Toronto Marlies Week In Review: January 11

The first visit to Manitoba this season turned out to be a profitable trip, as Toronto won both games against the Moose this past weekend.

Toronto Marlies 3 vs. Manitoba Moose 0

• Full Recap & Highlights

On Friday night, it was the home team who got off to a flying start, although they were unable to make it count on the scoreboard. Manitoba fired 13 shots in the opening period and brought the best out of Rob Madore in net.

From the middle frame onwards, it was Toronto who held the upper hand, but it would take until the 16th minute of the second period for the deadlock to be broken. Josh Leivo slammed home a one-timer from the left side on a power play, assisted by T.J Brennan and Jeremy Morin, as the latter recorded his first point for Toronto.

Unable to score an insurance marker due to the brilliance of goaltender Eric Comrie and missed opportunities, Toronto looked susceptible to a tying goal. They would be thankful to Rob Madore, who pulled out some fine stops, including one incredible athletic effort, on his way to recording a shutout.

The second goal eventually came through Stuart Percy before Ryan Rupert made sure of the victory with an empty-net tally.

Toronto Marlies 4 vs. Manitoba Moose 1

• Full Recap & Highlights

There was no slow beginning from the Marlies on Saturday. Quick out of the blocks, they should’ve been up two or three goals if not for the brilliance of Eric Comrie yet again.

Scoreless after 20 minutes, it took just 61 seconds to break the shackles in the middle frame. Brennan was the beneficiary in the high slot after Morin’s shot had been blocked by a defenseman.

Manitoba’s young goaltender turned aside the other 16 efforts Toronto threw at him during the second period. Comrie was finally rewarded with some goal support as his team tied the game up on the powerplay, resulting in a 1-1 tie after 40 minutes.

After killing a Manitoba powerplay early in the third frame, Toronto earned their own and took full advantage. A rocket from Leivo put the Marlies ahead, and the next tally, once again with the man advantage, wasn’t long in arriving. A beautifully-worked goal involving Leivo, Nikita Soshnikov and Brett Findlay was sniped home by Morin.

A perfectly-placed shot by Soshnikov from the left circle made it three goals in a span of 4:46 for Toronto. Ray Emery was called upon to make one outstanding save from Nic Petan, but the 4-1 victory was never really in doubt.

With a pair of wins, Toronto reached 60 points for the season, something that took them until March 6 to achieve in the 2014-15 campaign.

Both special teams were good this weekend: The power play running at 33%, while the penalty kill allowed one goal on seven opportunities for Manitoba.

The 45 shots on net during Saturday’s game was a season-high (the previous best this year was also against the Moose).

Player News

– Josh Leivo was a dominant force, scoring two goals and taking his tally to eleven on the season. 30 points in 35 games now for Leivo on the year, and he’s riding a five-game point streak. He’s been rewarded with an NHL callup with James van Riemsdyk out six-to-eight weeks — much more on that here.

– With Leivo recalled to the Leafs, the Marlies are short on available bodies heading into three road games this week. Kasperi Kapanen should return and Connor Brown is bursting at the seams to make his long-awaited reappearance after injury. Should Toronto require more bodies, they could recall someone like Matt Rupert from Orlando, or perhaps even take a flyer and sign Solar Bears forward John McInnis to a PTO.  A right winger, McInnis has five goals and two assists in his last nine games.

– William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Connor Brown, Scott Harrington and Rinat Valiev did not feature in either game this weekend.

– On Friday, Justin Johnson sustained a hamstring injury to his left leg, while Sam Carrick was also hurt. Carrick’s injury is reported to be a foot problem. Both flew back to Toronto early.

– Jack Rodewald was called up to fill in for injury, and looks likely to stay on the roster for the foreseeable future.

– Rob Madore recorded his first ever shutout for the Marlies, turning aside 26 shots. He’s the third goaltender to post a clean sheet this season. Four victories from four starts, Madore is yet to give up more than two goals in a game.

– Ray Emery had a relatively calmer time between the pipes on Saturday, but produced a handful of timely saves when called upon. Emery looked sharper after a week of practice. He’s only played three of the 25 games allowed by the PTO contact.

– William Nylander, T.J Brennan and Josh Leivo were all named to the AHL-All Star roster, with the latter two enjoying their weekend in Manitoba despite the freezing cold weather.

– TJ Brennan scored once and put up two assists, taking him to 20 helpers for the season. He’s on fire with six points in his last three outings and is now tied for the Marlies lead in scoring.

– Jeremy Morin made his Marlies debut and did not disappoint. An assist on Friday was followed by a goal and an assist on Saturday. His shooting ability is undoubted, and he made his presence felt on the powerplay.

– Another to register three points (1G/2A) was Nikita Soshnikov. With so many absentees, Soshnikov finally got a proper look on the powerplay and once again did not let the team down when asked to do a job.

– Brett Findlay is not a name familiar to many Toronto fans. He’s been essentially a point per game producer in the ECHL, but when called up to the Marlies last season he spent the majority of his ice time on the fourth line. Another to benefit from so many players out, Findlay was pushed onto the top line with Leivo and Morin this weekend. Defensively responsible, he made sure his more talented linemates got the puck, but was no passenger himself. He registered a pair of powerplay assists on Saturday, including some good judgement in setting up Morin for his first goal.

Upcoming Games
Toronto at Utica — Wednesday, January 13, 7:00 p.m. EST
Toronto at St. John’s — Saturday, January 16, 6 p.m. NST
Toronto at St. John’s — Sunday, January 17, 2:30 p.m. EST

Toronto Marlies Player Stats — January 11

AHL Eastern Conference Standings — January 11