B-Sens begin home ice three-in-three by welcoming rival Rocket – Belleville Sens

Belleville Sens Game Day Build-Up
Mar.22/24 vs Laval Rocket (NHL Affiliate: Montreal Canadiens)                  

The Set-Up:

It’s been just about two months since the Belleville Senators and Laval Rocket last got together, meeting for a back-to-back home-and-home series in mid-January. But the two North Division rivals will get acquainted again real fast as they’re set to meet four times in Belleville’s next five games, beginning tonight and tomorrow at CAA Arena. The Senators have been holding onto the fourth spot in the North Division and are tied on points with fifth-place Toronto, coming off a pair of home wins and a road loss this week. The Rocket, meanwhile, have been in and out of the Calder Cup Playoff picture and enter action this weekend in sixth place, three points back of the cut line. The tight standings set up a critical three-in-three on home ice for the Senators this weekend starting with this pair of games against Laval and a meeting with Hartford on Sunday afternoon.

Previous History:

This is the 76^th all-time meeting between Belleville and Laval, with the Senators and Rocket splitting the first six games of their 12-game series thus far. Each team has earned three wins and three losses, with Belleville 2-1-0-0 at home against Laval this season and 1-2-0-0 at Place Bell. Lifetime against the Rocket, the Senators have a record of 41-30-1-3 with a mark of 23-12-0-3 on home ice.

Roster Notes:

Belleville forward Angus Crookshank was recalled from Ottawa as a precaution last night, with NHL Sens forward Claude Giroux listed as a game-time decision, but eventually playing in their loss at home to the St. Louis Blues. Ottawa announced this morning that Crookshank will remain with the NHL, while forward Zack Ostapchuk has been returned to Belleville, after getting his first NHL recall. He’s expected to be in the lineup against the Rocket tonight, as is forward Jiri Smejkal, who’s ready for action after a brief injury break, according to Head Coach Dave Bell. Full lineup details, including tonight’s alignment, will be available prior to puck drop.

Who to Watch:

While forwards Josh Currie (six games), Egor Sokolov (five games), and Garrett Pilon (three games) all carry significant point streaks into tonight’s game, fans will likely have an eye on Zack Ostapchuk, who is set to return from his first NHL recall. The 20-year-old from St. Alberta, Alberta got into six games for Ottawa between March 12 and…