Teams don't often skate out of Belfast with a comfortable two points but that's what the Sheffield Steelers did.

The damage was done in the first period with three goals and it could have been more and Sheffield never needed to move their performance up through the gears after that.

Matt Greenfield with the shutout

The Giants quite frankly look lost, Too many soft goals conceded, no attention to detail which has always been their strength and lazy giveaways.

They need bodies back in the line-up quickly. The fact that there is more parity in the league this season is the main reason they aren't further behind than they could have been so it's not a hopeless situation but it needs to be rectified quickly.

Also, the Giants powerplay is 2 for 31 in the last ten games. When you're short on personnel, special teams need to step up and the Giants powerplay hasn't.

Steelers fans ecstatic, Giants fans booing.

A lot of work for Adam Keefe to do before the visit of Nottingham on Friday night.

We'll be back for that game from 6.45pm....

Image source, Press Eye

A good looking goal for Sheffield. It came off the rush with Mikko Juusola converting the one-timer for his second of the game with no Giants back-checker near him.

As you would expect the Giants have tried to pile on the pressure in the third period and have finally caught Sheffield in shots on goal but a number of those have been from the outside and easy for Matt Greenfield.

Sheffield came close shorthanded as Tyler Beskorowany was forced to make his best save of the game after two of his team mates contrived to gift a scoring chance for Sheffield.

It's another packed house at the SSE Arena and to be honest they've had little to cheer so far.

I'm not seeing a comeback from the home side....will they prove me wrong?

Here we go....

Image source, Press Eye

So far the only thing to end up in the Steelers net was a Steelers player.

The Giants wasted another powerplay, never forced Matt Greenfield into a save and a comeback looks unlikely to say the least.

Sheffield didn't create much in that period but then again they didn't really need to.

Image source, Press Eye

The Giants have, relatively speaking, been better this period and no one can question the effort of Matty McLeod and Kohei Sato.

McLeod went close on a breakaway but Sheffield netminder Matthew Greenfield has made every save look comfortable.

Image source, press

Not the start the Giants wanted taking a delay of game and then a too many men on the ice penalty but they killed them both and now the home side are on the powerplay.

Lots of work to be done by the Giants in the second period.

What will Adam Keefe have said to rally the troops?

The statisticians will be looking up the last time the Giants were 0-3 down after the first period.

They had a powerplay towards the end of the period but as it has been recently, it created nothing and Sheffield had the best chance shorthanded.

Yes, the Giants have injuries but there can't be too many excuses about the goals they are giving away which are preventable. It's just poor from the home side.

Sheffield are looking very good, very comfortable and could be further in front.

Image source, BBC Sport

This is becoming nightmarish for the Giants. Mikko Juusola slots home the third goal as Giants fans are angry about a hit on Jacob Friend.

Still 6 minutes to go in the first period.

Steelers fans enjoying themselves.

Image source, Press Eye

Cole Shudra scores Sheffield's second goal by driving down the left wing unchallenged and beating Beskorowany at his near post.

The Giants currently second best to every puck.

Mark Simpson scores by taking the puck unchallenged down the left wing, around the back of the Giants net and tucks in the wrap-around as Tyler Beskorowany failed to makes it across his net in time.

Steelers deserve the lead.

12 minutes left in the first period

Image source, Pre

The visitors get an first crack at the powerplay with just 93 seconds played. Mark Cooper to the box for the Giants.

Sheffield lead the Elite League by two points over Glasgow and Cardiff with the Giants languishing down in 7th place.

Although it's only a six-point deficit, Belfast have played two more games than Sheffield so this is a huge two-points for the Giants up for grabs.

The sides met a fortnight ago in Sheffield and the Steelers were comfortable 5-1 winners.

The puck is dropped and we are underway....

The Belfast Giants host the current Elite League leaders, Sheffield Steelers, at the SSE Arena in Belfast this afternoon.

While the Giants ended their losing run last weekend and put together a pair of wins, they were beaten on Friday night in Glasgow.

Sheffield meanwhile, have won three straight since also losing to the Clan and have travelled to Belfast from Dundee where they won last night.

The Steelers have won only one of their last seven games in Belfast, dating back to March 2022.

Image source, BBC Sport