Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena — For the third year in-a-row, the IIHF Continental Cup will be won by a team from the United Kingdom or Kazakhstan.
The hosting Nottingham Panthers ran the table en route to the final, securing back-to-back 4-0 wins over HK Mogo and GKS Katowice to punch their ticket to the gold medal game.
Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk’s path was less straightforward.
Kazakhstan’s entrants fell to Ducs d’Angers in overtime in their final group phase game, but still advanced as the table-topping squad thanks to their earlier 6-2 win over Herning Blue Fox.
Building on those contrasting routes to the final, fine margins and individual excellence will decide the championship game.
Here are three (well… four…) players to watch in Sunday’s Continental Cup final.
Kevin Carr or Jason Grande, Nottingham Panthers:
Danny Stewart enters the final in a position of luxury.
Kevin Carr and Jason Grande, both of the starting netminders at his disposal, have kept shutouts in this tournament.
Jason Grande, Nottingham Panthers (Image: Panthers Images)
Carr was rarely tested in Nottingham’s tournament-opening win over Mogo, making 20 (mainly routine) saves behind a solid defensive effort.
Grande was slightly busier, keeping a 24-save shutout in his winner-takes-all match-up against Katowice, but hardly came under undue stress.
In any case, whoever Stewart picks to start in the final will need to be at their best against Torpedo.
Kazakhstan’s champions scored eight goals in the group stage, tying Nottingham for the lead, and can grind their rivals down when allowed to establish their possession game.
Dmitri Grents, Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk:
Dmitri Grents is Torpedo’s star man and most dangerous forward.
The 29-year-old scored and tallied a primary assist in his side’s 6-2 icing of Herning, adding an exclamation mark to an already impressive campaign.
Grents ranks fifth in Kazakhstan Hockey Championship scoring, with 46 points (15 goals, 31 assists) in 38 games this term, and leads the way for Torpedo.
Always on the fringes of a national team place, the Ust-Kamenogorsk-born centre carries KHL and VHL experience, but struggles in the face-off circle.
Grents is 14-28 on the draw in Nottingham, a weakness the Panthers, with a wealth of face-off specialists, could exploit in the final.
Zsombor Garat, Nottingham Panthers:
Zsombor Garat continues to shine for the Panthers.
Leading the tournament in plus-minus (+3), the Hungarian blueliner is a calming influence on the blueline, playing in all situations for Stewart’s side.
Garat’s penchant for making big-time plays is well-known.
He provided the game-winning, triple-overtime assist in last season’s Elite League playoff final, accruing 30 minutes of lung-busting ice time.
READ MORE:
