NOTTINGHAM Panthers will be facing Manchester Phoenix in the Elite League play-off quarter-finals after they blew a chance to finish runners-up with a bruising 3-0 defeat in Cardiff last night.

That was the first time they have been shut-out since October - in Cardiff - ending a promising five-game winning run, and it came when Coventry handed them second place on a plate by losing in Newcastle.

Panthers finished level on points with Coventry but the Blaze get the edge by winning one more game in regulation time – 34 to 33 – and now face Newcastle in the last eight.

The home leg against the Phoenix is at the National Ice Centre on Saturday with the return 24 hours later in Altrincham.

After beating Panthers just once in their five previous meetings this season, Cardiff made their intentions clear right from the start and it was a nasty-tempered game littered with clashes and penalties throughout, totalling 122 minutes (58-64).

It ended with Panthers playmaker Dan Tessier getting a major penalty in the last minute for "attempted spearing" on Devils enforcer Brad Voth, who had been running amok all night.

In a game between Panthers' league-best power-play and Cardiff's league-high penalty-killing, something had to give.

And it was Cardiff who got the breakthrough goal with a power-play strike from Matt Elich in the 36th minute just eight seconds after coach Corey Neilson joined Brendan Cook in the penalty box to leave the visitors two men down.

And while Neilson was still in the box, Mike Pprich nabbed the second just over a minute later, with Voth ending Panthers' third period fightback six minutes into the final period after a foul-up on the blue-line.

It wasn't a happy night for Neilson who spent 18 minutes in the sin-bin, including a ten-minute major at the start of the second period after tangling with Voth, who added two assists to his goal.

Kevin Bergin also sat out for 18 minutes, which also included a ten-minute major following a spat with Doug MacIver near the end as things got increasingly feisty.

It was hardly a game for the purist, although it was full of incident and with referee Matt Thompson kept busy, it didn't suit Panthers' free-flowing game which is always put to the test on the tight confines of the Cardiff rink.

And the small ice surface at Manchester is why Panthers would probably have preferred to finish second and meet seventh-placed Newcastle at the Metro Arena.

Panthers veteran centre Bruce Richardson said: "We heard Coventry had lost in Newcastle before the third period, but we were already two goals down then and could do nothing about it.

"Cardiff have a very strong defence and it's tough to score there.

"It was a shame we ended the season like that after a strong finish, but hopefully it might bring us down to earth before the play-offs.

"Manchester has the same tight rink but it doesn't matter who we meet next, we just have to turn up ready to play and we didn't do that in Cardiff.

"If you don't come to compete, a hard-working team will beat a team with talent every time, especially on the smaller surfaces.

"Because there is much more body contact, you have to be ready to give a hit and take a hit, but we didn't do that like we can and it cost us the game.

"We can't dwell on it too much, though. We've talked about it and now we move on.

"We have to get back to doing what made us successful and I know the guys are ready for Manchester."