Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Comets, February 21

Published on February 21, 2020 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release

The set-up

The Belleville Senators return home for a North Division contest as they host Utica at CAA Arena tonight.

The Senators (34-15-4-1) stormed back Wednesday night to beat Rochester in overtime to push its lead atop the North Division to eight points over the Amerks. The Sens are currently 16 points clear of fourth place.

The Comets (28-20-2-3) are third in the North and trail Belleville by 12 points. The Comets have lost its last two contests.

The Sens are 13-11-1-1 at home this season while Utica is 13-10-1-1 away from home.

Roster notes

Lots of changes to the Sens since Wednesday as the team acquired former Senator Darren Archibald from the Marlies while Ottawa traded for Aaron Luchuk and assigned him to Belleville too.

Joey Daccord has started both games so far this week but expect him and Filip Gustavsson to split the weekend's starts.

JC Beaudin, Logan Brown and Jonathan Davidsson are out for Belleville.

Previous history

Belleville is 3-2 this season against Utica. The Sens have won the last three games after dropping the first two meetings. The teams will meet two more times this season after tonight.

Who to watch

Rudolfs Balcers has three points in his last two games and in his second season with Belleville, has 33 points (14 goals) in 31 games.

Brogan Rafferty continues to lead all AHL defencemen in points with 39. Thirty-three of his points have come via assists.

Where to watch

Friday's game starts at 7pm and can be seen LIVE on AHLTV. Follow the Belleville Sens on Twitter for live updates. Tonight is History of AHL night presented by Gay Lea and will feature AHL Hall of Famer Brad Smyth. Tickets for tonight's game are available.

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

American Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2020

• Rocket Rebound in 4-1 Win over Manitoba - Laval Rocket
• Pospisil Nets First Pro Goal, Heat Earn Point Friday at Tucson - Stockton Heat
• Delia Stops Rampage with Shutout Effort - San Antonio Rampage
• Iowa Falls to Texas 4-3 - Iowa Wild
• Amerks Down Phantoms for 3-2 Win in Overtime - Rochester Americans
• Stars Stun Wild in 4-3 Victory - Texas Stars
• Laval Tops Moose, 4-1 - Manitoba Moose
• Shorthanded Wolves Fall at Milwaukee - Chicago Wolves
• Crunch Roll Past Monsters, 6-3 - Syracuse Crunch
• Penguins Taste Sweet Victory in 2-1 Win over Hershey - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
• The Ghost Returns for his First Phantoms Game in 4 Years - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
• Senn Stops 47 In 2-1 Win Over Checkers - Binghamton Devils
• Early Goal All Wolf Pack Can Muster in 4-1 Setback - Hartford Wolf Pack
• Monsters Defeated in 6-3 Loss to Crunch - Cleveland Monsters
• T-Birds Rally Behind Home Crowd to 3rd Straight Win - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Comets Double up Senators - Belleville Senators
• Checkers Stymied by Senn in 2-1 Loss to Devils - Charlotte Checkers
• Pens Edge Bears in Goaltending Duel, 2-1 - Hershey Bears
• Comets Thump Division Leaders in Belleville - Utica Comets
• Griffins and Sled Wings to Renew Sled Hockey Tradition on Tuesday - Grand Rapids Griffins
• Colorado Signs Molino to Professional Tryout Agreement - Colorado Eagles
• Lashoff Rejoins Griffins - Grand Rapids Griffins
• Anaheim Ducks Acquire David Backes, Axel Andersson and 2020 First-Round Pick from Boston - San Diego Gulls
• T-Birds Host Hartford Friday to Begin 3-Game Weekend - Springfield Thunderbirds
• Familiarity Key for Archibald and Luchuk - Belleville Senators
• Heat, Roadrunners Face off for First Place in Pacific - Stockton Heat
• Rochester Americans Game Preview: Friday, February 21, 2020 vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms - Rochester Americans
• Houser Assigned to Cincinnati - Rochester Americans
• Norris Recalled by Ottawa - Belleville Senators
• 16th Annual Scotty Bowman Showcase Returns March 18 - Rochester Americans
• Game 50 Preview: Stockton at Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
• Blue Jackets Assign Defenseman Gabriel Carlsson to Monsters, Add Forward Calvin Thurkauf to Roster on Emergency Recall - Cleveland Monsters
• Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Comets, February 21 - Belleville Senators
• Game Preview: Bears at Penguins, 7:05 PM - Hershey Bears
• Bears Re-Assign Whitney to South Carolina - Hershey Bears

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Belleville Senators Stories

• Sens' Streak Ends at Three After Loss to Amerks
• Belleville Brings Four Points Back from Toronto as Part of Six-Point Week
• Sens Stay Hot as They Beat the Marlies 5-4 in a Shootout
• Belleville Bites Back at Toronto with 4-2 Road Win
• Bourgault's Pair of Goals Backs Senators to First Win of the Season