While the Belleville Senators were playing their third game in as many nights, you wouldn’t have known it as they walloped the The Syracuse Crunch 8-2, at CAA Arena on Saturday night.
The Belleville win spoiled the 2,000th game in Crunch franchise history, with Belleville playing just its 188th.
Vitaly Abramov had a hat trick and an assist, with Rudolfs Balcers notching pair of goals, and Filip Chlapik, Max Lajoie and Jack Dougherty also scoring for Belleville.
Joey Daccord made 22 saves on 24 shots, including some crucial ones early in the game, to earn his 5th win in six starts.
The Senators also scored four times on seven power play chances and peppered the Crunch net with 48 shots, which boosted the offensive onslaught.
The Senators opened the scoring on the power play less than 5:00 in when Jordan Murray fed a pass from the point to Chlapik who ripped a wrist shot past former Senator Mike Condon, from the far circle.
The Sens made it 2-0 about 6:00 later when Logan Brown, back from a lengthy NHL call up in Ottawa, spun in the neutral zone and whipped a pass cross-ice to Balcers, who sped in to tuck it by Condon on the forehand.
The power play struck again at 17:38 when Abramov tipped home a Murray point shot to make it 3-0.
Belleville Senators goaltender Joey Daccord makes a save against the Syracuse Crunch, at CAA Arena, on December 28, 2019. (Photo: Jason Scourse / Belleville Senators)
The Senators kept up their torrid pace in the second, netting another three goals in the frame, but also giving up a pair.
Balcers’ second of the game came shorthanded early in the period, after the Sens defenders forced a turnover at their own blue line and Balcers swooped in to pick up the puck in the neutral zone, carried it into the Crunch end on the left side and put a shot past Condon’s left leg, on the low far side of the goal.
That led Crunch Coach to Ben Groulx to make a goaltending change, bringing in Spencer Martin to replace Condon.
Belleville kept up the pressure and pushed the score to 5-0 with Abramov’s second of the night at 10:25 of the period, when he sped off on a two-on-one rush with Drake Batherson and knocked a deflected pass out of mid air and into the net.
Then at 11:46 Max Lajoie buried a rebound off a shot from Parker Kelly to make it 6-0.
Syracuse would get two back within 1:14 of each other, first while on the power play, Cal Foote blasted a low slap shot by Daccord, right off a Crunch face off win.
Then, Danick Martel tipped in another shot from the 6’4” 220 defender to cut the lead to 6-2 by the end of the second.
Belleville Senators forward Logan Brown carries the puck, during a game against the Syracuse Crunch, on December 28, 2019. (Photo: Jason Scourse / Belleville Senators)
The Senators added two more in the third period, courtesy of defenceman Jack Dougherty, who scored his second goal in three games by jumping into the rush with Alex Formenton, who hit him with a cross-crease pass that he buried by Martin at 14:29.
Dougherty’s third marker of the season sets a career high for goals in a season.
Abramov completed the hat trick at 17:54 on another power play, as he finished a passing play on the rush, from Chlapik and Max Veronneau.
Belleville set franchise records for shots in a game and shots in a period, while tying record for goals in a game, power play goals in a game and largest margin of victory
The #BSens just crushed the Crunch 8-2 in a record breaking performance:
– Shots in a game – 48 (prev. 43)
– Shots in a period – 21 (prev. 20)
– Tied record for goals in a game at 8
– Tied PPG in a game at 4
– Tied largest margin of victory at 6#BSensOnBQ #ForTheB #Sens— David Foot (@FootyOnTheAir) December 29, 2019
Jordan Murray had three assists in the game and told 800 AM CJBQ at the intermission the team was upset with their last-second loss in Rochester on Friday and are trying to get back to basics, to find success offensively.
Head Coach Troy Mann says his coaching staff was hoping for a bounce back performance and they got it.
He added that Abramov’s recent success, with 14 points in his last 7 games, is stemming from some good play away from the puck.
The Senators get a couple of days off to prepare for their New Year’s Eve matinee with the Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens) at CAA Arena, on December 31, which features a free family skate with the team following the game.
If you’re not headed to the rink, you’ll be able to hear it on 800 AM CJBQ, starting at 2:50 p.m., for Eastern Overhead Doors and Deerhaven Farm and Garden.
You can click here to see the box score from Saturday night and see highlights from the game below.
