Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens step into the ring with Marlies for sixth annual Boxing Day Classic

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Dec.26/24 @ Toronto Marlies (NHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs)

The Set Up:

 As Christmas passes, the Belleville Senators will need to shake off the turkey dinner and the holiday cheer as they renew the AHL Battle of Ontario with the Toronto Marlies today at Scotiabank Arena. The Senators knocked off the Springfield Thunderbirds on home ice last Saturday, thanks to a complete team effort that saw 11 different senators pick up points, and Malcolm Subban earned his sixth win of the season in net. The victory snapped a three-game slide and has them five points back of Toronto in the North Division standings. The Marlies, meanwhile, are a team that was red hot to start the season, winning six straight games, but has been alternating wins and losses of late. They most recently finished a road trip to Pennsylvania that saw them knock off Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey, sandwiched around a loss in Lehigh Valley.
Previous History:

 Today’s game is the fourth of ten between Belleville and Toronto this season and the 79^th all-time since the AHL Senators moved ahead of the 2017-18 season. All three games of this season’s series have gone to a shootout, with Belleville holding a mark of 2-0-0-1, including a shootout win at Scotiabank Arena on November 16. Lifetime against the Marlies, the Senators are 39-32-2-5, and 21-14-2-2 away from home. Over five all-time meetings in the Boxing Day Classic, Belleville is 4-1-0-0.

Roster Notes:

 Three players were returned to Belleville from Ottawa as the Christmas Break began, with goaltender Leevi Merilainen and forwards Zack Ostapchuk and Cole Reinhardt assigned back to the AHL Senators. That said, there’s no word if any of the three will be in the lineup, or recalled back to Ottawa, ahead of the NHL Senators resuming their season in Winnipeg this coming Saturday. In terms of injuries, forward Jamieson Rees was the only Belleville player who was listed as hurt before the break. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions. Full lineup details will be available via the B-Sens social channels (@bellevillesens) before the game.

Who to Watch:

 Forward Jan Jenik picked up a goal and is on a three-game point streak (two goals, one assist) stretching back to before his 16-game injury layoff. Forward Stephen Halliday picked up an empty net goal last Saturday and has points in nine of his last 10 games played (four goals, seven assists), with Wyatt Bongiovanni and Oskar Pettersson also finding the net last Saturday. Bongiovanni and Angus Crookshank have been the most productive Senators against Toronto this season, each scoring twice.

Two Marlies enter today’s game on three-game point streaks, with both Joseph Blandisi (two goals, six assists) and Alex Steeves (one goal, two assists) being consistent producers. Steeves is also among the top scorers in the AHL, sitting seventh with 25 points. Rookie Marlies forward Nikita Grebenkin is among the top first-year players in shooting percentage (23.8% or 5 goals on 21 shots), and has two goals in three games this season against Belleville.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop this afternoon is set for 2:00 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON. Broadcast coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. ET with David Foot and Tyler King, and can be seen on AHLTV on FloHockey, or heard free on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network.

Ticket Info:

Tickets for all remaining 2024-25 Belleville Sens home games are now on sale via Ticketmaster, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena are available here.

Fans looking to get a head start on locking up tickets for any game on the schedule can do so now by becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or by booking a group experience.

More information on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages is available by visiting the Belleville Sens website or emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com.

About the Belleville Senators

The Belleville Senators are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators and have been operating in the AHL since the 2017-18 season. The Senators play their home games out of the CAA Arena at the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre and have graduated more than 60 players to the NHL since moving from Binghamton, New York.

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