Panthers edge Devils 4-3 in Elite League Grand Final overtime thriller

Nottingham Panthers held off a thrilling Cardiff Devils comeback to clinch the Elite League Play-Offs Grand Final in overtime, lifting their first silverware since 2016.

Playing in familiar surroundings at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, Panthers took the lead when Samuel Herr hit the back of the net after being set up by Cooper Zech, with Herr again on target as the second period got under way.

A third Panthers goal, scored by Mitchell Fossier on the power play, put Nottingham in control, although Kohen Olischefski, assisted by Josh MacDonald, got Devils on the scoresheet to give them hope going into the final period.

With the clock nudging towards 50 minutes of play, Gleason Fournier and Cole Sanford conjured an opening for Joey Martin, with the Devils forward converting to set up a grandstand finale.

Up stepped Devils' Fournier, squeezing the puck through a crowd to level at 3-3 and send the game into overtime.

The extra period continued the thrilling spectacle with first Panthers and then Devils thinking they had hit the winner, only for a coach's challenge to overturn the score on both occasions.

That ushered in a second period of overtime and Fossier struck his second goal of the night to seal victory, leaving Devils still looking for their first trophy in three years.

The two sides had reached the final in contrasting style, with Panthers beating arch-rivals Sheffield Steelers 4-3 after sudden death overtime, while Devils had crushed league champions Belfast Giants 5-0 in Saturday's semi-finals.