Glasgow Clan produced a confident 5-3 home win over Cardiff Devils at Braehead Arena on Friday evening, a result that owed much to their ability to score in the most unlikely of circumstances. When Glasgow were penalised for too many men at 22:11 and Cardiff had the power play to pull back to 2-2, Félix Paré turned the momentum entirely on its head — scoring shorthanded at 24:03 from Robert Lachowicz's assist to make it 3-1 instead.

From that moment, Cardiff were always chasing. Joey Martin's brace gave the Devils a foothold across the second and third periods, but Glasgow were simply too composed when it mattered, with Tristin Langan and Mick Messner adding goals to seal a comfortable win.

Cardiff lead early, Glasgow respond twice

Cardiff were in front inside five minutes. Joey Martin converted a power play at 4:12 — Gleason Fournier and Kristoff Kontos assisting — after Jason Fram was penalised for hooking at 3:49. Glasgow's response was swift: Brady Risk equalised at 7:14 from Miihkali Teppo and Paré's assists, and Chris McKay put Clan ahead at 15:21, Langan and Rylan Schwartz helping. McKay then picked up a holding penalty at 17:04 but Glasgow killed it, ending the first period 2-1 up.

The second period's pivotal moment arrived in a chaotic 84-second passage. Glasgow's bench minor for too many men at 22:11 handed Cardiff an opportunity to pull level. Instead, Paré broke away and scored shorthanded at 24:03 to make it 3-1, immediately negating Cardiff's power play and shifting all the momentum back to the home side.

Martin reduced the deficit at 25:27 from Josh MacDonald and Tyson Helgesen — his second of the night — to make it 3-2 and ensure the Devils were still in contention. Josh MacDonald was then penalised for slashing at 35:41, but Glasgow killed it.

Langan's goal at 40:23 from Brett Neumann's assist restored the two-goal cushion at the start of the third period, and when Steven MacLean pulled one back for Cardiff at 41:07 from Brett Ferguson, the two teams were briefly within a single goal of each other again at 4-3. But Messner settled any nerves with Glasgow's fifth at 49:33 from Daniel Tedesco's assist, and although Paré picked up a tripping penalty at 55:00 and Joe Hazeldine a roughing at 52:58, Cardiff could not convert either opportunity.

Sami Aittokallio was solid in the Glasgow net across all three periods. Ben Bowns had a difficult evening for Cardiff, conceding five including one shorthanded.

A good week for Glasgow

Glasgow had split their results against Belfast at the weekend — Sunday's 5-4 OT loss at Nottingham last week followed by a more controlled display here — and this is a confidence-boosting home win against a Cardiff side that remains inconsistent on the road. For Clan, three of their last five results have been wins, and Braehead's 4,598 crowd will head home satisfied.

For Cardiff, it is the third defeat in five, with both wins in that run coming at home. Away from the Arms Park, the Devils have work to do.