It was a weekend to forget for the Toronto Marlies in many ways.
Dominated during long spells of the three games, the Marlies managed just one goal during the opening 40 minutes of each outing, allowing opponents to build leads that proved decisive.
Sunday’s matinee game against the visiting Utica Comets was no different as Toronto were collectively poor and outworked by a confident opponent for the first two periods.
The opening frame was notable for its physicality as the animosity between the teams carried over from the Comets shutout victory on Friday evening.
Toronto were on the powerplay just 18 seconds in but failed to test Utica goaltender Joe Cannata.
The rough stuff took less than three minutes to rear its head as noted AHL enforcer Darren Archibald decided to mix thing up with Rich Clune followed by John Kurtz. Archibald took a goaltender interference penalty shortly after, but his team turned the tables and opened the scoring shorthanded.
Josh Leivo tried to intercept a pass from Nic Pedan but inadvertently sent the puck past Antoine Bibeau to hand the visitors the 1-0 goal. Utica were denied from scoring twice while down a man as Bibeau turned aside Chris Higgins, who was a constant threat throughout the game.
A shot on net after the whistle from Ronalds Kenins ended with a line brawl as emotions boiled over early, with the Marlies somehow receiving the extra penalty. A fight between Clune and Alexandre Grenier ended with the Toronto man winning the fight, but it put his team down by two men for 89 seconds.
Bibeau held onto efforts fired on net during that period while Connor Brown, Frederik Gauthier and Stuart Percy were also excellent during the 5v3. Utica came closest to scoring at 5v4 when Jordan Subban rang his effort off the post.
The final five minutes were controlled by a dominant Comets team that was held off only by the efforts of Bibeau as the group in front of him was caught running around and missing assignments.
A late powerplay for the Marlies saw Colin Smith fail to take advantage of a great chance before Brandon Prust come close to scoring shorthanded on a partial breakaway.
The powerplay that carried over into the middle frame proved fruitless, setting the stage for the Comets to double their lead. Subban was allowed to spin and turn onto his forehand all too easily, firing a terrific shot that Bibeau had no chance on.
A 2-0 lead quickly became three with not even five minutes played on Grenier’s 12th of the season, with Prust picking up his second assist of the game.
It took until the ninth minute for any sign of life from the Marlies, such was the Comets control of proceedings. A shot from Mark Arcobello presented a rebound which Valiev shifted to his left for Brown, who wasn’t able to get everything on the attempt in front.
The returning Kasperi Kapanen whiffed on a great opportunity a couple of shifts later before any momentum was spoiled by yet another needless penalty — a problem for Toronto throughout the weekend.
Stuart Percy was the guilty party for the umpteenth time, and once out of the box he coughed up the puck with an attempted pass down the middle of the ice. Thankfully, Bibeau was on hand to bail out his teammate.
Bibeau was battling hard despite little help and he was finally rewarded with some goal support at the other end. It all began with the Marlies finally winning a board battle before Brendan Leipsic advanced the puck to Carrick and drove to the net. In good scoring form of late, Carrick wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to shoot, blasting a snapshot by Cannata, who had shut out the Marlies in the Friday night encounter.
Like flipping a switch, Toronto was in the ascendancy for a couple of minutes following the goal. Justin Holl was denied, while a feed from Brennan would’ve only required the faintest of touches to find the back of the net. A shot from Loov was tipped inches wide by Arcobello as the Marlies looked on the verge of a second.
Shooting themselves in the foot once more, Campbell went to the box for yet another Utica powerplay. 20 seconds after Valiev almost potted a shorthanded marker but fired wide, a shot from Travis Ehrhardt was deflected in front, possibly by Valiev, putting the Marlies behind by three again after 40 minutes.
Many times this season, the Marlies have extricated themselves from similar situations and they looked a confident team playing from behind to start the third period.
Just 42 seconds in, Loov picked up a loose puck down the middle off the ice and saw his effort ring off the crossbar. Brennan was also frustrated by a post a minute later.
