Sheffield Steelers 1-4 Cardiff Devils

Sheffield missing Shawn Maltby (hernia op), Rod Sarich returns after missing last night's game. Cardiff without Neil Francis.

A disappointing 3406 saw second-placed Sheffield overwhelmed by a faster, stronger Cardiff. This was only Sheffield's second loss in 15 league games and the other loss was also against Cardiff (5-1). The sides meet here in Sheffield on Wednesday in the semi-final of the British Knockout Cup.

Nathan Rempel put Devils ahead from close range (13:59), but Dan Tessier hit a powerplay equaliser from a very tight angle on the right (16:38) after Brad Voth and Jonathan Phillips clashed at the Cardiff net.

Regan Darby's delay of game penalty after shooting the puck out was punished when Dave Iannazzo fired home past an unsighted Jody Lehman (23:07). Tyson Teplitsky added a further powerplay strike (31:55), lifting the puck home at the back door (Lehman's right post) with Darby again sitting a penalty, this time for slashing.

An increasingly ragged Sheffield huffed and puffed but Devils got the bodies back and blocked most shots on Phil Osaer. The home side called a late timeout when Voth took a cross-checking penalty with 27 seconds left, withdrawing Lehman for an extra skater. But Mark Richardson beat Ryan Finnerty on the draw and Max Birbraer skated away to fire into the empty net (59:39).

Few quality chances in this game but Cardiff carried the greater threat throughout. Sheffield took nearly 5 minutes to register a shot on Osaer. At the other end Devils worked Lehman and Mark Richardson rang the near post from left of centre in the 7th minute.

Rempel's goal fired up the home side and in the 15th minute Regan Darby forced a pad save at full stretch, but Devils blocked Shane Johnson's follow-up shot and survived the ensuing scramble.

Another scramble whilst Teplitsky sat a hooking penalty saw Voth cross-check Phillips in front of Osaer's left post and the pair headed for the box, Voth taking an extra 2 minutes for the cross-check. That gave Sheffield 81 seconds of 5-on-3 qand they made it count, Tessier squeezing the puck home.

Lehman had already made a good save from Mark Richardson after Darby's delay of game penalty, before Iannazzo fired home.

Two minutes later Lehman blanked Iannazzo and as the sides changed their lines, Rempel and Finnerty clashed near the Cardiff bench, dropping the gloves to exchange punches. Both sat fighting penalties and Paul Sample taking an interference penalty at the resulting face-off.

But Lehman was the one making the saves and when Darby took his second penalty of the night, Teplitsky buried a pass across the front of the net.

A minute later Osaer made his first save of the period as Scott Ricci and Tessier forced saves from distance but Rempel got clean through, only for Lehman to make a big pad save to his left.

In the final period Sheffield hardly tested Osaer despite taking the game to Cardiff at every opportunity. Instead Cardiff were keeping Lehman busy, without really looking like they would add to the score.

Lucas Komarek's tripping penalty in the final 4 minutes gave Sheffield hope, but the defence cleared a rebound from Phillips' shot just before Hewitt could reach the loose puck and that was that. Birbraer's simple empty net finish sealed the win.