Weekend Preview: Islanders at Senators
Mar 14, 2025THE STORY COMING IN
The Bridgeport Islanders (13-38-4-3) pay their only visit of the season to Belleville, Ontario this weekend, facing the Belleville Senators (26-21-4-4) in a back-to-back set of games at CAA Arena. Puck drop is 7 p.m. tonight and tomorrow. The Islanders opened their three-game Canadian road trip with an impressive 5-2 victory against the AHL-leading Laval Rocket on Wednesday. Chris Terry and Brian Pinho each had three points, while Henrik Tikkanen (5-15-3) made 26 saves. The Islanders ended Laval’s five-game winning streak and handed the Rocket only their seventh regulation loss at home this season. Ten of Bridgeport’s 13 wins have come on the road.
Watch live: AHLTV on FloHockey
Listen to the radio broadcast: Mixlr
ISLANDERS VS. SENATORS
Tonight’s game marks the third of four meetings between the Islanders and Senators this season, and the first of two at CAA Arena. Bridgeport is 0-2-0-0 against Belleville this season following consecutive losses at home on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. In fact, the B-Sens have taken each of the last three meetings including a 4-2 win in their last tilt at CAA Arena on Mar. 16, 2024.
VIEW FROM BELLEVILLE
Head coach David Bell’s team has lost back-to-back games and currently sits two points outside of a playoff spot in the North Division. Belleville is five games above .500 but is coming off a 4-1 setback in Hartford on Sunday. Hayden Hodgson scored his fourth goal of the season, while Leevi Meriläinen (12-7-3) made 25 saves. Meriläinen is 10th in the AHL with a 2.38 GAA. First-year forward Stephen Halliday leads all Belleville players with 40 points (15g, 25a) in 54 games, which ranks ninth among AHL rookies.
AMONG THE BEST
Brampton, Ontario native Chris Terry returns to his home province on a roll, having recorded three straight multi-point performances (and four in his last five games). He has seven points (2g, 5a) in his last three games. The 35-year-old forward has more assists than anyone else in the league this season (39) and his 57 points rank second in the AHL behind San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski (61). Terry is third in the AHL in power-play assists (17) and power-play points (24). After his team-leading 18th multi-point performance on Wednesday, Terry enters the weekend three points shy of hitting 60 for the ninth time in his career, and is just seven points from tying Jeremy Colliton for the franchise scoring record (203). He is two points from 800 in his AHL career.
ONTARIO BOYS
Six players on the Islanders’ roster are from the province of Ontario: Liam Foudy, Isaiah George, Tristan Lennox, Matt Maggio, Gemel Smith, and Chris Terry. Foudy, a Scarborough native, has points in three of his last four games (1g, 2a) and ranks fourth in the AHL in shots on goal (172), while George, from Oakville, makes his first trip back since scoring his first NHL goal in Toronto on Dec. 21.
QUICK HITS
Along with Chris Terry, Sam Bolduc enters the weekend on a three-game point streak (1g, 3a)... Bolduc is tied for 12th among AHL defensemen in scoring (33 points) and shares fourth among blue-liners in power-play points (18)... The Islanders have scored a power-play goal in five straight games, but have allowed a power-play goal in seven straight... Brian Pinho hit the 40-point mark for the first time in his career after one goal and two assists in Laval on Wednesday.
AFFILIATES
New York Islanders (29-28-7): Last: 4-1 L at Los Angeles, Tuesday -- Next: Tonight vs. Edmonton, 7:30 p.m. ET
Worcester Railers (27-26-2-4): Last: 4-1 L vs. Norfolk, last night -- Next: Tonight vs. Norfolk, 7:05 p.m. ET