Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
With points in eight straight games, the Belleville Senators are tightening the playoff race in the North Division.
Coming off a 20-game stretch in which they won just four times (4-12-4-0), the Senators are 6-0-2-0 since Jan. 10. The team saw a leadership change on Dec. 17 with Andrew Campbell taking over as interim head coach. The roster has seen 63 transactions this season – 21 of them coming in January alone. Only three players – forward Keean Washkurak and defensemen Cameron Crotty and Jorian Donovan – have dressed for all 44 games this season. Goaltenders Mads Søgaard, Hunter Shepard and Leevi Meriläinen continue to cycle between Belleville and Ottawa. Injuries and recalls have hampered the lineup.
And now the Senators are in the teeth of a seven-game road trip that concludes with four key divisional matchups, at Cleveland this Friday and Saturday and in Rochester and Syracuse next week.
Yet there they are, right in the heart of a North Division playoff race that sees the top six teams in the division separated by just eight points.
Last week, Belleville earned three of a possible four points from the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, riding a third-period comeback to a 3-2 win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and collecting a hard-earned point in a 2-1 overtime loss in Providence. Meriläinen then delivered a 40-save shutout to wrap up the first leg of the road stretch in Springfield.
“Kudos to the guys for finding a way,” Campbell said after the 1-0 victory over the Thunderbirds.
Belleville has fewer games remaining (28) than any other team in the league, so every point is critical from here out. A productive weekend against sixth-place Cleveland could give the Sens some breathing room; sputter and they’re back outside the playoff picture.
All of this is familiar ground for Belleville, a team that always seems to find itself in these second-half playoff chases. Last season they missed the postseason by all of two points. In 2023-24, they won eight of their final nine games to lock down a playoff spot.
Offseason signing Arthur Kaliyev has had a terrific season, tying for the AHL lead in goals (26) and points (46). Lassi Thomson, back in the Ottawa organization after a one-year detour to the Swedish Hockey League, leads all AHL defensemen with 11 goals. Stephen Halliday has become a regular in Ottawa after making his NHL debut in November. And Belleville’s special teams have been sharp, including a power play that ranks fifth in the league overall (23.1 percent) and first on home ice (31.1 percent).
It’s a group that’s blocking shots, paying a physical price and winning tight games. And they’re making their head coach proud.
“Guys found a way,” Campbell added. “The effort’s unbelievable. Really proud of the guys.”
