Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens continue fight for playoffs against Rocket in regular season’s final road game

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Apr.18/25 @ Laval Rocket (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens)

The Set Up:

To steal titles from some famous songs, the Belleville Senators have been “Taking Care of Business” lately, and it’s kept them “Staying Alive” in the Calder Cup Playoff race. However, Belleville will continue to be “Under Pressure” as they continue their season-ending three-game set against the Rocket tonight, with another meeting at Place Bell in Laval. The Senators kept their playoff hopes alive with a 2-1 win against the Rocket on Wednesday, and can still qualify for the postseason if they continue to collect points in these last two games and the Toronto Marlies or Cleveland Monsters falter in their final contests. Coming into tonight, Belleville would be eliminated if Toronto earns a point against Rochester, and Cleveland wins in any fashion against Lehigh Valley, but there are a number of scenarios that could keep the Senators alive. You can see the full American Hockey League playoff picture via the league’s daily Calder Cup Playoff Primer, which is available by clicking here.

Previous History:

Tonight’s matchup is both the second last game of the regular season and of the 10-game season series between the Senators and Rocket. Wednesday’s win improved Belleville’s record against Laval this season to 4-3-1-0 (2-2-0-0 in Place Bell), and 48-35-2-4 lifetime, with a 23-21-1-0 mark away from home. The Senators and Rocket will both hit the road for Belleville after tonight’s game and wrap up the regular season at CAA Arena tomorrow night.

Roster Notes: 

The Belleville Sens were sent some reinforcements from the NHL on Wednesday when Angus Crookshank was reassigned from a two-week recall. Belleville’s all-time leader in goals didn’t find the scoresheet on Wednesday, but began to work himself back into the mix after being in the NHL since April 1. Crookshank has recorded one assist in eight games with the Ottawa Senators this season. Forward Hayden Hodgson remains with the NHL Senators as well, though Hodgson was recently injured and is listed week-to-week. Once again there are no changes to the injured list in Belleville, which includes goaltender Mads Sogaard, forward Zack MacEwen, and defenceman Max Guenette. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with full lineup details ahead of game time via the Belleville Sens social channels (@BellevilleSens).

Who to Watch:

As the Senators ride a four-game point streak (3-0-1-0) into tonight’s game, forwards Xavier Bourgault and Phil Daoust have been keys to that recent success. Both bring personal three-game point streaks into Place Bell this evening, with Bourgault notching four points (two goals, two assists) including the game-winner on Wednesday. The Senators are 10-1-0-1 when Bourgault scores and 15-4-1-1 when he has a point. Meanwhile, Daoust has a goal and two helpers over his last three games, defender Jeremy Davies has assists in each of his last two games, and goaltender Leevi Merilainen has picked up three straight wins stopping 71 of 76 shots he’s faced.

Belleville’s stingy defensive performance on Wednesday held the high-powered Rocket to just one goal, which was scored by rookie Will Dineen, the first of his AHL career. Dineen, whose father Kevin is the head coach of the Utica Comets, joined the Rocket recently after finishing his collegiate career at Yale University, where he had 18 points in 30 games as their captain this season. Laval’s roster also includes multi-time AHL all-star Alex Barre-Boulet, whose 61 points have him among the league’s stop scorers. The Rocket will also be bouyed by the return of forward Joshua Roy from the Montreal Canadiens, where he’s collected two goals in 12 games with Laval’s NHL parent club this season.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. Broadcast coverage begins at 6:50 p.m. ET with David Foot and can be seen on AHLTV on FloHockey or heard free on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network.

Ticket Info:

Tickets for the final Belleville Sens home game of the season, on Saturday April 19, 2025 against the Laval Rocket, are available via Ticketmaster, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena are available here.

2025-26 Season Seat Memberships are on sale now by contacting the Belleville Sens office at 613-967-8067, emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com, or visiting the Belleville Sens website.  Fans who renew or purchase a season seat membership before May 2 are entered into our ’26 Days of Gifting’ contest, with daily draws for great prizes. Plus, all new and renewed season seat members will have a chance to ‘Shoot to Win’ $1,000 off their seats at a special event on May 15, 2025.

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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