Fresh off snapping their first three game losing streak of the season last night in Portland, the Toronto Marlies continue their three in three road-trip weekend in Providence and Albany.
Arguably it’s the toughest stretch of the season left for the Marlies, with three games road against teams currently ranked second, sixth and seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The first two games of the weekend see the Marlies match-up against Atlantic Division opponents who will be as desperate for points as any teams in the league. Third and fifth place are separated by just 0.019% at this stage, and Providence Bruins (3rd) and Portland Pirates (4th) are right in the mix.
The Marlies started their weekend off right by emphatically dispatching the Pirates by a 9-2 scoreline on Friday evening.
Saturday, March 12 — Toronto at Providence, 7:05 pm EST
The last time Toronto played the Providence Bruins was back in March of 2009. The Marlies prevailed 6-4, with Jiri Tlusty recording a six-point game and Tuukka Rask taking the loss between the pipes.
A similarly high-scoring game could be in the cards against a free-wheeling Bruins team that has some very talented offensive players.
Providence are in a good run of form — 5-1-1 in the last seven, having dropped points only to Bridgeport.
Dominant at home, the Bruins have accrued exactly two thirds of their points total at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and are in the midst of an incredible stretch that dates back to December 4, 2015. Currently unbeaten in regulation during the last 21 games played on home ice, Providence have only dropped four points in that span.
Equally impressive are the Bruins special teams, owning the number one powerplay in the league that registers at one in five overall but 28% of the time at home. It also accounts for 27% of their goals total this season. The penalty killed is ranked fourth, giving up only 212 chances against. Overall, the Bruins have a plus-20 goal differential on special teams.
15 of the Bruins games this season has gone to overtime or the shootout and they haven’t been that successful in extra time, taking the second point on just four occasions.
With six players having scored 13 goals or more, the strength of Boston’s affiliate is obvious. Leading the way is RW Seth Griffith with 63 points in 48 games. He has 20 goals to his name and has registered 11 points in his last six games.
Russian forward Alexander Khokhlachev recorded five assists in his last game, has nine powerplay goals this season and is producing above a point-per-game pace.
The name on most people’s lips however is rookie sensation Frank Vatrano, who has spent considerable time with the Boston Bruins this season. In 28 AHL games, he’s scored 29 goals (12 on the power play) and has 41 points to his name. With a hat trick in his last outing and riding a three game point streak, Vatrano will require the Marlies full attention.
Goaltending has been some what of an issue, especially now Malcolm Subban is injured and isn’t expected to recover from his surgery until April. Jeremy Smith has been drafted in from Iowa and has won his last three starts. Through seven games, his stat line reads 2.15GAA and 0.929 save percentage. Rookie netminder Zane McIntyre has a winning record despite an overall save percentage under .900.
Sunday, March 13 — Toronto at Albany, 3:00 pm EST
Sunday’s game will be a matinee affair against a more familiar opponent.
The Marlies have visited Albany just once this season, way back in November, when they prevailed in overtime. The teams met as recently in Toronto as March 1, with the Marlies taking a 4-0 victory that wasn’t as clear cut as the score line may suggest. With three of the four games in the season series decided by a single goal, a tight game can be expected.
It’ll need to be for Albany, who have seen their roster recently torn apart by injuries and call-ups. Big misses are Mike Sislo, Reid Boucher and Corey Tropp, who between them are responsible for 55 goals and 109 points. A player they were hoping would take up some slack, Paul Thompson, is now out indefinitely with an upper-body injury.
Joining the ranks will be Nick Lappin, who signed an entry-level contract with New Jersey this week. The winger is a former point per game producer for Brown University.
With Cory Schneider injured, Yann Danis is up with New Jersey and Albany will be hoping Scott Wedgewood will be good to go after missing a huge chunk of the season already. The Devils may well be reliant on rookie netminder Ken Appleby, who is 2-2-1 since being recalled from ECHL. His first win was a shutout, and despite recording an overtime loss and win since, the former Oshawa General has given up eight goals in those two games.
It’s a much-maligned looking Devils roster, but Albany still own the best defensive record in the Eastern Conference and the number one penalty kill. Admittedly, their third-ranked powerplay might not be as potent with their stars missing, especially Mike Sislo, who has been dynamite on special teams this season.
The Devils will be hoping home ice makes up for their deficiencies as they’ve won 20 of 28 games at the Times Union Center, including three straight.
Player News
– T.J Brennan has rejoined the Marlies after being released from his emergency loan, recording another multi-point game (2a) last night in Portland.
– With Viktor Loov still with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies have signed defensemen Taylor Doherty to a PTO. The 25 year old is a former second round pick by the San Jose Sharks but has yet to feature in the NHL.
Doherty spent his junior career with Kingston Frontenacs before four consecutive seasons with the Worcester Sharks (175 games).
In 56 games for the ECHL’s Rapid City Rush this season, he has 24 points (8G/16A) and is the team’s leading scorer from the blue line.
Listed at 6’8″ and 235 lbs, he’s reported not to be shy of the physical side of the game, although Toronto will need him to show good discipline after recent penalty issues.
– Brendan Leipsic and Kasperi Kapanen remain with the Marlies after being reassigned last Sunday. Both collected points last night vs. the Pirates.
– Also still on the roster is Eric Faille, who might have expected to play for Orlando with the Solar Bears facing Brampton this week.
– As per last week, Antoine Bibeau should take two starts with Alex Stalock given the Saturday game.
