“All the guys are pulling the rope in the same direction. We are getting outstanding goaltending from anybody that’s in the net. Our habits are good right now. We are practising hard, and everybody is pulling for each other. There is a real camaraderie in the room.”
– Joseph Blandisi
John Gruden must be concerned about the repeated slow starts to games but equally proud of how his team is responding to remain unbeaten this season.
The Marlies were off the pace in the first period, allowing Rochester to build a deserved two-goal lead. Winning the special teams battle proved decisive, as the Marlies penalty kill continued its early-season success.
First Period
Marshall Rifai and Nicolas Mattinen were guilty of taking avoidable penalties within seven minutes of the game starting. Toronto gave up just three combined shots while down a skater to avoid early damage on the scoreboard.
Cedric Paré had Toronto’s first offensive chance of note at the midway mark when he cut across the ice from the right side on a partial breakaway and drew a good pad save out of Michael Houser.
Rochester opened their account two minutes later after hemming the Marlies in the defensive zone. The Amerks took advantage of Joseph Blandisi breaking his stick to move Toronto around before Mason Jobst’s booming shot produced a rebound in the slot. Josh Dunne was provided too much time to corral the puck before scoring from close range.
Blandisi attempted to atone for his mishap, creating a 2v1 break with Roni Hirvonen to his right. The Finnish forward corralled the pass from the former but didn’t lift his shot high enough over Houser’s glove hand.
Toronto killed a third penalty in the frame but gave up a 5v5 goal with 61 seconds remaining. Matt Murray won’t want to look at the replay of this goal after he gave up a huge rebound on Ryan Johnson’s effort before losing his balance as Tyson Kozak netted on the second attempt from close range.
Second Period
Toronto got to work with more intensity and pace from the opening puck drop. Beginning on a power play carrying over from the first frame, the Marlies produced some promising looks, mostly orchestrated by Alex Nylander. While they didn’t score with the extra skater, Toronto continued to dominate at 5v5 and promptly drew another penalty.
As the second power play of the period wound down, an excellent catch of the airborne puck by Mikko Kokkonen allowed Logan Shaw to tee up Nylander between the circles. Nylander got enough power while shooting on the turn to beat Houser cleanly.
The tide had officially turned, and Toronto was in the ascendancy. A third power play didn’t result in a tying goal, but scoring chances were also flowing at 5v5 — Jacob Quillan was denied by Houser in tight following an excellent set-up play by Robert Mastrosimone, Paré was frustrated again by the Amerks goaltender on a second breakaway, and Nylander couldn’t convert a gilt-edge chance after Nick Abruzzese split the defense.
A penalty by William Villeneuve seemingly halted the momentum, only for one of the Marlies‘ veterans to step up. The effervescent Blandisi cut out a neutral zone pass, creating a breakaway. Despite two Rochester players on his back the whole way, Blandisi kept his composure; he was tripped up when cutting across the crease but managed to find the net, finishing the scoring play on his backside.
The Marlies almost struck again from the restart of play. Steeves found Quillan alone in the right circle, but the rookie’s shot crashed off the crossbar, with the puck nearly exiting the zone afterward.
Toronto finished the period on the penalty kill, where they were indebted to Murray for three high-quality saves on Dunne and Noah Östlund (x2) as the Marlies escaped the middle frame unscathed.
Third Period
The Marlies needed to weather an early storm from Rochester caused by another penalty. Murray turned aside three point shots and gave up no second opportunities while down a skater.
The Amerks generated a 90-second offensive-zone sequence in which Toronto ran the defensive zone, unable to clear danger for a much-needed change. Murray made seven saves in six minutes to start the final frame to keep the game tied.
Toronto has repeatedly stepped up in key moments this season, a theme that continued with nine minutes remaining. Blandisi and Steeves hunted down possession deep in the Rochester zone and appeared to unnerve Nikita Novika, who turned the puck over to Hirvonen. The Finnish forward delivered a perfectly weighted pass for Steeves alone in front, where the finish was sublime — backhand to forehand and a chipped backhand finish past Houser gave Toronto a 3-2 lead.
No insurance marker was forthcoming despite two excellent chances on the power play. Ryan Tverberg was frustrated not to finish with a redirect, and Hirvonen beat Houser five-hole only to see the puck hit the backside of the goaltender and remain in the blue paint.
Rochester recorded only three shots after falling behind, even with one last power play and Houser pulled for the final two minutes. It was an exhibition in shutting down a game by the Marlies, who will look to complete a weekend sweep by defeating Utica on Sunday.
Post Game Notes
– Toronto is the only team in the AHL with a perfect record (4-0-0). They have yet to give up a power play goal this season, extending its perfect penalty kill to 16 straight with seven kills in this game alone.
“[The PK] is connected,” said John Gruden. “It is their second year together. The goaltending has been outstanding, too. Usually, the best player on the ice when you have a good PK is your goaltender, but our guys are doing what they have to do. They are blocking shots. They are clearing pucks. They are sacrificing themselves for the better of the team and getting the results — not only that, but they got a big PK goal, too. It definitely has been a strength so far.”
– Alex Nylander extended his point streak to four games (4G/1A) and continues to grow in confidence offensively.
– Joe Blandisi failed to score a shorthanded goal last season despite plentiful chances. Today’s breakthrough on the PK was his fourth shorthanded tally for the Marlies and seventh of his career.
“That’s [Blandisi’s] game,” said Gruden. “He goes to the net. He is a driver out there. He brings the juice and the jam. His game continues to get stronger each time out.”
– Although the second goal was one he’d want back, this was a much-improved performance from Matt Murray. The hope is that the mentorship role he is currently undertaking with the Marlies will bring out the best in all parties.
“[Murray] has won two Cups, and he is still a great teammate and a calming influence to everybody in our locker room and on the ice,” said Gruden. “They see him battling. They see him making saves and going about his business. It is contagious.”
– It appears that Alex Steeves is hell-bent on breaking some Marlies franchise records. He has netted the game-winner in consecutive games and scored four in the last three outings. Steeves is now third in all-time scoring (158 points) and a single tally behind Jeremy Williams (74) in all-time goals.
“I think [Steeves] is wanting to not change his game necessarily, but he is really focusing on the defensive side of the puck,” said Gruden. “He is doing a lot of the details to be a 200-foot player instead of just wanting to be on the scoreboard. I think he is doing other things to broaden his game a little bit more where he can be used in different situations.”
– Without fanfare, Roni Hirvonen has recorded a point in each game this season (2G/3A).
– Matthew Barbolini and Kyle Clifford have lower-body injuries and are considered week-to-week.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Nylander
Hirvonen – Blandisi – Steeves
Grebenkin – Paré – Tverberg
Mastrosimone – Quillan – Solow
Defensemen
Rifai – Miller
Kokkonen – Mattinen
Webber – Villeneuve
Goaltenders
Murray
Peksa
