Toronto Marlies (0-3) vs. Hershey Bears (3-0):
Game 4, Eastern Conference Final Best-of-Seven Series
Puck drop: 7:30 p.m. EST | Watch: TSN2 | Listen: TSN1050
The Toronto Marlies are attempting to achieve something only three others teams in Calder Cup history have accomplished before — winning a series after trailing 0-3.
Facing elimination, Toronto needs every player, to a man, to step up their game in order to avoid a sweep.
Goaltending has been a key difference in this series with Justin Peters handily out-performing Garrett Sparks and Antoine Bibeau. Sheldon Keefe has gone back to Antoine Bibeau tonight, hoping for a response from his primary playoff starter after his worst outing of the playoffs in Game 3, and the Quebec native needs to quickly find some of his best form for the Marlies to overcome this mountainous deficit.
The defense needs to get back to basics somewhat; individually, they cannot continue to afford to miss assignments and allow too much space for Hershey’s talented forwards to work with.
As for Toronto’s forwards, it’s about getting more pucks on net. Toronto has a plethora of talented forwards who own good shots but have often been looking to make the one-too-many play in search of the better opportunity that doesn’t develop.
The tide also has to be turned on special teams, especially after the debacle in the last game. For the powerplay, it’s about making sure Peters has to deal with more rubber (most importantly) and more traffic in front.
For long stretches in game two, and even during the first period of game three, the Marlies have shown they can dominate the Bears with possession hockey and create enough scoring chances. It’s about playing with the required intensity for as close to 60 minutes as possible. If any Toronto Marlies team in franchise history is capable of coming back, it’s this current crop of players.
Toronto Marlies Game 4 Projected Lines vs. Hershey
It appears Sheldon Keefe will run seven defencemen tonight, with Brendan Leipsic and Sam Carrick taking a seat up front.
So, Keefe is scratching a player who was second on the team in goals in regular season. Also scratching his alternate captain. Gutsy. #AHL
— PATRICK WILLIAMS (@pwilliamsAHL) May 27, 2016
Forwards
Josh Leivo – Mark Arcobello – Connor Brown
Kasperi Kapanen – Ben Smith – William Nylander
Rich Clune – Freddie Gauthier – Zach Hyman
Colin Smith – Nikita Soshnikov
Defence
Andrew Campbell – Rinat Valiev
Stuart Percy – Connor Carrick
TJ Brennan – Justin Holl
Viktor Loov
Goal
Antoine Bibeau
Scratched: Brendan Leipsic, Tobias Lindberg, Sam Carrick, Matt Frattin, Travis Dermott, David Kolomatis, Andrew Nielsen
Injured: Andreas Johnson