COVENTRY Blaze suffered successive Elite League defeats against Nottingham Panthers as Danny Stewart came back to haunt his former club.
Blaze slipped to a 6-4 defeat against the Panthers on home ice at the Skydome Arena as Coventry paid tribute to former assistant coach Dayle Keen.
That came after Blaze lost 6-2 against the same opponents at the Motorpoint Arena. Former Blaze head coach Stewart has won five of the six league meetings with the Panthers against Coventry this season.
The results mean Coventry sit fifth in the Elite League standings.
On an emotional night at the Skydome, Blaze paid tribute to former assistant coach Keen before the face-off and wore special jerseys in his memory.
However, the Panthers took an early lead at 5.14 as Didrik Henbrant beat Mat Robson in the Blaze net.
And further goals from Otto Nieminen at 16.19 and Reid Stefanson at 19.50 left the home side with a mountain to climb at the end of the first period.
A fiery opening to the second period saw Blaze defenceman Mike Kennedy drop the gloves with Nottingham’s Henbrant.
And Coventry roared back into the game as the hosts scored three goals in the space of two minutes to draw level.
First, Zach Vinnell fired a shot from the high slot on the powerplay at 29.14 to reduce the deficit.
And Zach Heintz then redirected a close-range effort into the net at 30.13 before Brandon Alderson completed a sensational comeback at 31.15 with both goals coming on the powerplay.
However, the Panthers reclaimed the lead at 37.31 as Stefanson poked home during a goalmouth scramble.
And Henbrant scored his second of the game in the third period at 41.43 after pouncing on a loose puck before racing clear and finishing into the top corner.
Nottingham restored their three-goal cushion at 45.46 when Nieminen grabbed his second of the game with a low shot from the right circle.
Blaze responded at 48.31 as Terrance Amorosa’s long-range shot from a face-off found the net through a crowd of bodies on the powerplay.
That came after Coventry saw their three-game winning run come to an end in Nottingham the previous night.
Blaze handed a debut to Canadian defenceman Brady Pouteau.
However, Nottingham broke the deadlock at 4.30 when Joshua Tetlow found the net only for Chase Gresock to draw Blaze level at 6.10 soon after.
In an electric start to the contest, the Panthers reclaimed the lead 26 seconds later as Samuel Herr put the home side back in front.
Just before the halfway mark, Tetlow and Blaze assistant captain Grayson Constable dropped the gloves following a big hit on Mitchell Fossier.
And Coventry went close to an equaliser only for Amorosa’s shot to find the net a second after the buzzer went at the end of the second period.
Nottingham extended their lead at 41.26 as Tim Doherty struck before the same player found the net at 45.28 in a blistering start to the third period.
And Fossier took the game out of Blaze’s reach at 47.41 before Heintz produced a clinical finish for Blaze at the other end at 53.36.
However, Nottingham’s Stefanson completed the scoring at 56.08 on a difficult night for the visitors.
Coventry are next in action against Glasgow Clan on Saturday, February 22 with the face-off at 7pm at Braehead Arena.
Blaze then host Dundee Stars on Sunday, February 23 with the face-off at 5.30pm at the Skydome.
