Game Day Build-Up: Belleville Sens make final trip to Utica to cap season series with Comets

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Feb.19/25 @ Utica Comets (NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils)

The Set Up:

The Belleville Senators’ successful week at home last week has seen them get as close to the North Division playoff places as they have since before the new year. Belleville has picked up points in five straight games, including a trio of home wins last week against Laval, Toronto, and Utica, and now trail the Syracuse Crunch by just two points for the final playoff spot in the division. And, with the Crunch off tonight, a Belleville win at Utica could move them into fifth place, as they begin a four-game road trip tonight. The Senators blanked the Comets on Family Day Monday, in a game that saw Leevi Merilainen earn his third shutout of the season, with a total of 103 penalty minutes handed out just in the final 45 seconds of the game. The tempers will likely continue to flare tonight as well, as the Comets, who’ve now lost three in a row, try to avoid falling further out of contention with only a couple of months left in the season.

Previous History: 

Tonight’s meeting is the final one of the eight-game season series between Belleville and Utica, with the Sens holding a 4-1-2-0 record against the Comets in 2024-25, coming off the 3-0 shutout win at CAA Arena a couple of days ago. Lifetime against the Comets, the Senators are now 23-17-5-0 and are 9-9-3-0 over their 21 lifetime visits to the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica.

Roster Notes: 

As the National Hockey League gets set to return from the Four Nations Face Off break this weekend, forward Cole Reinhardt has been recalled to Ottawa, to help the NHL Senators begin preparations for a second-half playoff push. With that in mind, the Senators have signed forward Tristan Ashbrook to a professional tryout from the Cincinatti Cyclones (ECHL). The 26-year-old from Michigan has 24 points (15 goals, nine assists) in 35 games with Cincinatti this season and has also dressed in six American Hockey League games this year, previously singing PTO’s earlier in the season with the Cleveland Monsters and Iowa Wild. Meanwhile, defenceman Donovan Sebrango has been suspended six games for leaving the bench late in Monday’s game against the Comets, attempting to get involved in an altertaction with Utica’s Dimitry Osipov, who has been suspended two games for his actions on Monday. Injury-wise, the Senators are still without goaltender Mads Sogaard, along with forwards Xavier Bourgault and Tyler Boucher heading into tonight’s game. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with lineup details available via the B-Sens social channels (@bellevillesens), ahead of game time.

Who to Watch:

The Senators top scorers were silent against the Comets on Monday afternoon, but that hasn’t been the case throughout most of the season series with Utica. Stephen Halliday, Garrett Pilon, and Jeremy Davies all have seven points (two goals, five assists) over the season series, with Halliday playing six games against Utica, and Davies and Pilon playing five. Halliday enters today’s game tied for fourth in AHL rookie scoring with 34 points, while Davies also has 34 points and is tied for fourth in scoring among AHL blueliners.

The Comets have been paced in the seasons series by Nolan Foote who has six points (four goals, two assists) in seven games against Belleville this season. His 30 points (15 goals, 15 assists) are tops on the Comets, putting him just seven points shy of his career high in a season. The 24-year-old 2019 first-round draft pick to the New Jersey (27th overall) has also dressed in two NHL games with the Devils this season, but has not recorded a point.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight is set for 7:00 p.m. ET from Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. 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 all Belleville Sens home games through the 2024-25 season are now on sale via Ticketmaster, or by emailing tickets@bellevillesens.com. Hours for the Belleville Sens Box Office at CAA Arena are available here.

Fans can click the following links for more information on becoming a season seat member, purchasing a flex pack membership, or putting down a deposit for a group experience. For more details on those ticket options, plus details on premium seating and Business Elite packages, visit the Belleville Sens website or email tickets@bellevillesens.com.

The full Belleville Sens 2024-25 regular season schedule is available here. 

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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