Share this Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens seek Family Day sweep over Rocket at CAA Arena February 20, 2023 Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397 Feb.20/23 vs Laval Rocket (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens) The Set-Up: It’s been a strong homestand so far for the Belleville Senators, who have picked up three consecutive wins, including a 5-4 overtime victory against the Laval Rocket on Saturday night. An offensive outburst of 14 goals over three games hasn’t helped Belleville to get out of the last spot in the North Division but has helped to keep the playoff race as tight as possible, with the Sens now just four points back of the postseason cutline. They can take another step forward this afternoon as they round out this three-game set with the Rocket, on Family Day, at CAA Arena. Previous History: The Senators have had the Rocket’s number throughout the course of the season series. With Saturday’s victory, the Sens can’t be caught by the Rocket in their 12-game season series. Belleville holds an 8-2-0-0 record against Laval this season, with a 4-1-0-0 mark at CAA Arena. Lifetime against the Rocket, the Senators improve to 37-26-1-2 and 21-10-0-2 at home. Roster Notes: With a handful of new injuries and Dillon Heatherington’s call-up to Ottawa over the weekend, the Sens will make a few changes to the lineup for this Family Day series finale with the Rocket. Defenceman Xavier Bernard will draw in for the first time since being recalled from the Allen Americans (ECHL). Further lineup information will be available prior to puck drop, including Belleville’s starting netminder, though it’s expected that Antoine Bibeau will get the call again for the fifth straight game. Injury Report: # Name Pos. Last Game Games Missed Notes 7 Viktor Lodin LW Feb.18/23 vs LAV — Upper Body 8 Jayce Hawryluk RW Jan.13/23 vs TOR 10 Lower Body 10 Philippe Daoust C Nov.23/22 @ UTC 31 Upper Body 11 Kyle Betts C Feb.4/23 vs ROC 6 Lower Body 14 Rourke Chartier C Feb.2/23 vs ROC 6 Lower Body 20 Matt Wedman C Dec.31/22 @ UTC 16 Lower Body 49 Scott Sabourin RW Feb.17/23 vs LAV 1 Lower Body Who to Watch: Senators leading scorer this season, Egor Sokolov eclipsed a major franchise milestone on Saturday night. Sokolov’s goal in the first period put him above Drake Batherson atop the list of all-time point scorers in Belleville Sens history with 117. Sokolov has points in back-to-back games (two goals), as does Cole Reinhardt (two assists). The longest active point streaks on the Senators go to Angus Crookshank at four games (five goals, two assists) and Mark Kastelic at three games (four assists). Cole Cassels had his five-game point streak (two goals, five assists) snapped on Saturday. Anthony Richard is still the most active scorer for Laval, with a four-game point streak (six assists) on the go. Peter Abbandonato has three points in his last two games (one goal, two assists), while Joel Teasdale has four goals spread over his last four games, and Brandon Gignac has scored three times over his last three games. Follow the action: Today’s game can be seen on AHL TV or heard live on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage starts at 2:45 p.m. (ET) with David Foot and Joel Vanderlaan. Ticket info: Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games are available via Ticketmaster or at the CAA Arena Box Office, with more information on group experiences, promotional packs and more available on the Belleville Sens website. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on Twitter: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens Listen to the Belleville Sens on Mixlr: www.bellevillesens.mixlr.com
