Elite League: Belfast Giants lose on penalties to Cardiff Devils after 1-1 draw
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Belfast Giants lose shootout to Cardiff Devils after 1-1 draw
The Belfast Giants were beaten 3-2 on penalties by the Cardiff Devils after the game finished 1-1 following overtime.
Slater Doggett gave the Giants an early lead but that was cancelled out by a powerplay goal from Stephen Dixon late in the second period as the two sides played out another tight encounter.
Cardiff netminder Mac Carruth denied Doggett in the shootout to eventually secure the extra point for the visitors.
With the point picked up, the Giants remain two behind Cardiff in third place in the Elite League standings, but with three games in hand.
Sheffield's win over Dundee moved them four points ahead of Adam Keefe's side.
After the fireworks of Friday night's 5-3 Giants win, there was the expectation of a furious and physical start by Cardiff but it never materialised, and the home side quickly found their game and the opening goal after only four minutes.
Ben Lake forced the turnover deep in the Devils' zone and picked out Doggett who fired a wrist shot high into the net past Mac Carruth.
The Giants were the architects of their own downfall in the second period. They already had to kill a pair of Cardiff powerplays before a bad line change resulted in a too-many-men-on-the-ice call.
They paid the price with 28 seconds remaining in the period when the puck bounced around like a pinball in the Giants' crease and Dixon poked it past Tyler Beskorowany.
The third period became a tense affair with both goaltenders answering the call as the two sides looked increasingly tired.
Another penalty had to be killed by the home side as the game headed into overtime.
Incredibly for the first time in the game the Giants' powerplay got the opportunity with under three minutes left but it was a poor effort with the man advantage and penalties would decide the extra point.
Lake and Doggett scored for Giants during the regulation five penalties but, after Brodie Reid scored with the Devils' sixth effort, Carruth saved Doggett's shot to send the Giants to only their second home defeat of the season.
They'll have to regroup for a run of four games in five nights starting with Wednesday's trip to Coventry.