Ice Hockey: Beating Blaze is the burning issue for Menton’s Capitals

EDINBURGH CAPITALS’ Sean Menton admits this week’s road trips, starting with a visit to Coventry Blaze tonight, begins a crunch run-in of games and reckons this week alone is make or break for the club’s ice hockey play-offs chances.

Still smarting after that 8-0 thrashing to Belfast Giants on Sunday, Menton knows the odds are heavily against his side, with three of the top four to play in their six regular season games left to play, but he isn’t ruling out the play-offs just yet.

“I know with the way we can play, I see no reason why can’t pull of some kind of win against Coventry or Cardiff in the next couple of games,” Menton said. “It’s just going to be a case of shutting down their key players and elevating our own performance.”

“It’s a crunch time this week as a whole and we have to bring a must-win attitude to every game from now on in. If you’re a big player, you have to turn up and play like it. Even the third-line guys have to play like second-liners and everyone has to up their game.”

The odds are certainly against the Caps, having never beaten Coventry this season and only one win in their last ten meetings. But after losing the eighth spot to Dundee Stars on Sunday night following that crushing defeat to the Giants, they need a pull a massive performance from somewhere to have any chance of reclaiming from the Tayside men.

Coventry have their own agenda and with Braehead Clan firmly in their sights for fifth place after a run of three wins in their last four that sees them only a point behind the Glasgow side, they’ll fancy taking the points that will put them back in the top half of the table.