“It’s not always going to be pretty. You’re going to make mistakes, but the fact that we can recover from those and still focus on the task at hand… Our guys did a great job responding to whatever was thrown at us this weekend. Good start to the season.”
– John Gruden
“I think our players got energy from his ability to make big saves.”
– John Gruden on Artur Akhtyamov’s debut performance
The Toronto Marlies were not at their best over the weekend, but they prevailed by winning the critical moments. In this 4-1 win on Sunday, key saves from their rookie netminder and timely scoring in the third period made the difference.
First Period
The opening frame was a disjointed affair, with neither team able to assert their authority on the game. San Diego was guilty of overpassing, while the Marlies struggled to find rhythm in their play.
Toronto earned the first power play of the game inside the opening minute. The Marlies could barely get themselves set up in the offensive zone, let alone generate a legitimate scoring chance.
With 3:30 on the clock, a Gulls turnover almost led to the game’s first goal when Matthew Barbolini seized on the giveaway above the right circle, but his wrist shot forced a good shoulder save out of Calle Clang.
Artur Akhtyamov made a stunning double save to rob Ryan Carpenter from point-blank range as San Diego almost made hay on their first power play opportunity. The debutant turned aside 10 shots in total to mark a solid first 20 minutes in the AHL.
When Toronto exerted something resembling zone pressure late in the frame, a point shot produced a rebound that Jacob Quillan seized on, but his backhand effort from an acute angle couldn’t solve Clang.
Second Period
After a positive start to the middle frame, the game tilted away from Toronto in what could have been a turning point with 4:30 on the clock.
Alex Nylander surged through the neutral zone and beat two defenders before getting by a third at the top of the right circle. The Swedish forward was denied by Clang’s excellent left pad save, and San Diego quickly countered. The Gulls created an odd-man rush, leading to Tyson Hinds’ shot that gave Akhtyamov no chance.
The Marlies were down a man shortly afterward and relied on their netminder as their best penalty killer. Akhtyamov made four stellar saves to deny the Gulls a two-goal lead.
The Marlies grew into the period on the back of the kill and drew a penalty of their own. After twice going close, Nylander showed his class to tie the game at 1-1. Patience at the top of the left circle opened some space and time to measure a pin-point snipe past the glove of Clang.
Neither team could seize the initiative for the remainder of the period, but Akhtyamov was the busier of the two netminders, pulling off two crucial late stops.
Third Period
Although Toronto drew an early penalty in the third period, it was almost a disaster for the team and their rookie goaltender. Akhtyamov got away with a misplay behind his net after what appeared to be a miscommunication. It summed up a dreadful power play effort, but the Marlies made it right with 13 minutes remaining.
From behind the goal, Roni Hirvonen picked out Nylander, who was parked out front. It was far from the flattest pass, but the 26-year-old produced another piece of brilliance to one-time slap the puck home for his second power-play goal.
With the Gulls rattled, Toronto struck again within 90 seconds. A misplay by Nathan Gaucher in the neutral zone was seized on by Quillan, who drove across the middle of the blue line with speed. It was yet another smart play by Quillan to shoot low to the goaltender’s far pad and create a rebound tap-in for Hirvonen following up on the play.
The Gulls did not go silently into the night. Having produced a comeback on Saturday, they maintained some hope that they could reproduce the effort again. Akhtyamov shut the door on San Diego, turning aside all 15 shots in the third period, including four high-danger chances for Anaheim’s affiliate in the second half of the frame.
Nylander had an opportunity to notch a hat-trick on a partial breakaway, but on what was his easiest chance of the game, he couldn’t find a way past Clang.
San Diego’s last chance to get themselves back into the game arrived with six minutes remaining when Roland McKeown struck the post with a rasping long-range effort. On the follow-up, Sam Colangelo was robbed by Akhtyamov.
Alex Steeves secured the victory with an empty-net tally after Zach Solow put in the hard yards, winning two puck battles to create the tap-in.
Post Game Notes
– Toronto hasn’t won two games to begin a campaign since 2019-20 (not including the Covid season), and they rolled off six straight victories that year.
– The Marlies again won the special teams battle, going 2/4 with the extra skater and successfully killing off both penalties.
– Artur Akhtyamov turned aside 37 of 38 shots on his AHL debut to record the victory. He’s a very athletic goaltender but remained composed and in position for the majority of his debut. It was a very professional performance, and he seemed to thrive on the big workload.
“[Akhtyamov] is athletic, and he is good,” said Gruden. “It is sometimes going to be frustrating for the oppostion to face that… It was fun to watch… He has a good demeanour, and I don’t ever see him get too high or too low.”
– Toronto’s power play was dreadful for the first half of last season, but that won’t be the case if Alex Nylander continues to find his groove. Two high-quality finishes were the difference between the teams, and Nylander seemed to play with a little more freedom and confidence in his second outing.
“[Nylander] is dangerous when he has time and space,” said Gruden. “He has the ability to put pucks in. He has done that for a while now. It was good to see it, especially with the timing of it. It got us on the right track.”
– Toronto’s captain recorded three assists as he quietly went about business. Five helpers through two games is a strong start for Logan Shaw, considering he wasn’t as influential offensively as he would have liked in terms of shooting the puck (two shots through two games).
– A two-point haul for Roni Hirvonen (1G/1A) included the primary assist on the game-winner.
– Last but not least, I wish all Canadians a very Happy Thanksgiving.
– Sunday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Nylander
Barbolini – Quillan – Solow
Hirvonen – Blandisi – Steeves
Grebenkin – Paré – Tverberg
Defensemen
Rifai – Niemelä
Kokkonen – Mattinen
Pietroniro – Villeneuve
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Peksa
