around the country on TV. More of the same to come, I hope!