Neilson is in his third season as coach of the Panthers

Nottingham Panthers player-coach Corey Neilson says his side must be wary of a 'dangerous' Hull Stingrays side.

The teams meet at the NIC on Tuesday, in a game which counts for league and cup points, two weeks after Panthers' narrow 3-2 win in Yorkshire.

Neilson told BBC Radio Nottingham: "Hull are a great hockey team and have a great game plan.

"They finish every check and play a pretty good offensive game, and defend hard at the same time."

Panthers, who go into the game on the back of six successive Elite League victories, can close the gap on leaders Belfast to five points with victory, and still have two games in hand.

If we can get a player of his quality back into the line-up we are going to take him Panthers player-coach Corey Neilson on forward Jade Galbraith

Neilson will have to decide whether playmaker Jade Galbraith can return to the side. The Canadian-born forward has missed the last two games through injury.

"Injuries are tough and it will be a game-time decision," added Neilson.

"If we can get a player of his quality back into the line-up we are going to take him, and if we can put him in, we will."

If Galbraith fails a fitness test, fellow Canadian Dustin Sproat is expected to remain in the line-up, despite handing in his two-week notice.

The 29-year-old wishes to return home to continue his business studies and hockey career.

Sproat also wants to work more closely with his hockey-based children's charity in North America.

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