B-Sens face Moose in the first of four straight meetings
Tonight’s tilt between the Manitoba Moose and the Belleville Senators will be the first of four such meetings over the next six days. The Moose have a commanding 5-1-0 lead in the season series going into tonight’s game. The game poses a real opportunity for the B-Sens to show that they have what it takes to compete for a future playoff spot.
There will be no AHL playoffs this year, however, much of the Belleville team next year will be the same as this year. These players are learning the ropes of the AHL under the tutelage of Head Coach Troy Mann. Games like these down the stretch are what, in a normal year, differentiates between playoff and non-playoff teams.
This four-game series against the Moose could go a long way in convincing Mann that this team has what it takes going into next season.
Manitoba Moose Players To Watch:
Cole Perfetti:
The Winnipeg Jets were fortunate enough to have Perfetti fall right into their lap at the 2020 NHL draft. With the 10th pick, they nabbed the scoring phenom from Whitby, Ontario.
Coming off back-to-back 37-goal seasons with the Saginaw Spirit, it wasn’t a question of if, rather, when he will jump to the pros in his first post-draft season.
The Jets decided to give him a year with the Manitoba Moose to develop, then give him a long look next year in the NHL. He has adjusted to the AHL game and is flourishing, with 26 points (9+17) in only 32 games.
David Gustavsson:
At only 21-years-old Gustavsson already has an impressive professional resume. He has 26 games over the past two seasons with the big club and has great numbers in the AHL. Like many players, Gustavsson decided to start his season playing in Europe, because of the lack of hockey being played in North America at the time. He ended up playing 16 games for the Tingsryds AIF in the top Swedish league, putting up 17 points (7+10) in that span.
He continued his solid play when he came back to Manitoba, with 17 points (6+11) in 18 AHL games this year. Gustavsson is already fourth on the Moose in points, with half as many games as the rest of the team.
Belleville Senators Player To Watch:
Mads Sogaard:
In a season with a lot of turmoil in the net, Sogaard provides some stability in the crease. Since coming over from playing in Denmark, Sogaard has been lights out, going 3-0-0 in that stretch. His GAA of 2.34 and SV% of .919 is the best among B-Sens goalies with at least three games this season.
Everybody who follows the Ottawa Senators knows Sogaard is immensely tall, standing at 6’7’’. What a lot of people do not know is how calm and composed he is in the crease.
Sogaard almost seems like a much taller version of Filip Gustavsson. He is positionally sound and doesn’t cheat in the crease. Sogaard relies on his chest and pads much more than his glove and blocker to make saves. When he is occasionally caught out of position, he will more often than not make up for it by sliding his huge frame quickly over to face the shot.
Sogaard is one of the most exciting prospects in the Senators pipeline and is the Belleville Senators starting goalie for tonight’s game.
Cole Reinhardt:
Reinhardt is a largely unknown player. He was drafted by the Senators in the 6th round of the 2020 NHL draft. He was drafted at the age of 20 so it made natural sense to slot him into the B-Sens lineup this year.
There weren’t many if any expectations for him this season and he has made the most of this opportunity. He has 11 points (5+6) in 28 games this season and has been a big part of the B-Sens middle-six.
He plays the game the right way and it will be interesting to see where his career leads him.
Game Notes:
The puck will be dropped at 7:00 EST at the CAA Arena in Belleville, Ontario. You can watch the game on AHLTV with a season or single-team pass.