Coventry Blaze were beaten 5-3 at Belfast Giants on Friday night.
Matic Kralj fired the Blaze ahead on 6.31 with a powerplay goal, assisted by Shea Guthrie and Dustin Wood.
However, another powerplay goal from Robert Dowd on 14.18 had the home side level.
Coventry were back in front on 16.48 through Shea Guthrie, assisted by Jerramie Domish and net minder Peter Hirsch but by the end of the first period, it was all square when Dowd scored his second of the night.
The Blaze were undone by a goal in the second period with Jon Pelle scoring a powerplay goal on 30.58 and Arron Clarke putting the Giants 4-2 up on 48.34.
Robert Farmer scored to reduce the arrears on 57.22, assisted by Owen Fussey and Russ Cowley but having pulled their net minder to go chasing for a goal to take the game into over-time, Belfast went up the other end and scorerd on 58.58 through Adam Keefe to win 5-3.
Coventry get another chance to beat Belfast when the sides meet on Saturday night.