This second round series began as advertised, with Toronto and Syracuse exchanging blows throughout before the Marlies delivered the knockout punch inside the final minute of an entertaining Game 1 matchup.
Led by two-point games from Adam Brooks, Mason Marchment, Frederik Gauthier, Martin Marincin and Trevor Moore, the Marlies racked up six goals (6-4 final, with an empty netter) on just 21 shots to get their noses out in front to start off what should be a thrilling second-round series.
First Period
There were few jabs thrown in the early going, as both teams were cagey while sizing each other up, but the action picked up after Toronto almost paid for turning the puck over a couple of times in quick succession.
Garret Sparks came to the rescue with saves to deny Carter Verhaeghe and Mathieu Joseph before the Marlies repaid him at the other end by striking first at the eight-minute mark.
After working the puck low to high in the Syracuse zone, Adam Brooks redirected Martin Marincin’s long-range shot past Crunch goaltender Eddie Pasquale.
The first period finished with a bang, with a flurry of scoring chances inside the final five minutes. Chris Mueller shot wide on a breakaway following an outlet pass from Justin Holl; back the other way on a transition play, Erik Condra was denied by Sparks, who had to be sharp to smother a subsequent opportunity for Brendan Bradley at the top of the blue paint.
After Andreas Johnsson and Adam Brooks were both turned aside by Pasquale, Toronto earned their second power play of the period only to have the man advantage backfire on them.
Johnsson was the culprit; after taking the drop pass as the trailer, he was stripped at center ice by Joseph, who broke in on net alone and beat Sparks blocker side.
Toronto immediately restored their lead with the extra man, though, thanks to a wonderful no-look backhand pass from Trevor Moore that put one on a platter for Dmytro Timashov at the back post.
Second Period
The special teams theme carried over into the second period, with both teams inflicting damage on the man advantage.
Sparks came up with a huge save to deny Olivier Archambault following a 2-on-1 break early in the middle frame, but there was little in the way of scoring opportunities at even strength before Syracuse drew level for a second time just after the midway point.
On a Crunch power play, Moore blew a clearance up the wall before Verhaeghe squeaked a low shot past Sparks from the high slot that the Marlies goaltender would likely want back.
Toronto responded just over four minutes later, with Travis Dermott pulling the strings on the power play. He played pitch and catch from the middle of the zone with Johnsson before sending a wrist shot past Pasquale, with Carl Grundstrom creating an effective screen in front of the crease.
Third Period
The Marlies have been dominant this season when in possession of a lead after 40 minutes, but Syracuse pushed them all the way to the end in an entertaining third period.
Sparks again was called into action early as the Marlies were caught overloaded on the left side of the defensive zone and Dominik Masin was robbed by the Toronto goaltender when all alone in front.
The returning Andreas Borgman then left the game after a colliding with Archambault, leaving the Marlies with five defensemen.
That adversity didn’t seem to rattle the Marlies, who earned their first two-goal lead of the game at the eight-minute mark. Marincin faked a shot before sending the puck down to Frederik Gauthier in the left circle. The big centerman made the percentage play by slapping a cross-ice pass toward the crease, where the incoming Mason Marchment was able to get enough of the puck to beat Pasquale.
You can count this Crunch team out at your own peril, however, and they responded by drawing within one through Kevin Lynch less than 60 seconds later on a delayed penalty. It was another goal Sparks wasn’t thrilled with, but Martin Marincin blew a tire in the corner and the Marlies let off defensively in front of him.
The two-goal lead was restored with seven minutes remaining following hard work from Moore, who chased down an airmailed puck, beat his man one-on-one coming out of the corner, and nearly scored before working his way around the net and dishing into the wheelhouse of Pierre Engvall, who finished off his third of the playoffs.
Game over?
Not quite, as the Crunch left their net vacant for the final four minutes and were rewarded with 65 seconds remaining on the clock. It was a second strike for Lynch after another piece of poor play from Johnsson, who tried to beat three Crunch players instead of getting the puck in deep.
Any anxiety for the Marlies crowd was put to rest by the captain, though, as Ben Smith finished into the vacant net from inside his own blue line to secure a 1-0 series lead.
Post Game Notes
– The ice at the Ricoh wasn’t of the highest standard and that certainly played its part in the game. The Marlies did their best work when simplifying, cycling the puck, and getting pucks and bodies to the net.
– Trevor Moore, Frederik Gauthier and Martin Marincin all registered two assists. Moore put together an excellent game and was a constant thorn in the side of Syracuse. Adam Brooks also produced two points (1-1-2), including his first ever professional playoff goal, while Mason Marchment chipped in a goal and an assist as well.
“I really liked Marchment today,” said Sheldon Keefe after the game. “I thought he was probably the one guy — he and Moore — that really stood out for me. They were just guys that I thought were really good on the ice, so we changed our lines up a little bit. That’s a real positive for us to have from two guys that started at the bottom of the lineup. Marchment was physical and was hard and heavy on the puck in the offensive zone.”
– Pierre Engvall netted his third goal of the post-season and now has four points (3-1-4) through six postseason games.
– Dmytro Timashov kept up his point-per-game pace through the playoffs with a fourth goal in six games.
– Andreas Johnsson recorded an assist, but he was culpable for the short-handed goal against and produced a performance below his usual standard. That the Marlies could score six times and win without him at his best is a great sign, however.
– Garret Sparks posted 28 saves for the victory in a bit of a topsy-turvy performance. He made a handful of excellent saves but gave up a couple of goals he’d want back.
– This was only the second outing of the playoffs for Andreas Borgman after getting injured in Game 1 of the Utica series. If he’s hurt again, that’ll be a serious dent in Toronto’s blue line.
– Neither Matthew Peca or Gabriel Dumont suited up for Syracuse, both significant absences in the Crunch lineup.
Game 2 goes Saturday at Ricoh Coliseum (4 p.m. EST puck drop).
