Senators clash with Comets to complete week-long road trip – Belleville Sens

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Nov.29/23 @ Utica Comets (NHL Affiliate: New Jersey Devils)                    

The Set-Up:

It’s been a long week away for the Belleville Senators (6-8-1-1), but they can earn a split of the points on their three-game trip and return home happy if they can pick up a win tonight in Utica against the Comets (6-6-3-0). The Sens are coming off an overtime loss in Hartford and a regulation defeat in Bridgeport last weekend, putting them on their longest winless stretch of the season, at five games. However, they come into Utica with a positive attitude and will look to begin the turnaround against a Comets team that has lost back-to-back games and has been outscored 10-0 over that pair of contests.

Previous History:

This is the first of eight meetings this season between the Sens and Comets, with Utica holding the advantage during the 2022-23 season. Belleville had just one win against the Comets last season, skating to a 1-3-2-0 record. Lifetime against the Comets, Belleville does have the advantage at 15-12-3-0, however, the Adirondack Bank Center can be a tough place to play. Belleville is 6-6-2-0 lifetime on the road in Utica.

Roster Notes:

Now that they’re back from Sweden and starting to get healthy themselves, the Ottawa Senators have returned goaltender Mads Sogaard and forward Roby Jarventie to Belleville. Both are with the B-Sens in Utica and are expected in the lineup tonight.  With the addition of another goaltender, Leevi Merilainen has been reassigned to the Senators ECHL affiliate in Texas, the Allen Americans. There were no additions to Belleville’s injured list after the games in Connecticut on the weekend, but nobody else is coming off at this point either. Cole Reinhardt, Graham McPhee, Tarun Fizer, Tyler Boucher, Phil Daoust and Brennan Saulnier all remain out. Full lineup details, including tonight’s alignment, will be available prior to puck drop.

Who to Watch:

Senators forward Roby Jarventie will return from the NHL tonight, after being reassigned from Ottawa. The 21-year-old missed 10 AHL games during his recent recall, where he had one assist and four shots on goal in seven games played. Prior to his NHL stint, Jarventie had points in back-to-back games (one goal, one assist) and was a crucial piece of Belleville’s attack, especially on the power play. It’s hoped his return will give the Sens an offensive spark as they try to get off their current losing…