NOTTINGHAM Panthers cut Coventry's lead at the top of the Elite League to four points when they followed Saturday's 4-3 penalty-shots win over Sheffield by edging out Hull Stingrays in a 13-goal shoot-out on Humberside.

They were also given a boost with second-placed Belfast losing 4-3 in Edinburgh.

With five games to play, it will be a tense finale for Panthers, who now turn their attention Tuesday's Challenge Cup final second leg at the National Ice Centre.

And they will be hoping No.1 goalie Kevin St Pierre is fit after missing the 7-6 nail-biter against Hull with an "upper-body injury".

Goaltender Geoff Woolhouse – who was released by Swindon in January after head-butting an opponent during a fight in an English Premier League game with Slough – returned in goal for Panthers after spending seven years with the club as back-up.

With import St Pierre out, it also allowed Panthers to bring in American defenceman Nick Toneys.

Cameron Mann broke his six-game goal drought by netting his third hat-trick of the season before the half-way mark. But the game was more memorable for Panthers scoring their first power-play goal in five games – in fact, their first in 29 attempts with the man advantage.

Panthers got off to a rip-roaring start and by the third minute were two up, with Woolhouse getting an assist.

His save rebounded to David Clarke whose lobbed pass to Jade Galbraith was blasted home (2.10).

Barely a minute later, Mann opened his account when his effort was only half-stopped by goalie Martin Raitums.

George Halkidis pulled one back for Hull (14.31), as Woolhouse was seeing plenty of the action, but Mann restored Panthers' two-goal advantage lead with the sides four on four.

Just 56 seconds into the second period, Halkidis made it 3-2 when Woolhouse failed to freeze his stop from Jeff Glowa but Mann settled the visitors in the 26th minute with his third after McAslan had worked the puck behind the net.

Marty Gascon made it five for Panthers two minutes later, putting away a rebound from Kevin Bergin, then Gascon turned provider (32.38), with a perfect pass for Bruce Richardson at the far post.

But virtually straight from the restart, Adam Knight skated through for an immediate reply for Hull (32.51) and their tails were really up three minutes later with another from Jason Silverthorn.

A clearing pass hit a linesman and the Stingrays forward was on to it like a flash to put away their fourth.

It got worse for Panthers at the start of the final period when they hit penalty problems and Konstantin Kalmikov showed the visitors how to score on the power-play to make it 6-5 (45.47).

Hull, who won 7-1 the previous night away to Newcastle, were really pressing now. But Panthers earned themselves a bit of breathing space with a rare power-play goal, Jay Henderson on the mark from close in (51.27).

Hull were far from finished, though, and ex-Panther Kalmikov made it a nervous last few moments with a sixth goal (58.16), but Corey Neilson's side cleverly played down the clock in the opposition zone.