“The penalty kill was tough tonight. I think grabbing a point is something to be proud of. We need to be better. I think up and down the lineup, everyone has more, but it’s also a results business, and three [points] out of four is pretty dang good.”
– Alex Steeves
Sometimes, during a season, you earn a point and move on. The Toronto Marlies will happily do so after getting vastly outplayed by the Checkers on Sunday. By forcing overtime despite trailing by two in the third period, Toronto has lost just once in regulation through 10 games.
First Period
Looking to avenge the defeat on the day before, Charlotte set about taking Toronto to task early. Ryan McAllister seized on a turnover inside three minutes, but his finish left a lot to be desired as Artur Akhtyamov went untested.
A constant thorn in the Checkers’ side, Alex Steeves made his first impression on the game two minutes later. Denied on a 2v1 he led, Steeves stayed with the play and would have been disappointed not to score on a chance from the heart of the slot.
The remainder of the frame turned into a special teams battle. Akhtyamov made a pair of sharp saves on Charlotte’s first power play, but the warning signs were there. After Ryan Tverberg almost scored from close range on Toronto’s initial man advantage, Charlotte struck to open the scoring.
The Marlies killed off the first of Braeden Kressler’s double penalty but did not survive the second. Veteran Trevor Carrick found the far corner of the net with a shot through traffic.
The Checkers repaid the favour with two quick penalties to hand the Marlies a 5-on-3 for 75 seconds. Toronto came close with two extra skaters through Logan Shaw, Alex Nylander, and especially Joseph Blandisi, who was robbed by Ken Appleby.
Blandisi did not dwell on his misfortune and struck inside the final three minutes to tie the game at 1-1.
Second Period
Toronto’s penalty kill imploded in the second period after conceding for the first time this season in the opening frame. It took a mere 52 seconds for McAllister to score on the power play and restore Charlotte’s lead.
The Marlies looked disheveled, as poor decision-making and carelessness with the puck resulted in offensive-zone domination for Charlotte. Akhtyamov was forced to make a handful of excellent saves and rode his luck as Adidan McDonough crashed an effort off the crossbar.
It was no more than Charlotte deserved when they doubled their lead with seven minutes remaining. It came from another Carrick shot, only this time Kyle Criscuolo applied the tip in front.
The Marlies rode their luck from the restart of play and were grateful for an unnecessary checking penalty by Jaycob Megna. Nikita Grebenkin struck on the power play, his third goal this campaign, to cut the lead to one.
More charity from the Checkers almost resulted in a tying goal inside the final minute. Logan Shaw was gifted a breakaway, but Appleby turned him aside.
Nick Abruzzese then struck the crossbar with a snap-shot, and as Steeves looked set to sweep home the rebound, he was heavily cross-checked from behind, but no penalty was called for a clear infraction.
Third Period
More penalty trouble for Toronto resulted in Charlotte reestablishing their two-goal advantage at the three-minute mark. This was the worst goal of the four from the penalty killer’s point of view. Wilmer Skoog took a pass unchallenged in the slot and had time to measure his finish.
It should have been time for Charlotte to lock it down, but their game management was really poor. Just 65 seconds later, Fraser Minten sprung an odd-man rush and dished off to Steeves on his right. Appleby knew the one-time shot was coming but could do nothing to prevent Steeves from scoring his first of the game.
Charlotte was gifted a Grade A scoring chance at the midway point of the period. Riese Gaber was all alone in the slot with time on his side, but Akhtyamov made a huge save at a key moment.
He didn’t record an assist on the tying goal with four minutes remaining, but Minten played a huge role in it. He beat two checks through the defensive and neutral zones to set an attack in motion. Twice, when it looked as if Charlotte might have cleared the danger, Minten recovered possession to keep the play alive in the offensive zone.
Minten’s work led to Grebenkin setting up Steeves, who scored on his own rebound on a relentless shift by all three forwards.
Overtime
Steeves nearly turned from hero to goat in overtime, taking a penalty 32 seconds in. With the game on the line, the penalty kill excelled. Akhtyamov produced three excellent saves, and Cade Webber was left incapacitated after blocking two booming shots.
Unfortunately, the hard work was not rewarded, as John Leonard won the game with a five-hole finish from an acute angle.
Post Game Notes
– Toronto successfully killed 33 penalties through nine games but gave up four power-play goals in this outing. The PK may have come back down to earth with a thud, but more concerning is the number of needless penalties taken (seven total in this game).
– As Steeves stated, three of four points against Charlotte is a good weekend’s work, and the Marlies have a good record against the Checkers. It now stands at 19-8-2-1 all time and 11-2-2-1 on the road.
– Braeden Kressler‘s primary assist on Nikita Grebenkin‘s second-period goal was his first professional point. He has shown some nice moments offensively, but he has lacked a killer touch in front of goal so far.
– Alex Steeves recorded the first four-point game of his professional career (2G/2A). The highlight for me has been how competitive and complete his performances have been of late. There’s been no letup in his work rate or cheating for offense, and he’s made a concerted effort to improve his defensive game. With nine points in 10 games this season, he fully earned the call-up to the big club.
“[Steeves] was outstanding,” said John Gruden. “He was dangerous. He was physical. He was engaged. Because of that, he was rewarded. Good on him. Maybe he needs to play against his brother more often.”
– Without any game action for over a fortnight, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Artur Akhtyamov wasn’t at his best. The rookie goalie would want a couple of goals back in this game, including the game-winner, but it’s all part of the learning process. He still produced some magnificent saves and helped earn the team a point rather than costing them one.
– Last but not least, a special mention is owed to Fraser Minten‘s performance, which was exceptional. He took a huge leap forward from his debut the previous day. He showed what a promising two-way forward he is while making some smart offensive plays, including the goal that earned Toronto a point.
– Sunday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Nylander
Grebenkin – Minten – Steeves
Hirvonen – Quillan – Tverberg
Mastrosimone – Blandisi – Kressler
Defensemen
Rifai – Miller
Webber – Niemelä
Kokkonen – Mattinen
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
