COMETS LOOK TO GET BACK IN WIN COLUMN AGAINST SENATORS
Nov 14, 2018UTICA COMETS (6-8-1-0) vs. BELLEVILLE SENATORS (6-8-0-0)
CAA Arena, 7 p.m.
Watch Live: AHLTV | Listen Live: 94.9 K-ROCK
Follow and Interact Live: Twitter | Hashtag: #UTIvsBEL
Tonight’s Game: The Utica Comets take on the Belleville Senators. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.
Last Game: The Comets surrendered four goals in the opening frame as they fell 5-1 to the Binghamton Devils Saturday night at the Floyd L. Maines Veteran’s Memorial Arena. Lukas Jasek scored for the Comets. Ivan Kulbakov took the loss in net, stopping 8 of 11 shots before being replaced by Connor LaCouvee.
Head-to-Head: This is the second matchup between the Comets and Senators this season. Utica won the first contest 3-1 back on October 6. The Comets are 18-8-3-2 all-time against Ottawa’s AHL Affiliate.
Scouting the Senators: Belleville comes in with a record of 6-8-0-0 with a .429 points percentage. They most recently fell 8-2 to the Toronto Marlies Saturday night. Rudolfs Balcers leads the active roster with 11 points, followed by Adam Tambellini with 10 points. Filip Gustavsson is the leading goaltender with a 2-5-0 record, a 4.56 goals-against average, and a .872 save percentage.
Senate Leader: The Senators are starting to become one of Zack MacEwen’s favorite opponents. The forward notched two assists in the October 6 matchup and tallied five points (2-3-5) in six games against Belleville last season. The second-year forward is tied for the team lead with 12 points (6-6-12) in 15 games this season.
On A Roll: Michael Carcone is starting to heat up offensively. Carcone netted the game-winner in the shootout Friday night and has four points (1-3-4) in his last five games. The third-year winger has seven points (2-5-7) in 11 games this year.
Friendly Neighbors: Ivan Kulbakov has played very well north of the border so far this season. In four games in Canada this season, Kulbakov has not lost in regulation and holds a 2.50 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. Overall, the netminder is 5-4-1 with a 3.29 goals-against average, and a .900 save percentage.
Lockdown: The Comets penalty kill has stepped up their game recently. Utica has not allowed a power play goal in two straight games and has killed off 10 of their last 11 penalties. The Comets penalty kill ranks 13th in the AHL at 82.5%.
Next Game: The Comets return home Friday night to host the Syracuse Crunch in Game Two of the Galaxy Cup series on Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to utilize the ticket exchange website, StubHub!. The game can be heard on 94.9 KROCK and viewed on AHLTV.