The gap between the Belleville Senators and the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs got a little slimmer on Friday night.
The B-Sens topped the team they are chasing for the final spot in the North Division, the Rochester Americans, 5-2 in a usually intimidating Blue Cross Arena.
The Senators wasted no time taking control of the game, with Garrett Pilon breaking free on a two-on-one with Jamison Rees to score his eighth goal to make it 1–0.
Belleville extended the lead at the 3:31 mark when a puck carried in by Philippe Daoust was picked up by Olle Lycksell, who walked in below the red line and fed Xavier Bourgault in front to push the score to 2–0.
The Senators kept pushing, with the defencemen getting involved. Sustained pressure in the Rochester zone saw Tomas Hamara weave his way through traffic and notch his fourth goal, with Arthur Kaliyev and Graeme Clarke picking up assists to make it 3–0.
Rochester would not stay scoreless in the first, capitalizing on the man advantage. Anton Wahlberg broke through for the home crowd, finishing a one-timer off a pass from Konsta Helenius to cut the deficit to 3–1.
The middle period brought some pushback from Rochester. Just over three minutes in, a keep-in along the boards by Brendan Warren led to Isaac Belliveau getting a shot through, which was tipped in by Olivier Nadeau, making it a one-goal game at 3–2 heading into the third.
Belleville restored their two-goal cushion early in the final frame.
After missing on a breakaway chance, Bourgault’s shot bounced out to Kaliyev, who buried his thirty-seventh of the season to make it 4–2. Late in the game, Belleville added an empty-net marker courtesy of Bourgault to seal the 5–2 win.
Jackson Parsons, fresh from helping the ECHL affiliate Allen Americans clinch a Kelly Cup playoff spot, made 31 saves in his first AHL appearance since Jan. 10.
The Senators continue their road trip tomorrow as they travel to Utica to take on the Comets (AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils) in another key matchup.
Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. at the Adirondack Bank Center.
