Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Apr.26/24 vs Toronto Marlies (AHL Affiliate: Toronto Maple Leafs)
2024 Calder Cup Finals First Round – Game 2 of 3 (Belleville leads 1-0)
The Set-Up:
If there were any questions about whether or not the Belleville Senators were ready for the Calder Cup Playoffs, they were clearly answered on Wednesday, as the B-Sens opened their North Division First Round series against the Toronto Marlies, with an emphatic 3-1 win. Belleville was able to stymie the potent Toronto attack, holding the Marlies to just 18 shots while getting offensive contributions from a pair of rookies in Zack Ostapchuk and Tyler Kleven, and the club’s eldest player, Josh Currie. Even though the Marlies are the team with a clear advantage when it comes to AHL playoff experience, the Senators showed they can’t be taken lightly, and have put themselves in a position to accomplish another franchise first. A Calder Cup Playoff series victory, over an arch-rival, no less.
Previous History:
Wednesday’s meeting in Belleville was the first in playoff history for both Belleville and Toronto. It was the first time in AHL history that the affiliate of the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs had met in a Calder Cup Playoff game. Along with taking an edge in this first-round series, Belleville also skated to a 6-3-0-1 record against Toronto this season, with a 3-2-0-0 mark at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Roster Notes:
There were no names added to Belleville’s injured list after Game 1 on Wednesday, so we’ll wait for pregame to see if there are any changes from the win earlier in the week. Full lineup details, including tonight’s alignment, will be available before puck drop via the B-Sens social media channels (@BellevilleSens).
Who to Watch:
Two Senators had multi-point nights to begin the post-season on Wednesday, with rookie forward Zack Ostapchuk and veteran Josh Currie each picking up a goal and an assist. Angus Crookshank also had five shots on goal, plus hit a post, in his first AHL game since mid-March, a gap of 13 games. Rookie forward Stephen Halliday was credited with four shots on goal Wednesday, as was Cole Reinhardt.
Toronto’s top guns were silent on Wednesday, with sophomore defenceman Marshall Rifai being the only one to find the net. The Quebec-born, former Harvard University player had 19 points in 57 games from the backend this season and added a physical presence with 71 penalty minutes. Fellow blueliner Cameron Gaunce and forward Zach Solow had the assists.
Follow the action:
Tonight’s game starts at 7:00 p.m. (ET) and can be seen on
AHL TV, or heard free on the
Belleville Sens Entertainment Network,