It was a perfect week for the Toronto Marlies, capturing all six points to take their season total to 70.
The seven goals against Utica was, remarkably, the eighth time this season that the Marlies have scored six-plus in a single game.
Three consecutive victories on home ice takes the win tally at the Ricoh Coliseum up to 15 on the season.
The special teams were a mixed bag over the three games. The powerplay looked far better than it has recently, but the penalty kill struggled in Saturday’s game against the Comets. Both units were called on eleven times; the powerplay scored three, while penalty kill gave up three but also scored a shorthanded marker — the eighth time this season Toronto has tallied while down a man.
Toronto Marlies 5 vs. Syracuse Crunch 4 (OT)
Toronto staged another remarkable comeback to start their week.
The Marlies trailed for the majority of the game after allowing the first goal on the penalty kill despite dominating the first period. Viktor Loov tied up the game with his first of the season, but Toronto again found themselves down 2-1 after two periods.
Trailing by two goals with less than ten minutes remaining, Hyman scored on a rebound to bring the Marlies within one before Mark Arcobello tied the game up on a breakaway with 1:27 left in regulation.
Both teams shared late chances, but the best fell to Tanner Richard with ten seconds on the clock. Alone in the slot, he was robbed twice by Antoine Bibeau, who redeemed himself in the third period after a less than stellar performance overall.
Toronto remained undefeated in overtime thanks to a beauty of a goal from Brendan Leipsic, who pulled off a wonderful spin-o-rama move followed by a backhand finish after terrific work from Ryan Rupert to win possession behind the net.
Toronto Marlies 4 vs. Utica Comets 2
Despite carrying the play for the majority of the opening period, the Comets found themselves down 1-0 after Rylan Schwartz scored his first goal for Toronto.
The second period was all about the powerplay as the teams combined for three goals in eleven minutes with the man advantage. Arcobello and Kapanen tallied for Toronto as the Marlies held a 3-1 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.
There was little action to speak of until around seven minutes to play, when the Comets pushed hard to try and salvage something from the game. Brandon Marino was guilty of missing a golden chance as he fired wide of the empty cage with Sparks beaten.
Utica broke through to score on the fourth Utica powerplay of the game through Jordan Subban with less than five minutes on the clock.
Toronto stayed calm and assured, drawing a penalty with a little under two minutes remaining.
Arcobello and Frattin came close to netting the insurance marker before Soshnikov finally did after Utica pulled their netminder.
It was far from the Marlies best performance, but they found a way to win against a dogged and determined Utica Comets team.
Toronto Marlies 7 vs. Utica Comets 1
It’s often hard to win both games against the same team in a back-to-back scenario, but Toronto made up for Saturday’s average performance by blitzing Utica the following Sunday.
The story was the long-awaited return of Connor Brown, who did not disappoint. Two goals for Brown, with a debut marker from David Kolomatis in between, put the Marlies up 3-0 only ten minutes into the game.
T.J Brennan made it 4-0 shortly, at which point Utica switched their goalies around. It made little difference; despite not taking advantage of ample powerplay time, two goals in the opening eight minutes of the second period killed the game as a contest.
Brennan scored his second before a shorthanded tally from Leipsic rubbed salt in the wound.
The visitors got on the board in bizarre fashion, breaking a potential shutout bid for Bibeau. Carter Bancks received a long outlet pass from Jordan Subban, but the former was clearly offside in the Toronto zone. Brennan stopped skating, expecting a call which did not come, and to the Utica forward’s credit he finished with aplomb.
Arcobello wrapped up the scoring with a fine individual goal early in the third period as the Marlies completed one of their best performances this season.
Player News
– Nowhere better to start than with the CCM/AHL Player of the Week, Mark Arcobello.
With four goals and three assists this week, Acobello has recorded four straight multi-point games.
– T.J Brennan was also dynamite, potting four points split evenly between goals and assists. He’s tied for the AHL lead in scoring — overall league scoring, not just among defencemen — and has only failed to register a point once in his last nine outings.
– Kasperi Kapanen, Brendan Leipsic and Zach Hyman all put together three-point weeks. Kapanen is certainly showing more of what he’s capable of in each passing game since his return from Finland.
– Connor Brown made an instant impact on his long awaited return from injury. Not just the goals, his performance after that length of layoff was remarkable. Brown could easily have had a hat-trick. For the Marlies, it’s like a major midseason acquisition. He’s healthy and raring to go.
– Three players made Marlies debuts this past week: Rylan Schwartz, Eric Baier and David Kolomatis. The Solar Bears’ captain, Baier was steady in his one appearance, recording an assist before he was sent back to Orlando along with Jack Rodewald.
– Schwartz didn’t look out of place on his return to the AHL, playing twice and potting the only goal scored at even strength on Saturday. If injuries remain and his strong play continues, there could be an AHL contract for him.
– Kolomatis went straight into action on Sunday after being signed to an SPC on Saturday. Knowing the veteran defenseman had no time to practice with the Marlies, his performance was more than admirable. In a steady showing alongside T.J Brennan, he chipped in with a nice goal after jumping into the play. A right-handed defenseman, he could find himself a regular in the line-up.
– Antoine Bibeau was far better on Sunday than on Wednesday, but he recorded two victories nonetheless, extending his record to 15-4-0. Garret Sparks made 31 saves on Saturday and looked far sharper in his second appearance back from injury.
