Ice hockey – Dobron Star-gazing as play-off chase hots up

MICHAL Dobron will take an interest in tonight’s Elite League clash at in-form Belfast Giants as Dundee Stars provide the opposition.

Edinburgh Capitals are vying with the Tayside team for a coveted play-off place and Stars will give late fitness tests to two unnamed players ahead of tonight’s game in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Irish combine aim to make it a magnificent seven wins in a row and, if they do, they will move to the top of the ten-strong league table.

Wednesday’s crushing 5-1 home reverse to Devils in the Challenge Cup, semi-final, second-leg was a massive blow. Devils progress 9-6 on aggregate.

So lowly Dundee could face a backlash and they were whipped 6-0 on their last visit to The Odyssey.

Giants have 58 points from 39 fixtures while Stars have 29 points from 38 games and Marc Lefebvre, Stars’ coach, said: “Two guys are 50-50 but we’ll give them a late test.”

Coach Dobron takes Capitals travel to Glasgow on Saturday (face-off 7pm) to meet a Braehead Clan side fresh from a 4-1 victory over Manchester Storm in Glasgow on Wednesday.

Storm are also in the lay-off mix while Clan move into fifth position with 41 points from 40 fixtures and Fife Flyers slip to sixth.

The Kirkcaldy club also have 41 points but from 38 games and they need to regroup after Wednesday’s third-period goal blitz by third-placed Sheffield Steelers.

The Scots lost four goals from 1min 21sec to 4mi 43sec and coach Todd Dutiaume has work to do ahead of Saturday’s road trip to Manchester (face-off 7pm).