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Game Day Build-Up: Senators at Phantoms, December 14

December 14, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL) - Belleville Senators News Release


The set-up

The Belleville Senators makes its lone visit to Allentown tonight to square off with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms

Belleville (12-13-2-0) again failed to get over the .500 mark Wednesday after defeat to Laval that saw the Sens slip to fifth in the North Division and two points out of a playoff spot.

Despite Belleville's struggles to score over its past two games (just one goal), the Sens still rank in the Top 10 in the AHL on the power play at a 20.2% clip.

Lehigh Valley (14-8-1-1) sits in a tie for fourth in the Atlantic Division and are lethal on special teams. They have the fourth best power play and the second best penalty killing unit in the AHL.

The Phantoms are 6-6 at home this season while the Sens hold a 3-7-2 road record.

Roster notes

Newly signed Justin Auger made his debut for Belleville Wednesday, as did Tobias Lindberg and Aaron Luchuk. There will be another new face in the line-up tonight in Chris Carlisle who the Sens signed to a PTO Thursday night.

Paul Carey will also return after being reassigned to Belleville Wednesday night.

Filip Gustavsson is expected to start tonight after Marcus Hogberg played Wednesday and will more than likely start Saturday.

Previous history

The two teams have already met in Belleville this season with the Phantoms collecting a 4-2 win with the game-winning goal scored with just 13 seconds left on a penalty shot. Last season, the two sides each won a game apiece.

Who to watch

Another rookie in the line-up, Luchuk made his AHL debut Wednesday but was held pointless. Luchuk was signed by Ottawa last year to an entry-level contract.

It's hard to ignore Phantoms forward Greg Carey who sits fourth in AHL scoring with 28 points (12 goals) in 24 games. Of course, it was also Carey who made headlines in Belleville a few weeks ago as it was his shot that was miraculously saved by Gustavsson.

Where to watch

Friday's game starts at 7:05pm and can be seen on AHLTV. Fans can also watch tonight's contest at Shoeless Joe's in Belleville.

The radio broadcast on CJBQ 800 begins at 6:55pm with Jack Miller on the call.


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