High-scoring Steelers looking to break down miserly Cardiff defence

Sheffield Steelers have scored 50 more league goals than Cardiff Devils.

Cardiff, with their three games in hand, have conceded 12 less than Sheffield.

Teams one and two in the EIHL pecking order battle it out on Friday in the regular competition and in the Challenge Cup Final on Sunday.

Steelers' coach Aaron Fox is an admirer of Cardiff's roster, all-round game and their physicality.

But of his own team, he said: "I like to push the pace and be a team that creates as much offence and pressure as we can for 60 minutes. Obviously it does not work every night.

"I also have a roster filled with some guys that can bury. We have scored a lot of goals, I've like the way we have defended, especially here (Sheffield Arena) recently.

"When our guys have the mindset that we need to be a physical team we have answered the bell and been able to do that.

"So I think we have some versatility in our game - we can change our style as we go."

Previous coaches at Steelers have saluted Devils' Joey Martin as the top dog in the EIHL.

Fox says: "I think Joey is a heck of a player, I wouldn't call him the best player in the league, I think there are very good players in this league, I think we have a few of them as well on this team that would be up for that."

But the coach added Martin was a "very good player who has been doing it in this league for a long time. You have to respect him when he is on the ice.

"Joey Haddad is having a career year this year, he is very dangerous on the power play.

"I thought that last year, Charles Linglet was arguably the best player in the league. He has been injured for the last couple of weeks, (but) he is a very dangerous player.

"I think Gleason Fournier is an outstanding defenceman.”