The final weekend of the “regular season” begins as the teams start to gear up for the play-offs and for Coventry and Manchester, it’s a chance to get some kind of upper hand.
Both teams have shown how good and how frustrating they can be in equal measure and a lot has happened since that opening game three weeks ago.
Hopefully the numbers might give a steer on where this one could go, but don’t count on it.
2
Number of times this fixture has gone into overtime, with Manchester winning both of them in the extra period
5
Scott Simmonds of Manchester Storm is the leading scorer in the previous three games, picking up five points (2+3) so far. Coventry duo Tristan Keck and Mike Hammond have four points each.
Also number of shots on goal by Ross Venus, the most by any Coventry player during their 7-5 defeat to Sheffield Steelers on Thursday
0
Number of points picked up Ciaran Long in four games for Belfast Giants against Coventry in the aborted 2019/20 season. In four games, he has three points against them in the Elite Series.
Will Luke Ferrara be on target again for Coventry against Manchester on Saturday? (PHOTO: Scott Wiggins)
6
Number of penalty minutes served by Manchester Storm duo Craig Peacock and Josh Batch, the most amount of any players in this fixture during the Elite Series
7
Number of goals in the third period in the previous games between Storm and Blaze, compared to six in each of the first and second periods and two in overtime. Three of those third period goals have come in the final two minutes of regulation time.
40
Shots on goal by Nicolai Bryhnisveen of Coventry Blaze, the most of any player involved in this game and one more than Ciaran Long with 39, the most from Storm’s team
3
Number of Nottingham-born players likely to be involved in this fixture, in Nottingham. Jordan Hedley (Coventry), Sam Gospel and Joe Hazeldine (Manchester) were all born and bred in the city.
