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The Toronto Marlies seek a better performance in Game 2 on Saturday, William Nylander in action versus Team Germany, trade options on defence, and more in the links.


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Toronto Marlies fall flat in Game 1 versus Syracuse (MLHS)
Game 2 is Saturday night in Syracuse and the Marlies have to come up with a whole lot better if they want to level this series heading back to Toronto. “I didn’t think we skated all game,” said head coach Sheldon Keefe. “Part of it is them. They were skating and clogging us up, and we didn’t do the things we needed to let our speed be on display. We played really slow all game long.”

World Championships Recap: Aaltonen, Marner, Nylander on Day 1 (MLHS)
Aaltonen’s best chance of the game came in the second period on a pretty passing play from the Finnish top line. He had a great look in the slot with the goalie way out of position, but he hit the outside of the post. TSN’s Ray Ferraro remarked a few minutes later, “Aaltonen has been one of the most dangerous Finns,” and further complimented Finland’s top line. In the second period, Aaltonen directed three or four shots toward the net, one of which nearly rebounded for an Aho goal.

Toronto Marlies drop AHL series opener to Syracuse Crunch (Toronto Star)
Byron Froese — sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Brian Boyle deal — scored once and added an assist as the Syracuse Crunch beat the Toronto Marlies 3-1 Friday night in the opener of their best-of-7 Calder Cup Northern Division final series. “It’s not personal, but you always want to play well against the team that traded you away, right?” said Froese in the Crunch locker room. “I don’t think we left on bad terms at all. But, it’s an exciting series and it’s a big series for us.”

[Paywall] Colin Greening steps up to lead Marlies in playoffs (The Athletic)
Colin Greening, the Cornell University graduate, published author and new father, is not under contract to play hockey anywhere next season. But he is playing — and playing well — with the Toronto Marlies in their playoff run this spring, and he quoted a friend when asked about the future. It was from Ben Scrivens, a university teammate and former Maple Leafs goaltender. “He said: ‘Hockey doesn’t owe me anything,’ and if I had to leave today, that’s the way I would look at it,” Greening said this week, as the Marlies prepared for Round 2 of the AHL playoffs.

Maple Leafs should trade for right-shot defenceman (Sportsnet)
Summer 2018 could bring Marc-Edouard Vlasic (left), Cam Fowler (left) and John Carlson (right) to the open market. Do you wait a year, or do you sacrifice from your forward depth to bring in a top-four, right-shot defenceman to play with Rielly (left), Zaitsev (right) and Jake Gardiner (left) now? According to playing time and financial commitment, those guys represent three-quarters of the top four for the next two years, minimum.

Maple Leafs have a few more RFAs to sign (PPP)
Holl’s name gets bandied about as a potential third pair on the Leafs next year, mostly, as near as I can figure, because people think prospects are an assembly line and they all get promoted. I think Holl is the natural and suitable inheritor to Andrew Campbell as captain of the Marlies. Holl will be 26 next year, and it’s not unheard of for players to suddenly become NHLers when they’re almost UFA age, but it’s really rare.

Oilers ticked at goaltender interference decision in Ducks comeback (Puck Daddy)
Oilers coach Todd McLellan joined his players’ chorus of criticism after the game as well. “Interference? You’re asking the wrong guy. I don’t know what interference is anymore,” he said. “Obviously Kesler was pushed in. There’s no doubt about that but we have a strong belief that he had wrapped his arm around Talbs’ leg but I don’t know what it is anymore so you have to ask somebody else.”

Down Goes Brown: Which NHL teams should trade their lottery picks? (Sportsnet)
Maybe more importantly, the Islanders are a team that has some serious incentive to win now. They’re looking for a new arena deal, and those can be easier to come by when you’ve got some positive momentum to build on. There’s also the John Tavares situation; the Islanders’ franchise player is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, and he may not be interested in spending what’s left of his prime treading water for a middle-of-the-pack team.

Sidney Crosby game-time decision for Penguins against Capitals (NHL.com)
Crosby did not participate in an optional skate Saturday morning and was unavailable for comment, but he went through his usual game-day routine, including playing soccer in the hall. Sheary said he passed a baseline test Friday. Asked if Crosby had done the same, coach Mike Sullivan said yes. “Sid will be a game-time decision,” Sullivan said. “He has had a number of really positive days. His status still hasn’t changed to this point, but he’ll be a game-time decision. Conor’s the same.”

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