The Toronto Marlies’ early success on special teams has won them a few games already this season, and this matchup in Charlotte on Saturday night was no different.
Despite a miserable middle frame and getting outscored 3-1 at five-on-five overall, the Marlies prevailed over the Checkers in regulation by a score of 4-3.
“There were 15 minutes of good to start, then 15 minutes of bad that we weathered. But for me, what won us the game was the momentum from the special teams and the saves that Dennis [Hildeby] made.”
– John Gruden
First Period
Toronto earned three consecutive power plays in the opening frame, but Charlotte nearly struck first. Trevor Carrick escaped on a partial breakaway at the five-minute mark, but Dennis Hildeby’s first save of the game was a big one.
The Marlies‘ opening man advantage was a no-show in terms of creating chances, but they made amends on the second opportunity. After drawing the penalty during four-on-four action, Logan Shaw used the extra ice available to rifle home a shot from the top of the circle. Providing an excellent screen in front and registering a helper on the goal was AHL debutant Fraser Minten.
Toronto should have scored a second power-play goal. The second unit generated a rebound chance in the heart of the slot for Braden Kressler, but the rookie didn’t bury his opportunity from close range.
The Marlies took their foot off the gas in the final six minutes of the period and paid the price. Michael Benning split the defense with one pass down the middle of the ice, and Aidan McDonough beat Hildeby with a deft backhand finish.
The Swedish netminder ensured Toronto did not fall behind before the intermission with an excellent stop to rob Will Lockwood following a giveaway by Tommy Miller.
Second Period
The middle frame began with a weird sequence, resulting in Toronto retaking the lead. The puck bounced around the slot, where neither team could gain control before Nick Abruzzese fired a shot high over the net. The rebound back into play landed just outside the paint, where Alex Steeves reacted quickest to finish past Chris Driedger.
Minten was then unfortunate to see his stick explode on a partial breakaway effort, but Toronto was firmly second-best during the second period. Charlotte generated eight — yes, eight — Grade-A scoring chances and set about propelling themselves into the first lead of the game.
Hildbey made a spectacular stop to rob Riese Gaber after another giveaway by Miller, and the big Swedish netminder outdid himself shortly afterward. An incredible save reaching back in desperation denied John Leonard of what looked like a certain goal.
It all proved somewhat in vain as Toronto continued to give up high-quality scoring chances, and Ryan McAllister swept home the tying goal after a favorable bounce.
The incessant one-way traffic continued toward Hildeby with the score at 2-2. He produced a magnificent left-pad save to deny the Checkers on a 3v1, sending the puck wide enough to prevent a second opportunity.
The Marlies began to implode under the onslaught despite their goaltender making several more good saves before the barrier was breached. It was the simplest of goals via a clean offensive face-off win as McDonough slotted into the empty net after Hildeby’s initial save on Benning’s shot.
Third Period
The Marlies got off to a poor start in the final frame. Beginning with a power play carrying over from the second period, Minten negated it 15 seconds in. After exiting the box, the rookie was called for interference, and Toronto’s penalty kill was sent to work.
Cometh the hour, cometh Joseph Blandisi. The man known affectionally to his teammates as ‘Blender’ anticipated a drop pass at the Charlotte blue line to create a partial breakaway for himself. A wicked wrist shot from Blandisi cleanly beat Driedger, but the Toronto forward did not take all the credit after the game. He cited coach Michael Dyck for his work on the penalty kill this season and the in-depth video that allowed Blandisi to anticipate the play.
Toronto killed off a second penalty by drawing one of their own and almost scored at four-on-four action. Minten benefitted from the odd-man rush, but Driedger easily smothered his effort.
A too-many-men penalty by the Checkers with eight minutes remaining presented the Marlies the chance to take a slender lead. Kressler missed another great chance from the slot, but it didn’t prove costly. Charlotte’s flubbed clearance came back to bite them, as seconds later, Nikita Grebenkin fed Steeves on the opposite side for a one-timer. Driedger was slightly out of position moving right to left as Steeves beat him cleanly to register his first power-play goal this season.
Charlotte opted for the extra attacker inside the final three minutes and laid siege in the Marlies zone. The Checkers were kept the outside, and Hildeby was only called on to make one save of note. Toronto’s netminder turned aside 12 shots in the final frame to secure a hard-fought victory.
Post Game Notes
– Toronto’s penalty kill improved to a perfect 31-for-31. It’s another feather in their cap to shut down this Checkers team and outscore them on their own power plays; Charlotte has scored a league-leading 15 power-play goals.
– Fraser Minten was used in almost every key situation during his AHL debut. He recorded an assist on the opening goal but would like to forget about the two penalties he took. By his admission, the timing wasn’t quite there, but he will get better with reps. Considering the length of his injury absence, this was a thoroughly encouraging performance. I’ll make more of a read on his game after Sunday’s rematch.
“[Minten] is a smart player who can score in all situations,” said Gruden. “You can see how smart he is. It was nice to see him out there getting his timing back. Scored his first point, got a couple of penalties. It was a success for him.”
– Congratulations to Joseph Blandisi on his 500th professional game. The goal was his second shorthanded tally of the season.
“Unbelievable job by the [PK] protecting the middle of the ice and then taking advantage of an opportunity with a loose puck,” said Gruden. “You are not thinking you are going to score, but Blender did a really good job of skating into that pocket and scoring a big goal.”
– Alex Steeves now stands alone as the second-highest goal scorer in Toronto Marlies franchise history. His 14th two-goal game included his 14th career game-winning goal.
– The Marlies’ goaltending is undoubtedly their biggest strength at this time. Dennis Hildeby recorded his first win this season with 28 saves. Along with special teams, he was the difference maker in this victory.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Nylander
Grebenkin – Minten – Steeves
Hirvonen – Quillan – Blandisi
Mastrosimone – Stevens – Kressler
Defensemen
Rifai – Hakanpää
Webber – Miller
Kokkonen – Mattinen
Goaltenders
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
