game day Share this Game Day Build-Up: Senators and Rocket renew hostilities in Laval January 19, 2024 Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up Jan.19/24 @ Laval Rocket (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens) The Set-Up: The Belleville Sens (18-13-2-2) road-heavy January schedule has them rolling back into “La Belle Province” tonight, for another meeting with the Laval Rocket (15-14-4-2), kicking off a crucial home-and-home series to mark the halfway point of the American Hockey League season. Belleville travelled to Laval after their loss in Utica on Wednesday, which saw them control the majority of the game, save for about a six-minute stretch in the second period. Even with Wednesday’s defeat, Belleville still has eight wins in their last 10 games and enters the weekend in third place in the North Division, but the Rocket are hot on their heels. Laval has also won eight of 10, including a pair against Manitoba last week, and points in seven games in a row, putting them just four points back of Belleville. Previous History: This is the fifth meeting of the season between Belleville and Laval, with the Sens holding a 3-1-0-0 record in the season series, with two wins at home and a split of two games at Place Bell. In their last meeting on December 28, Belleville picked up a 4-1 victory at CAA Arena. Lifetime against the Rocket, the Sens are 41-28-1-3, with a record of 18-17-1-0 on the road. Roster Notes: The Senators did make one transaction before Wednesday’s game in Utica, with forward Tarun Fizer being recalled from the club’s Texas-based ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans. He’ll help to fill the void of injured forwards that include Philippe Daoust, Roby Jarventie and Garrett Pilon. Belleville will be without forward Boko Imama as well, as he serves the final game of a three-game suspension, dating back to his run-in with Toronto’s Kyle Clifford last week. Full lineup information, including tonight’s alignment, will be available before the puck drop. Who to Watch: Four Senators have points in back-to-back games heading into tonight’s contest, including defender Jacob Larsson (one goal, two assists), forward Kyle Betts (two goals), forward Egor Sokolov (two goals, three assists), and defenceman Tyler Kleven (two assists). Meanwhile, forward Cole Reinhardt is two points shy of 200 in his American Hockey League career. A handful of players have been contributing to Laval’s recent run of success, with five players carrying points streaks of three games or more. Philippe Maillet tops that list bringing a seven-game point streak (four goals, seven assists) into tonight’s contest. Goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo also has a personal three-game winning streak, stopping 94 of the last 100 shots he’s faced. Ticket info: Tickets for all Belleville Sens home games for the remainder of the 2023-24 season are now on sale online, via Ticketmaster or the Belleville Sens Ticket Hub, 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: Today’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and can be seen on AHL TV and heard on the Belleville Sens Entertainment Network. Pregame coverage from Place Bell, in Laval, Quebec, begins at 6:50 p.m. (ET) with David Foot. The full 2023-24 Belleville Senators regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. — Visit the Belleville Sens website: www.bellevillesens.com Engage with the Belleville Sens on X: @BellevilleSens Like the Belleville Sens on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BellevilleSens Follow the Belleville Sens on Instagram: @BellevilleSens
