Sparks superb as Marlies shut out Griffins
Toronto crossed the border to play a school-day game in Grand Rapids on Wednesday.
These two teams used to wage epic battles, but this was only the second meeting of the season between the sides due to the recent AHL divisional re-alignment.
It didn’t take long for the ill feelings to re-emerge.
The Griffins were unbeaten in regulation at home in a run stretching back to November 6, but that record fell with a pair of defeats to Rochester this past weekend.
It was no surprise, then, that it was the home team who started ascendancy, spending the majority of the opening ten minutes in the Marlies zone.
The Griffins best opportunity came after the otherwise-superb Garret Sparks misplayed the puck to the side of his net, but his teammates came to his aid to deny the home team a clear scoring chance.
Opposition teams have been trying to intimidate the high-flying Marlies of late, employing illegal tactics at times. Grand Rapids captain Jeff Hoggan took it upon himself to take a run at T.J Brennan. The former was called for boarding while Brennan was slow to get to his feet under the guidance of team trainer Luc Leblanc. Thankfully Brennan was fine to continue and jumped back out for the powerplay.
There was nothing doing with the man advantage despite a couple of good looks, but it arguably turned the tide of the first period. Rinat Valiev rang a shot of the crossbar as Toronto began to assert control for the first time.
Jakub Kindl then tested Sparks with a snapshot after a broken play in the Marlie zone. That proved a big save as the Marlies went and opened the scoring shortly afterwards.
On an innocuous-looking play in the left circle, Mark Arcobello released a beauty of a backhand shot that totally handcuffed Jared Coreau before nestling in the back of the net.
The Marlies doubled the lead 95 seconds later.
A faceoff win by Arcobello sent the puck to his right, where Frattin was afforded a lot of space in the slot. He looked like the Frattin of old as his wrist shot blitzed by Coreau in the blink of an eye.
The remaining five minutes of the opening frame was all Toronto and they were a little unfortunate not to extend their advantage. Casey Bailey tipped a shot from Viktor Loov only fractions wide as the seconds wound down.
The middle period was notable for the aggression level ratcheting up a notch. Nine penalties were called and the officials were guilty of losing control somewhat.
Less than two minutes in, Ryan Rupert sent Brendan Leipsic away down the right side. From his off-wing, Leipsic nearly beat Coreau five-hole.
Seemingly every whistle after a save was resulting in a scrum in front of the net as the animosity continued to rise.
Sparks only had to make seven saves in the first period, but from the middle frame on he continued to frustrate a Griffins team that had been shutout in their last outing. Andreas Athanasiou had some room on the left wing, testing Sparks with a stinging shot that produced a an excellent rebound chance for Eric Tangradi. Sparks wasn’t for beating, producing a wonderful save on the second effort.
Toronto was caught flat footed a minute or so later, when Tomas Nosek led an odd man rush and drove to the net, cutting across Sparks, who stonewalled the left winger.
As the play switched immediately to the other end, Connor Brown roofed a shot over Coreau to make it 3-0 Marlies.
Three penalties in two minutes disrupted the rhythm of what was an exciting tilt at even strength.
The Griffins produced a spell of sustained pressure with eight minutes left to play. Sparks’ top-notch glove save robbed Anthony Mantha just seconds after Sparks had to be alert in turning aside both Tangradi and Nathan Paestch.
The rough stuff finally boiled over at the 14-minute mark, when Marlies captain Andrew Campbell earned himself a ten minute misconduct penalty for unsportsmanlike behaviour. It was a curious call, but the officials had somewhat lost the plot at this stage after not clamping down on altercations earlier in the game.
Inside the last 60 seconds of the middle frame, Sparks was required to makes saves thirteen and fourteen of the period to ensure his team’s three-goal lead stood up after 40.
Sparks may have been having a great game, but he also benefited from a smattering of luck in the third period. A stoppage 90 seconds in due to some bad ice saw the Marlies switch off upon the resumption of play. They were thoroughly outplayed and outshot in the finale frame of regulation.
Martin Frk was unlucky to see his backhand shot hit the post and go to safety. Rookie defenseman Rickie Russo then brought a good blocker save from Sparks, who must have known it was his day on the next play: A shot from the point by Paetsch, redirected in front by Tangradi, beat Sparks, trickling towards the net only to hit the post and stay out. Athanasiou jumped on the rebound, but Sparks regained his position and kept out the second effort.
Hemmed in their own zone, the Marlies were running around as Todd Bertuzzi found Frk with a great pass. All alone in front, Frk was dumbfounded after Sparks slid across to rob him blind.
Grand Rapids’ seven-minute domination did not produce a goal before the Marlies almost increased their lead on their first shot of the third period. After a rush from the fourth line, Coreau’s excellent stop denied Eric Faille.
A powerplay presented Grand Rapids with another opportunity to get themselves back in the game, but Mark Zengerle was the next to be turned aside by Sparks. Back at even strength, it was Louis-Marc Aubry and Zengerle with good looks but both efforts were rebuffed by the Marlie goaltender.
The home team’s last throw of the dice came with six minutes remaining, when the Marlies were guilty of a too-many-men penalty and the Griffins immediately pulled Coreau for a two-man advantage.
Toronto stood tall despite good pressure from Grand Rapids before the Marlies iced the game once Matt Frattin rejoined the action from the penalty box. Nikita Soshnikov won the possession battle in his own zone along the right boards, digging the puck up the wing for Frattin. The winger burst past his two opponents, doing well to keep his feet despite almost getting hauled down before sliding the puck into the empty cage.
As the emphasis became securing the shutout for Sparks, the Marlies played like a nervous team, not one holding a 4-0 lead. After a turnover deep inside their own zone, Toronto allowed the Griffins to generate one last chance with 30 seconds left on the clock.
Sparks’ 39th save of the game preserved the shutout and yet another road victory for this juggernaut of a Marlies team.
Post Game Notes
– Garret Sparks’ third shutout of the season was easily his best. Sparks’ tenth win of the season in just 14 games improves his save percentage to 0.937.
– A fifth straight multi-point game for Mark Arcobello, who continues his incredible tear through this AHL season.
– Connor Brown netted his third goal in two games. A great finish from him, and there must be more left in the tank once he’s fully into game shape.
– Toronto’s goal differential is now a mind-boggling +71. They own a winning percentage of .800.
– Stuart Percy was a late scratch while Justin Holl came in to make his comeback from injury.
Game Highlights
Marlies Player Stats — Toronto 4 vs. Grand Rapids 0
| PLAYERS | Position | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell, Andrew | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| Brennan, T.J. | D | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Faille, Eric | F | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Morin, Jeremy | LW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Hyman, Zach | RW | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Leipsic, Brendan | LW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Rupert, Ryan | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Gauthier, Frederik | C | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kolomatis, David | D | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Arcobello, Mark | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Brown, Connor | RW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Findlay, Brett | LW | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Bailey, Casey | RW | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Frattin, Matt | RW | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Holl, Justin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Loov, Viktor | D | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Valiev, Rinat | D | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Soshnikov, Nikita | LW | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
