Davies scores twice in 300th game, but Marlies slip by Sens 3-2 in OT

Veteran defenceman Jeremy Davies scored two goals in his 300th career AHL game, including a dramatic game-tying goal late in the third period, but the Toronto Marlies rode a two-goal night from Alex Steeves to a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Belleville Senators on Saturday afternoon.

Despite the loss, the standings point moved the Senators to within four points of Syracuse for the final AHL North playoff spot, with four games in hand on the Crunch.

Davies got the scoring going at the 16:33 mark of the first, when his point shot from the right side found paydirt, beating Toronto goalie Artur Akhtyamov through traffic and giving Davies his sixth goal and 33rd point. Toronto equalized in the final minute however, when a one-timer blast by the AHL goal scoring leader Steeves rocketed past Malcolm Subban for his 27th goal of the season.

Belleville outshot Toronto 13-5 in the first, and fired a further 14 shots in the second period, but the 1-1 tie remained into the third. Just over halfway through that frame, the Senators appeared to have taken the lead on a net front scramble; but the goal was waved off as Stephen Halliday was ruled to have gloved the puck over the goal line just prior to his stick making contact with it.

Then, with 3:34 left, Toronto converted on a 2-on-1 rush when Joseph Blandisi fired a pass across to Matthew Barbolini, whose one-timer beat a sprawling Subban for a 2-1 Toronto lead.

But after Marshall Rifai took a late roughing penalty on a post-whistle scrum, the Sens fought back on the power play. Davies’ second goal came from the centre of the blue line on a picture-perfect one-timer blast that found the top-right corner of the net with just 63 seconds left in regulation, forcing overtime.

Toronto was awarded a power play early in overtime after a tripping call against Sam Gagner, who broke up a 2-on-1 Toronto rush. It led to the game-winner from Steeves just 53 seconds into the extra frame on a one-timer from the right circle to give the Marlies the extra point.

The Sens return home Monday afternoon to host the Utica Comets for their Family Day Classic at 3 PM at CAA Arena.

You can see the complete box score by clicking here.

Fast Facts:

• #4 Jeremy Davies’ two-goal night moved his point total to 34 on the season, tying him for third among all AHL defencemen this season
• #5 Wyatt Bongiovanni and #89 Sam Gagner each registered their eighth assists of the season
• #30 Malcolm Subban returned from injury and stopped 19 of 22 Toronto shots in his first game since December 28th, also against Toronto
• The Senators outshot the Marlies 33-22 in the game
• Belleville went 1 for 3 on both the Lifestyle Home Products Power Play and Viewtech Window & Door Penalty Kill

Up Next:

• Monday, February 17, 2025 – Belleville Senators vs Utica Comets – 3:00 p.m. ET (CAA Arena) (Family Day Classic)
• Wednesday, February 19, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Utica Comets – 7:00 p.m. ET (Adirondack Bank Center)
• Friday, February 21, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Rochester Americans – 7:05 p.m. ET (Blue Cross Arena)
• Sunday, February 23, 2025 – Belleville Senators @ Cleveland Monsters – 12:00 p.m. ET (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)

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Head Coach Dave Bell on the result:

“We had some really good looks, but we hit posts, and he [Akhtyamov] made a couple of big saves, but I think we probably out-chanced them, and volume-wise, we just couldn’t put pucks behind them when we had some yawning cages.”

Bell on Jeremy Davies’ offensive exploits in his 300th career game:

“When he’s offensively dialled in there, he’s an animal in that end. The first goal, the patience on that goal, I don’t think there’s anybody on the ice that could have had the patience to wait that goalie out. He’s elite and dynamic in that end, so it’s good for him.”

Ticket Info:

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

Fans looking for details on other ticketing options can click the following links for more on  becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for 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.

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