Game Day Build-Up: Senators look to tame Wolf Pack as five game road-trip comes to a close in Hartford

Belleville Senators Game Day Build-Up
Mar.9/25 @ Hartford Wolf Pack (NHL Affiliate: New York Rangers)

The Set Up:

After an icy reception in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday night, in an 8-3 loss to the Penguins, the Belleville Senators will face a quick turnaround today as they finish off their five-game road swing with a late-afternoon visit to Hartford to take on the Wolf Pack. Even though Belleville came flying out of the gates last night with plenty of energy, the Penguins’ high-power offence left a sour note on the Sens’ week in Pennsylvania, preventing them from gaining further ground in the North Division playoff race. But even with the loss, the Senators still enter today’s game in that fifth-and-final spot, and a positive result at the XL Center would still be impactful, keeping them above the Syracuse Crunch who they lead by two points and who also play today, and helping them to creep closer to that all-important third place position, currently held by the Cleveland Monsters, who are six points ahead of Belleville and are idle today.

Previous History:

Today’s game is the second of two between Belleville and Hartford this season, with the Senators winning an overtime thriller, 6-5 at CAA Arena, in late January. That victory improved Belleville’s lifetime record against the Wolf Pack to 9-3-1-0 as they prepare for this 14th matchup against Hartford since the Sens moved to the Friendly City in 2017-18. Belleville’s lifetime record in Hartford is 5-0-1-0, after the Wolf Pack beat the Sens 4-3 in overtime, in their last trip to the Connecticut Capitol in November of 2023.

Roster Notes: 

The Senators have seen two significant changes to the roster in the past couple of days, with the trade of Zack Ostapchuk to San Jose, and 23-year-old forward Tristen Robins joining the Senators from the West Coast. Robins didn’t play last night in Wilkes-Barre, after arriving on an overnight flight following the NHL trade deadline Friday, but could make his Belleville Sens debut today. If he plays, it would also be his 150th AHL game. The Senators will be without Sam Gagner moving forward, after the veteran was released from his PTO, while Wyatt Bongiovanni and Jamieson Rees are still out hurt. Defender Donovan Sebrango and goaltender Mads Sogaard are not on this trip with the Sens. 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:

Power forwad Zack MacEwen is hitting his stride after returning to the Senators from some personal leave. The veteran winger was Belleville’s best offensive player last night against the Penguins, notching two goals with four shots on net. Meanwhile, rookie defender Jorian Donovan stretched his point streak to four games (two goals three assists) by tacking on another helper. Fellow blueliner Max Guenette had two assists last night to put him on a three-game point streak (tow goals, three assists), while Cole Reinhardt also had an assist against the Penguins and has points in back-to-back games, after scoring on Wednesday in Hershey.

The Senators will have to keep an eye on Wolf Pack forward Nathan Sucese as the 28-year-old forward carries a four-game point streak (three goals, five assists) into today’s game, after scoring in Hartford’s Friday night loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Veteran Alex Belzile has points in back-to-back games (one goal, two assists), and is one of three Wolf Pack players who had a goal and an assists in their last meeting with Belleville. Forward Lucas Edmonds has a goal and two assists in seven games against Belleville this season, but all three of those points came while he was with the Syracuse Crunch, before moving to Hartford.

Follow the Action:

Puck drop tonight set for 5:00 p.m. ET from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut. Broadcast coverage begins at 4:50 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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