26 Dec 2024, 16:00 | Regular season | Sheffield Arena |
Sheffield Steelers | 2-4 | Nottingham Panthers |
Periods: Shots: | 1-3 (17-15) | 1-1 (9-6) | 0-0 (13-6) | Total: 39-27 |
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Referees: #2 David Good, #23 Andrew Miller  |  Spectators: 9368 |
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Goals and assists
Nottingham Panthers logged a second straight win over Sheffield for
the first time in league action since 2020 with a 4-2 win over the
Steelers at a sold-out 9,368 crowd at the Utilita Arena.
The defeat was the Steelers' fourth in a row, while Panthers' goalie Ryan Bednard recorded his ninth win in 10 games.
Having
started well and forcing the hosts into a couple of early icings with
no line changes, the Panthers took the lead just over two minutes into
things. An Otto Nieminen pass was swung at by Jordan Kelsall and snuck
over Matt Greenfield’s pad to trickle over the line.
With 4:39 on the clock, the Steelers got caught 2-on-1 the other
way and an excellent Logan Neilson pass put the puck on the stick of
Ollie Betteridge to finish high past Greenfield and double the Panthers’
lead.
Sheffield came into the game and after some sustained offensive
zone pressure were rewarded with their first of the game. Maxim Golod
deflected Brian Diffley’s shot from the point, and was then on hand to
poke home the loose back that had rolled behind Ryan Bednard.
As the opening period went on, the Panthers were lucky to stay
ahead – a couple of loose pucks in and around Bednard saw some desperate
clearances, one in particular from Niskala to keep the visitors ahead.
Somewhat against the run of play, the puck was worked to the on-rushing
Zsombor Garát who flicked the puck past Greenfield short side off the
post to make it 3-1 at 17:10.
The Panthers’ two-goal lead was extended to three early in the
second. A throw on net from Mitchell Fossier was deflected by Sam Herr
and then off Steelers’ Finlay Ulrick before looping past Greenfield at
24:49. Sheffield brought the score back to within two again through
Marc-Olivier Vallerand with just over seven minutes left in the period
on the rush, but could, and perhaps should, have found themselves
further behind through 40 minutes.
Sheffield kept the Panthers pinned in their zone through the
opening phases of the final period but without much of a final product.
Matt Spencer came to Bednard's rescue during a goal-mouth scramble in
the final 10 minutes to keep the 4-2 scoreline.
Greenfield was
pulled with 1:59 to play but the extra skater couldn't get them back to
one behind. The Panthers killed off two penalties in the final period as
the host side's powerplay struggled to get going, and the visitors held
on for the 4-2 win.