Devils Debrief 2025/26 - Episode 31 - Devils 5-0 Sheffield Steelers

Franny and Dan chat about the Devils beating the Steelers 5-0 in a great performance on Wednesday night at the Vindico 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Today's podcast is brought to you by Minerva Hearing. Hear the cheers, protect your ears. Shumoy Powerback Kroysaw, hello everybody, and welcome to Devil's Debrief after the Cardiff Devils have just beaten the Sheffield Steelers by five goals to nil. Franny, if you were looking for a good Wednesday in the Devil's Books, it's about as good as you can get.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Yeah, it is. I mean, we always enjoy the games against Sheffield, and we enjoy them even more when it's such a big score line.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Yeah, it was um it was a game that for the first two periods kind of simmered away. It was difficult to watch at times, neither team really grabbing control. And then towards the end of the second and then into the third, the Devils looked fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Yeah, I mean, we spoke on the stream about the amount of turnovers, especially in that first period. Um, but there was a difference, is that when the Devils turned the puck over, I felt they worked hard to get it back, uh, and then defensively didn't give anything away. The shots on gold in the first period were 15 to 5, so it shows that. Whereas when Sheffield turned the puck over, then it just resulted in a lot of pressure coming back the other way and sustained pressure as well. So, you know, maybe I was a bit harsh on the on the Devils in the first period on commentary, saying it was just, you know, both teams turning the puck over. I did think the Devils were more purposeful and looked hungrier as well. And that was what was unusual about the Sheffield performance tonight is a total lack of hunger from that team.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Yeah, we'll get onto the Steelers in a moment. I think there's definitely a conversation to be had there. But we'll start with the Devils because yeah, I think for all the negatives about the Steelers, there were plenty of positives about the Devils. Look great tonight. I think that third period you saw almost a peaking of what they've been working on over several weeks now. Contos and Samford clicking together, providing each other with an assist on a goal. The Devils just looking like, especially with that top line of Martin McDonald and Oyshevsky as well, hemming a team in, making them make mistakes, forcing them to panic essentially on plays. And it just for about 10 minutes was about as good as I've seen the Devils play in months, if not all season.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

Yeah, there was some really, really good hockey, wasn't there? You know, the interplay between the guys and um I said to Tomo, what I really enjoyed is in that third period, seeing the guys with smiles on their faces and you know, a little bit of swag about them. They were enjoying their hockey and they were moving the puck, everyone was skating for each other. Uh, and you're right, that's been coming over the last few weeks. We've seen it, uh uh Tomo said in his interview, a bad 10 minutes aside in in Coventry, which cost us the game. Um, it's been a really good spell of late. And you know, guys are playing the right way in the majority, and it's paying off, and everybody seems bought in, and it's you know, it is good to watch.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

It really is, yeah. And and we'll just mention that partnership in particular of Contos and Sanford. A lot's been made of it since Sani said it reminds him of playing with Trevor Cox. They, of course, have both put up a load of points recently, and then there was there was a great moment on the first goal tonight, Contos's opening goal, where you could see maybe the Sanford of of of old or the Sanford of early season either would have gone on his own or maybe wouldn't have had the confidence just to hold the puck long enough. And he you you saw them lock eyes, you saw them just waiting for the right moment. He plays a lovely pass and Contos tucks into the back of the net.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yeah, you can see there's a mutual like of playing together and they appreciate each other's talents. And uh, you know, it was a very quick exit, very quickly turned into a two-on-one. And when Sanford's going down that wing, uh, look how hard uh Christoph Kontos worked to get to the net. Uh, you know, he beat the D-Man, so it cleared a passing lane. So uh Sandy didn't have to feed it over a stick or anything like that. What he could do is just you know wait for the right moment. And I thought he did that really well because he had like you know one or two looks at it just to keep Greenfield honest on his post, um, which meant that when he did send it across and you got Sanford, uh sorry, Contas with the big long reach, all he had to do then is deflect it, right? And he, you know, he did that very well. But it was a very well-timed pass from Sanford, and you know, he he gets one back later in the game from Contas.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

That he does, yeah. The the other guy we'll speak about is is Christian Stover, of course, pulled on on Sunday after, like you say, that tough 10 minutes. Tom always spoken about his in his interview about how he didn't pull Stover because Stover was bad or he blamed him for the goals, it was just to get a reaction out of the Devils and get them moving in that game in Coventry. Tonight, though, lights out, 23 shots, I believe it was the Steelers had, saves them all, gets the shutout. And if you want a confidence booster, after what could have been a confidence shatterer on Sunday, to get back to it that quickly, I think is really impressive.