– He’s not a fashionable player on this roster, but Brett Findlay continues to go about his business winning the trust of Sheldon Keefe. Given the task of centering Nikita Soshnikov and Connor Brown on Sunday, he had himself a fine game, teeing up the latter for his second goal after beginning the rush in the defensive zone.
– Stuart Percy left Sunday’s game in the first period after a reckless hit from Darren Archibald. Thankfully he did not suffer a concussion or any kind of head injury according to Sheldon Keefe, who mentioned a lower body injury. Percy might miss Wednesday’s encounter Grand Rapids, but hopefully will be available by the weekend if that’s the case.
– Injured or unavailable players right now: Justin Holl, Sam Carrick, William Nylander, Scott Harrington, Justin Johnson, Josh Leivo and Rich Clune. William Nylander participated in his first full practice today since sustaining the concussion over in Sweden.
Upcoming Games
Wednesday January 27 — Toronto at Grand Rapids, 11:00 am EST
Friday, January 29 — Toronto at Grand Rapids, 7:00 pm EST
Saturday January 30 — Binghamton at Toronto, 5:00 pm EST
Toronto Marlies Player Stats — January 26
| Player | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PP | SHG | SOG | SH% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Brennan | 43 | 17 | 25 | 42 | 15 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 102 | 16.7 |
| Mark Arcobello | 30 | 16 | 21 | 37 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 97 | 16.5 |
| William Nylander | 27 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 86 | 16.3 |
| Brendan Leipsic | 42 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 13 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 106 | 12.3 |
| Josh Leivo (X) | 35 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 95 | 11.6 |
| Jeremy Morin (total) | 36 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 7 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 97 | 11.3 |
| Jeremy Morin (TOR) | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 8.7 |
| Richard Panik (X) | 33 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 5 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 13.6 |
| Zach Hyman | 42 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 8.2 |
| Nikita Soshnikov | 38 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 93 | 16.1 |
| Matt Frattin | 42 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 4 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 83 | 8.4 |
| Andrew Campbell | 41 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 29 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 15.4 |
| Sam Carrick | 33 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 78 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 7.8 |
| Casey Bailey | 33 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 7.5 |
| Kasperi Kapanen | 23 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 20 |
| Richard Clune (X) | 29 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 102 | 1 | 2 | 27 | 18.5 |
| Stuart Percy | 35 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 10.5 |
| Rinat Valiev | 38 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 8.8 |
| Frederik Gauthier | 33 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 10.3 |
| Ryan Rupert | 25 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 21.4 |
| Viktor Loov | 41 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 2 |
| Justin Holl | 30 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 6.8 |
| Brett Findlay | 20 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4.2 |
| Connor Brown | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 6.9 |
| Byron Froese (X) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 23.1 |
| Scott Harrington | 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 |
| Frank Corrado (X) | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| James Martin | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Eric Faille | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25 |
| David Kolomatis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 100 |
| Rylan Schwartz | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 25 |
| Eric Baier (X) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jack Rodewald (X) | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Justin Johnson | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Goalies | GP | Mins | W | L | SOL | SO | GA | GAA | SVS | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Massa | 1 | 59:56:00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 0.941 |
| Rob Madore | 4 | 240:00:00 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1.25 | 99 | 0.952 |
| Jonathan Bernier | 4 | 239:43:00 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1.25 | 91 | 0.948 |
| Garret Sparks | 13 | 750:27:00 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 27 | 2.16 | 362 | 0.931 |
| Antoine Bibeau | 20 | 1190:51:00 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 59 | 2.97 | 527 | 0.899 |
| Ray Emery | 6 | 360:25:00 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 142 | 0.888 |
AHL Eastern Conference Standings — January 26
| GP | W | L | OTL | SL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | P10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Marlies | 44 | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 70 | 0.795 | 174 | 107 | 9-1-0-0 |
| WBS Penguins | 41 | 29 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 59 | 0.72 | 137 | 90 | 7-3-0-0 |
| Albany Devils | 40 | 23 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 52 | 0.65 | 112 | 90 | 4-3-3-0 |
| Portland Pirates | 40 | 24 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0.613 | 122 | 104 | 7-3-0-0 |
| Hershey Bears | 43 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 52 | 0.605 | 135 | 132 | 6-2-1-1 |
| St. John's IceCaps | 42 | 19 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 47 | 0.56 | 125 | 136 | 4-5-1-0 |
| Syracuse Crunch | 42 | 19 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 46 | 0.548 | 110 | 118 | 5-2-3-0 |
| Providence Bruins | 43 | 19 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 0.547 | 125 | 125 | 7-0-3-0 |
| Hartford Wolf Pack | 42 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0.524 | 103 | 117 | 7-3-0-0 |
| Utica Comets | 41 | 18 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 42 | 0.512 | 115 | 120 | 2-7-0-1 |
| Bridgeport Sound Tigers | 42 | 20 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 0.512 | 105 | 115 | 3-7-0-0 |
| Rochester Americans | 42 | 20 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 0.512 | 102 | 130 | 5-5-0-0 |
| Lehigh Valley Phantoms | 43 | 19 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 0.477 | 120 | 120 | 4-5-1-0 |
| Springfield Falcons | 41 | 16 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 0.439 | 102 | 132 | 4-4-0-2 |
| Binghamton Senators | 40 | 15 | 22 | 3 | 0 | 33 | 0.412 | 111 | 130 | 4-5-1-0 |