Toronto finally tallied on the powerplay after Chris Higgins took a holding penalty. Lindberg’s wrist shot from lower in the slot found the net after a perfect feed from Colin Smith.
The perfect start continued 90 seconds later as the Marlies drew within one. He may not be the most talented player on the roster, but Sam Carrick’s level of desire is unmatched on this Marlies team. Working off the left wing, he darted around his man with a great move before driving across the net. His five-hole effort just trickled through Cannata despite protests from the Comets; the play had been whistled down, but the puck snuck by the goaltender on the first shot and therefore the goal stood.
Utica were scrambling with their lead down to a single thread while Toronto looked certain winners if they could tie the game. They almost did immediately, but Brown and Leivo both somehow failed to score on the same rebound.
The Marlie balloon wasn’t so much popped as it was slowly deflating after a pair of consecutive penalties by Valiev.
The first was well sold by the Utica forward, but there was no need for Valiev to have his stick up high on the play. The second was interference as the rookie defenseman came out of the box with his head down. The visitors threatened on the initial penalty, but thanks to Bibeau and some incredibly brave shot-blocking from Carrick, Toronto survived and trailed 4-3 with just over six minutes to play.
The tying goal encompassed everything that’s good about Toronto offensively when they’re on their game. An outlet pass to Smith on the right wing found the new acquisition in some space. He drove forward before dropping the puck back for Brown, who immediately spotted Loov jumping into the play on the opposite wing. Loov’s one-timer produced a rebound for Smith to chip home for the game-tying goal.
Brennan almost cost his team with 2:46 to play as his giveaway in Toronto’s zone presented the puck to Blair Jones. Thankfully, Bibeau was alert to the danger and made another outstanding save.
Cannata showed equal brilliance in the other net 30 seconds later as he flat-out robbed Josh Leivo in tight on a rebound off of Valiev’s shot.
The Comets halted the Marlies momentum with 63 seconds remaining, when Darren Archibald was too strong and determined for Percy and Loov behind Toronto’s net. Eventually coming out with the puck in front of Bibeau, he fired home what stood up as the game winner.
It was a game the Toronto Marlies should have won given their third period domination, but their level of play this weekend has not warranted them much sympathy.
A tale of home truths by Sheldon Keefe has come home to roost due to a lack of discipline, collective poor play and a lack of desire at times.
It’s another lesson for this young team, and a reality check that the AHL is never an easy ride.
Post Game Notes
– Brett Findlay and Eric Faille made way for the returning Brendan Leipsic and Kasperi Kapanen. Faille was unfortunate to miss out, in my opinion, when others could easily have been dropped. It’s possible he could be sent back to assist Orlando in their quest for a playoff berth.
– It’s the first time this season that Toronto has dropped three straight games and they were outscored 13-6 in the process.
– It was Sam Carrick’s first brace of the season, taking his total to nine goals on the year.
– Brendan Leipsic, Connor Brown and Matt Frattin each registered two assists.
– Two points for Colin Smith takes his total to seven in his last seven games.
Game Highlights
Sheldon Keefe Post Game
Marlies Player Stats — Utica 5 vs. Toronto 4
| PLAYERS | Position | G | A | +/- | SH | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campbell, Andrew | D | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Brennan, T.J. | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Percy, Stuart | D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 |
| Leivo, Josh | RW | 0 | 0 | -1 | 5 | 0 |
| Carrick, Sam | C | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Clune, Richard | LW | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 7 |
| Leipsic, Brendan | LW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lindberg, Tobias | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Gauthier, Frederik | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Arcobello, Mark | C | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 0 |
| Brown, Connor | RW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Smith, Colin | C | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 0 |
| Kurtz, John | LW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Frattin, Matt | RW | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Holl, Justin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Kapanen, Kasperi | RW | 0 | 0 | -1 | 1 | 0 |
| Loov, Viktor | D | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Valiev, Rinat | D | 0 | 0 | -1 | 3 | 4 |
