Beauregard scored twice against Newcastle on Sunday

Nottingham Panthers kept up the pressure on Elite League leaders Belfast Giants with a 6-2 destruction of Newcastle Vipers on Sunday.

David-Alexandre Beauregard and Ian McDonald both scored twice, with Dustin Sproat and David Clarke also on target.

Panthers coach Corey Neilson told BBC Radio Nottingham: "The league is going to be tight this year.

"You see at the top there's a grouping of six - usually it's a grouping of two or three breaking away."

Neilson's side are seven points behind the Giants having played three games fewer.

Neilson added: "If the group of five all chasing Belfast win their games in hand (on Belfast) it's a real big pile up there.

"I'm assuming some of those five teams are all going to have to play each other soon because I think we've played some tough ones to start and got those out of the way.

"But we've got some tough ones ahead of us too. We've got to win those games against those good teams. That'll be the difference this year."

Sunday's success at the National Ice Centre was Nottingham's sixth successive league win and came on the back of Friday's superb 5-2 victory away against fierce rivals Sheffield Steelers in the Challenge Cup.

Panthers trailed 2-1 after the first period, but two goals from Billy Ryan and one apiece for Clarke, Matthew Myers and Beauregard put them out of sight.

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