Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The Belleville Senators have scored in eight straight games as their playoff race in the North Division grows.
Since January 10, the Senators have won just four of 20 games (4-12-4-0) and are 6-0-2-0. On December 17, there was a leadership change, with Andrew Campbell taking over as interim head coach. There have been 63 trades on the roster this season, 21 of which occurred in January. Only three players – forwards Gene Washkulak and defenders Cameron Crotty and Jorian Donovan – Dress for all 44 games this season. goalkeeper Mads Sogard, Hunter Shepard and Levi Merilainen Continue cycling between Belleville and Ottawa. Injuries and recalls hampered the lineup.
Now, the Senators are preparing for a seven-game road trip that will culminate with four key divisional matchups this Friday and Saturday in Cleveland and next week in Rochester and Syracuse.
However, they are in the center of the North Division playoff race, with just eight points separating the division's top six teams.
Last week, Belleville took three of four points from the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, coming back in the third period to beat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3-2 and earning a hard-earned point in a 2-1 overtime loss to Providence. Merilainen then finished the first period of Springfield's road game with 40 saves.
“Thanks to these guys for finding a way,” Campbell said after the 1-0 win over the Thunderbirds.
Belleville has fewer games remaining (28) than any other team in the league, so every point counts from here on out. A weekend game against sixth-place Cleveland could give the Sens some breathing room. They had a bit of a bad season and they fell right back out of the playoff picture.
All of this will be familiar to Belleville, a team that always seems to find itself in the second-half playoff hunt. They missed the playoffs last season by two points. In the 2023-24 season, they won eight of their final nine games to lock in a playoff spot.
offseason signings Arthur Kaliyev Had a great season, tied for the AHL lead in goals (26) and points (46). Lacy ThomsonReturning to the Ottawa organization after a one-year detour from the Swedish Hockey League, he led all AHL defensemen with 11 goals. Stephen Halliday He has become a regular in Ottawa since making his NHL debut in November. Belleville's special teams performance was sharp, including a power play that ranked fifth in the league overall (23.1%) and first at home (31.1%).
This is a team that can block shots, pay the physical price, and win tight games. They made their head coach proud.
“People found a way,” Campbell added. “The effort was unbelievable. Really proud of these guys.”
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
