Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens cap playoff push road trip with rematch in Rochester

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Apr.13/24 @ Rochester Americans (NHL Affiliate: Buffalo Sabres)              

The Set-Up/Playoff Picture:

The Belleville Senators appear to be peaking at just the right time, as the Calder Cup Playoffs approach. Locked in a battle for the final playoff spot in the North Division, the Senators have won five games in a row and given themselves a four-point cushion over the Laval Rocket for that last postseason berth, following a 6-3 win over the Rochester Americans last night. The win also keeps Belleville within two points of their would-be first-round playoff opponent, the Toronto Marlies, with the higher seed getting home-ice advantage to start the playoffs. The Amerks, meanwhile, clinched their playoff spot after Utica lost in extra time last night and are only a pair of points back of the division-leading Syracuse Crunch. Rochester also trails second-place Cleveland by just one point. The full playoff picture can be found via the American Hockey League’s Playoff Primer.

Previous History:

Belleville’s 6-3 win on Friday improved their season record against Rochester to 5-1-0-1, including an unbeaten record of 3-0-0-0 at Blue Cross Arena. The B-Sens will look to keep that perfect record in the finale of their eight-game season series with the Amerks today. Belleville is 24-11-5-1 over Rochester in 42 all-time meetings, including a record of 14-5-1-0 at Blue Cross Arena.

Roster Notes:

The B-Sens lineup has had a fair amount of consistency in the few games since Boko Imama’s recall to Ottawa. A complete list of recent transactions can be found here. The biggest update to Belleville’s roster is the injury to captain Dillon Heatherington. The veteran defender was injured late in the game at Toronto on Wednesday and underwent surgery on Friday morning, effectively ending his season. He joins other long-term injured players including Tyler Boucher, Phil Daoust, and Roby Jarventie. Full lineup details, including tonight’s alignment, will be available prior to puck drop via the B-Sens social media channels (@BellevilleSens).

Who to Watch:

B-Sens defender Nikolas Matinpalo recorded his first two-goal game in the AHL last night, while continuing to put up some solid numbers defensively. The big Finn has a +/- rating of +14 through 63 games of his first year of professional hockey in North America. Rookie forward Stephen Halliday extended his assist streak to four games, while forward Josh Currie (two goals, one assist) and defender Jacob Larsson (three assists) are riding a three-game point streaks into tonight’s game.

Isak Rosen is on a three-game assist streak for the Americans. The14th overall pick by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 National Hockey League Entry Draft has recorded one assist and four shots on goal in each of his last three games and has 10 points over his last 11 outings. Meanwhile, fellow Sabres first-rounder (28^th overall in 2022) Jiri Kulich recorded 11 shots on goal in Friday’s game, while forwards Damien Giroux (two assists) and Graham Slaggert (two goals, one assist) each have points in back-to-back games.

Ticket info:

Tickets all Belleville Sens home games for the remainder of the 2023-24 season are now on sale online, via Ticketmaster, by visiting the Belleville Sens Box Office at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Box Office hours are available by clicking here.

Fans can also click the following links for more information on season seat memberships, flex packs, group experiences or Business Elite memberships, or send an email to tickets@bellevillesens.com.

Follow the action:

Tonight’s game starts at 5:05 p.m. (ET) and can be seen on AHL TV, or heard free on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network, with pregame coverage on both platforms beginning with David Foot, at 4:55 p.m. (ET), from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.

The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here.

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