The first-ever meeting between Toronto and Laval didn’t end well for the Marlies.
Despite owning the lion’s share of possession, the Marlies made the critical mistakes and let two points slip away to their relocated division rival.
First Period
The opening 75 seconds could have featured goals at both ends if not for Calvin Pickard’s stop on a tipped effort from Peter Holland and Laval goaltender Charlie Lindgren turning aside Nikita Soshnikov on a great drive to the net off of the right wing.
Toronto earned the first power play of the game seven minutes in and almost converted on a reverse, no-look pass from Kerby Rychel that evaded both Miro Aaltonen and Dmytro Timashov. Toronto then conceded their first shorthanded goal of the season with almost eight minutes played.
Calle Rosen was outmuscled at the offensive blue line by Kyle Baun, who played in Daniel Carr streaking down the middle of the ice. A proven goal scorer at this level, Carr gave Pickard no chance with a backhand, top-shelf finish.
The Marlies responded just 66 seconds later on a fine piece of play from Soshnikov. From the right wing, the Russian forward created some space for himself before pulling up behind the net and threading the needle on a pass to Mason Marchment through Ben Smith and two Laval players. Riding a hot stick early in his sophomore season, Marchment fired home far side from one knee to tie the game.
Chances were at a premium afterwards, with the play congested in the neutral zone, but Smith almost put the home team in fronts on an odd-man rush following a feed from Adam Brooks. Smith’s shot was destined for the net if not for the faintest of touches from Lindgren.
After wasting seven opportunities Friday evening, Toronto’s power play finally came through with six minutes remaining in the opening period. After a scramble in front, Timashov’s shot was redirected just wide of the net by Rychel, hit the backboards, and bounced out to Chris Mueller to the right of the net. It was the easiest of finishes for Mueller to open his Marlies account.
The lead was kept intact through 20 minutes thanks to a sharp right pad save from Pickard to turn aside a tipped effort from Jordan Boucher.
Second Period
Toronto’s lead didn’t last two minutes into the middle frame despite killing a penalty that carried over from the previous period. After Justin Holl whiffed on the puck in neutral ice, Boucher broke in with a clear sight of goal and beat Pickard with a glove-side snipe.
The Marlies were dictating the play for the most part following the tying goal but were struggling to break down Laval’s stout defense. Brooks should’ve shot but looked for Andreas Johnsson on a cross-ice feed before a saucer pass from Trevor Moore evaded Timashov, and Gauthier was unlucky not to pick up the pieces when a wicked shot from Soshnikov resulted in a juicy rebound. The best of save of the frame came from Lindgren on Ben Smith, who was again set up by Brooks.
Two Marlies power plays closed out the period but only resulted in more short-handed chances for Laval. Chris Terry nearly tapped home a cross-ice feed after a turnover from Travis Dermott, while Byron Froese forced Pickard into a glove save to ensure the score stayed tied through 40 minutes.
Third Period
With Toronto’s sloppy play carrying over into the third period, Daniel Audette would have put the visitors in front if Pickard hadn’t bailed his team out on another turnover in the defensive zone.
The winning goal arrived less than four minutes played in the final stanza. After a turnover by the Marlies in the neutral zone, a cross-ice pass from Baun found Carr, who snuck in undetected on the left wing and beat Pickard with a well-placed, bar-down finish on the short side.
Toronto could have levelled the score almost immediately after, but Marchment failed to hit the target from the slot after a nice exchange with Brooks.
With six minutes played, Andrew Nielsen, struggling inside his own end throughout the game, turned the puck over and took his second penalty of the evening. It would’ve been costly if not for a terrific piece of shot-blocking from Rinat Valiev to deny Froese.
Pickard then kept his team in the game with a tremendous double save to rob Brett Lernout and Boucher in tight on the rebound.
A pair of penalties taken by Laval, including one inside the final two minutes, provided Toronto with ample opportunity to pile on the late pressure. Rychel was unable to bat a rebound out of midair on Rosen’s initial effort, but the Marlies were too deliberate in possession and weren’t directing enough rubber at the Laval net.
The Marlies recorded just seven shots on net in the third period and slipped to their third defeat of the season.
Post Game Notes
– Saturday’s lines:
Forwards
Rychel-Aaltonen-Johnsson
Timashov-Mueller-Moore
Greening-Gauthier-Soshnikov
Marchment-Brooks-Smith
Defencemen
Dermott-LoVerde
Nielsen-Rosen
Valiev-Holl
Goaltenders
Pickard
Sparks
– Calvin Pickard took the loss, but he could do little about the first two goals, and even the third (which he might want back) was still a great finish. His .892 save percentage isn’t a great look through three games, but it also isn’t a fair reflection of his play thus far.
– Mason Marchment tallied his fourth goal in six games. “He’s been going well,” said Sheldon Keefe. “He’s been one of the bright spots for us offensively.”
– Chris Muller picked up his first goal in a Marlies uniform and is now riding a three-game points streak (1-3-4).
– Dmytro Timashov extended his point streak to four games (2-3-5).
– Andrew Nielsen registered his fifth assist of the year but penalty trouble is a concern with four minor penalties in his last two games.
– Adam Brooks is beginning to grow in stature and is becoming more of an offensive threat with each passing game. He’s recorded just the one assist so far and he needs to shoot more, but the early signs are promising.
– Toronto slipped to 6-3-0 on the season, but are 3-1 against divisional rivals and continue to head the standings in the North.
