The Belleville Senators had to dig deep to pick up some important playoff points, but they were able to get the job done on home ice again, defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers) 3-2 at CAA Arena on Friday night.
Early penalty troubles plagued Belleville to start the game, with the Sens having to kill off five disadvantages in the opening period and the fourth would cost them. Defender Ethan Samson got in behind his Belleville counterparts on a Lehigh Valley rush, took a feed from Nikita Grebenkin and beat Malcolm Subban. The 1-0 scoreline held up to the end of the frame, with Belleville being outshot 11-4.
Belleville had the only goal of the second period to square the game after 40 minutes. Sens’ leading scorer Stephen Halliday got a friendly bounce off the post and past Cal Peterson at 5:04 for his 16th goal and 44th point of the season. The goal was assisted by Tyler Boucher and Filip Roos, tying the game 1-1.
The Phantoms took an early third-period lead when Elliot Desnoyers was able to put one past Subban. Still, the Belleville netminder sharpened up and made a handful of superb saves to keep Belleville in the game and eventually push in front. Rookie defenceman Djibril Toure’s seeing-eye wrist shot from the right point found a hole upstairs on Peterson at 10:38 of the third, and then Hayden Hodgson would redirect-in a low shot from Filip Roos about one and a half minutes later. Hodgson’s fifth goal of the season would stand up to be the game-winner.
With a Syracuse Crunch (AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning) win, a shootout loss by the Cleveland Monsters (AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets), and a regulation loss by the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs), the Senators still sit outside the North Division playoff places, but are two points back of the Crunch in the fifth and final spot, and five points back of Cleveland and Toronto, in fourth and third respectively.
The Senators will face the Marlies Saturday night at CAA Arena in the finale of the 2024-25 Battle of Ontario, with limited tickets still available.
See the game highlights here.
