Devils Vs Blaze - Key Players

With the league all wrapped we are now heading into the interesting part - the playoffs. As we all know, these short 2 game series can really be a lottery where things change quickly and anyone can win.

With the Devils taking on The Coventry Blaze in a “Mid table” clash we can expect a great series with the Blaze being our “local rival” they’ve always been a tough team for us but we know the Devils can pull this off on this year’s form.

We start with a tough road trip but finish with the advantage at home Sunday where a full rink will hopefully make it a very intimidating place for the Blaze to come and try and win.

Ahead of them games, we’ve looked at the two teams and picked who we think are the ones to watch… starting with the Coventry Blaze.

Shea Guthrie
A huge find by Thommo this season with some impressive stats by the young forward. At 24, Guthrie has plenty of experience behind him and was drafted by the Islanders back in 2005.

So far this season his points have been huge for Coventry and some may say he’s been  leading from the front- Games Played 60 Goals 33 Assists 55 Points total 84 and let’s not forget 5 of these goals have been scored on a Devils net.
 
We think he will be a key player this weekend for the Blaze and looking at his recent form over the last 10 games we can see that’s he’s finishing the year strongly and that in order to take the win the Devils will need to shut him down and keep him quiet.

Games Played  10 Goals  8 Assists  7 Points  16

Dustin Wood
Wood who picked up the nickname  “The Machine”  has been a huge part of Coventry's defence this year and has proven he can be a threat to the Devils at the other end having scored on three occasions against the Devils, he's very quick to shut the game down with plenty of experience having spent time in the  AHL before moving to Europe and then Asia.

Wood despite not being known for his stats, has a huge presence logs an outrageous number of minutes and is a big lift for an otherwise woeful Blaze defence. Looking at his stats for the last 10 games he’s finishing well with Games played 10 Goals  1 Assists 5 Points  6

Looking at the Devils, there were a few choices available but to statrt we’ve stuck with one guy who has picked in the second half of the season as is finishing strongly after a quiet start. He's lead from the front and scored some important goals for us the last few weeks and can only be

Stuart MacRae

MacRae in his second season with the Devils has been prolific in the scoring the department since the second half of the season and this showed why he is in the top 10 scorers so far this year and the Devils top scorer. Despite seeming to be the quiet guy, Stu's lead the team up top and with the help from his line mates, the stats, show why he is key to us progressing to finals weekend.

Stu at 29, has gained experience through the ECHL and CHL before signing in Cardiff. MacRae has been a great pick up for the Devils and his stats have been impressive throughout his pro career. Looking back at his last 10 games, Stu's points consist of Games played 10 Goals 8 Assists 8 Points  16

For our second chice it has to be

Gerard Adams

G being a player/coach can always be in two mind sets but we know all round, he's a great shut down D man who can add some scoring from the blue line for us. Due to injury, G has put himself up top and mixing up his shifts to help the depleted D. Now with the D back at full strength, G has stayed up top to help the younger players and this is working great. He may not be the most offensive D man but he always gives 100% and knows when to step it up to lift the team.

G has been in the UK for the last 10 years after spells in ECHL/AHL and has been a great credit to all teams he's played for. Looking at his stats the last 10 games, he may not be throwing huge numbers but his presence is enough on the ice to intimidate other teams. Games played 10 Goals  2 Assists  5 Points 7

Let us know who you think the Keys to these two vital games will be here http://www.the-inferno.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5846