Game Day Build-Up: Senators begin sprint to the postseason with a visit from Islanders

Presented by Carpenters Union Local 397
Mar.24/23 vs Bridgeport Islanders (NHL Affiliate: New York Islanders)

The Set-Up:

The 2022-23 American Hockey League season is down to its final 10 games and the Belleville Senators find themselves in a familiar spot, pushing towards a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but with nothing guaranteed. The Senators entered the week holding the 5^th and final playoff spot in the North Division (with a one-point lead on 6^th place Laval), despite seeing their seven-game point streak end with a split of two games in Cleveland last weekend. Tonight’s opponent, the Bridgeport Islanders, are in a similar spot. They hold the final playoff position in the Atlantic, with the Hartford Wolf Pack nipping at their heels and are coming off a win over the Rocket earlier this week.

Previous History:

Belleville’s last meeting with Bridgeport ended in a 5-1 loss on the road about a month ago. Luke Richardson, who was released from his professional tryout earlier this week, had been called in from Queen’s University and made 18 saves in his AHL debut, while Mark Kastelic scored the only goal of the game for the Senators. That was the first of just two meetings between the clubs this season. Lifetime against the Islanders, Belleville is 4-5-0-0, with an even 2-2-0-0 mark at CAA Arena.

Roster Notes:

Most of Belleville’s roster movement this week has been in the crease, with Luke Richardson being released from his professional tryout and Kevin Mandolese being reassigned to Belleville from the NHL Senators in Ottawa. Ottawa also assigned goaltender Leevi Meraläinen to Belleville, after he finished his season in the Finnish pro league, following a year with Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League. The rest of Belleville’s lineup information for tonight will be available prior to puck drop.

Injury Report:

Who to Watch:

Another game and another opportunity to watch streaking Finnish sophomore Roby Jarventie. The 20-year-old extended his point streak to five games on Saturday (four goals, three assists) and has climbed into the top 10 in Sens point-getters this season, despite playing almost half as many games as most of his teammates. Cole Reinhardt is the only other Senator on a point streak, as he’s found the score sheet in each of the last three games (one goal, three assists).

Forward Colin Adams has the longest active point streak for the Islanders, at four games (two goals, two assists), with Kyle MacLean (one goal, two assists) and rookie all-star sensation Ruslan Ishakov (one goal, one assist) each recording points in back-to-back games. The Islanders are backstopped in net by former 3^rd round NHL draft pick Jakub Skarek and veteran Cory Schneider, who was played close to 650 professional games. Not to mention veteran forwards Chris Terry (61 points) who sits 8^th in AHL scoring and Andy Andreoff (53 points) who sits 19^th in scoring and 1^st in AHL goals scored (30).

Follow the action:

Tonight’s game can be seen on AHL TV, or heard live on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage from CAA Arena in Belleville, Ontario begins at 6:45p.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.

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