SPEAKER_00 4:40

Yeah, Stover's played really well in these last few weeks, and you know, everything was rolling really well for him, and then that you know, 10 minutes in Coventry, um, which wasn't on him. Tom was right, it wasn't on him. There was some you know um bad decisions that that cost the devil's goals. Um when you get pulled as a goaltender, you're of course you're gonna take it personally, and it could dent the confidence. Um, and it was gonna be interesting. Yeah, how was what who was gonna go in tonight? Because Barnes went in, doesn't let a goal in in Coventry. You know, he's been out for the last few games, so it's his chance to get a run. Uh, but Tomo put his confidence, his trust in Christian Stover, and Stover absolutely repaid him on that because um I mean he saved all 23 shots tonight, and there were some hairy moments where the Devils on occasion were pinned into their own defensive zone and lots of scrambles, and you know, he made kind of um second or third or saves and got to the back post. Uh you know, there was Richie had one chance on the the back post, but he got across there and made it look fairly easy. Um, so he has you know he's taken that um nudge of confidence from the coach and he's repaid it, you know, and he's um he's done it the right way.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

He has indeed. Third league shut out of the year for Stover. Let's chat about Sheffield because I think it's probably important. The Devils were were great, they they weren't perfect though, but the Steelers incredibly, surprisingly poor on the night. And I mean, outside of about 10 minutes, didn't really offer much for the game, I didn't think.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

No, I mean, early on in the in the game, um the Devils I felt were inviting a bit too much pressure because of those turnovers that we spoke about, and the Steelers didn't look like taking advantage of it at all, and that meant that the the Devils got the puck back, and then they did. Um I don't know, there's just something that looked very uncharacteristic of Sheffield tonight. Uh, it didn't look like the team that we've had so much trouble with this year. I mean, coming into this game, the record was what, one and four, and you know, that takes it to two and four. But you know, it's been a struggle against Sheffield, including two big losses up there. Um but tonight they yeah, they just didn't look like the same team. And you know, the guys that you would normally look to on that team to to drive them, it they didn't quite have it tonight. So uh and that's not what they wanted at all. After a home loss to Dundee, four home losses on the bounce, they would have looked to have a statement win tonight to get their season rolling again. But I mean, we've been around this game long enough to know you never write off the Sheffield Steelers.

SPEAKER_01 7:22

You don't know, and and I think it's important to say, yeah, that they they go into this weekend with still plenty to play for. The league, as far as we're aware, still has every position up for grabs between two and eight, which is uh which is crazy to see with one weekend to go, and there's and there's lots to look forward to. We look ahead now to the Coventry Blaze come into town on Saturday, and then the Devils head up to Nottingham on Sunday for the final two regular season home games. And uh, like I say, things could move around, and and Franny, it it's exciting because we really still don't know who we're gonna get in the playoffs.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

Yeah, we still don't know who we're gonna get, we still don't know who we want to get because all four of those sides are tricky. Um, so you can't call it, you know, I've said it all along. Um my wish is the devils finish as high up the league as possible. So first place is gone, Belfast are champions. Um, so you know, I I think the um the goal has got to be to finish in second place, and whoever that brings along the way, so be it.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Yeah, I think that's uh very good way of looking at it. You've got to beat everybody to win the playoffs, so why not pick someone hard? But uh yeah, the Devils back in action on Saturday. We'll be back on the Devils TV stream if you haven't got a ticket for that. And like I say, then up to Nottingham on Sunday. Plenty to look forward to that's all for debrief tonight. Signing off, Dan and Franny. The Sheffield Steelers have lost to the Cardiff Devils by five goals to nothing in what was, well, kind of a crazy game, really. It's always good to beat the Steelers, and when it's like that, it's even sweeter. Good night. Thank you very much once again to our sponsor, Minerva Hearing, for today's podcast. And remember, Minerva Hearing, hear the cheers, protect your ears.