“I thought we did a good job managing all aspects, even the 10 minutes in the second period where we weren’t at our best. We still made up for it with blocked shots and doing whatever we had to do to get the job done.”
– John Gruden
“No moment is too big for him. He’s done a really nice job at acclimating himself to the traffic and doing the things he needs to do [to have success].”
– John Gruden on Artur Akhtyamov
The Toronto Marlies produced arguably their best performance of the season on Saturday. The first meeting against a high-octane offensive San Jose team was already a huge test without missing another key player, Alex Nylander, who joined the Maple Leafs on an NHL deal this weekend.
The Marlies‘ next-man-up mentality and a commitment to team defense handed San Jose their first goose egg this year.
First Period
San Jose thrives on a fast transition game, but Toronto’s commitment to its structure stifled the Barracuda, who were limited to eight shots. Only two came from below the dots, and Artur Akhtyamov dealt with them comfortably.
San Jose threatened on the lone power play of the period and generated one Grade-A chance on a broken play. AHL All-Star Andrew Poturalski snatched the opportunity, firing wide with a good chunk of the net to aim at.
Toronto fired at will during the first period and from every perceivable angle, racking up 16 shots. A moment of quality play from the captain broke the deadlock.
Logan Shaw took a pass from Cade Webber in the neutral zone and immediately went on the offensive. Shaw banked the puck off the left boards, escaping the attention of two Barracuda defenders before driving the goal line and sending a cross-slot feed to Sam Stevens. Georgi Romanov produced a brilliant save to deny the rookie forward, but Stevens stayed with the play and finished the rebound to score his first professional goal.
Second Period
The shaky 10 minutes John Gurden referred to came in the first half of the middle frame. A giveaway inside 90 seconds presented Danil Gushchin with a fantastic scoring chance, but his effort struck the post. Artur Akhtyamov stepped up with four key saves, denying San Jose any second opportunities.
Zach Solow, who produced another excellent performance in this game, sent a perfect pass to split the San Jose defense and send Roni Hirvonen away. The finish didn’t match the pass, but Hirvonen wasn’t going away.
The Marlies struck again at the midway point, scoring on their first power play. Hirvonen’s deft redirect from the slot appeared to handcuff Romanov, with the puck sneaking through the goaltender and trickling across the goal line.
The Marlies gave up a single scoring chance of note to Collin Graf in the second half of the period, and Akhtyamov was equal to the task.
Third Period
Four penalties in nine minutes led to a special teams battle.
Akhtyamov made a spectacular double save inside 90 seconds to rob Poturalski and Gushchin. The Russian goaltender produced a highlight-reel save three minutes later, reaching back to grab the puck with his glove after Poturalski looked set to bring San Jose within one.
Toronto rode their luck on the power play, giving up an odd-man rush, but Filip Bystedt’s shot struck the inside off the post and bounced away to safety.
The Marlies shut San Jose down until the last five minutes, when consecutive icings allowed the Barracuda to exert some zone pressure. Toronto bent but didn’t break and ensured the victory with an empty-net tally from Ryan Tverberg after stellar work from Jacob Quillan.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies are 5-0-0 when leading after the second period and improved their home record to 8-0-1 this season.
– This was Toronto’s second shutout of the season, and Artur Akhtyamov is responsible for both. The rookie goaltender owns a 6-0-1 record with a .935 SV% and a 1.68 GAA. Akhtyamov’s athleticism allowed him to make three outstanding saves, but I was more impressed with his ability to remain dialed in after long stretches when he wasn’t called on.
“[Akhtyamov] is still young, but man, he is not afraid of the moment,” said Gruden.
– A word for both Braeden Kressler and Jacob Quillan. Both rookie forwards have been asked to take on the 2C and 3C roles in recent games and acquitted themselves well. Kressler is making huge strides defensively after a rough start and isn’t trying to do too much with possession, opting for the percentage plays. Quillan has been outstanding in the last two games, using his speed to cause problems in transition and also negating breakout plays and zone exits with his puck pressure. He’s an underrated prospect despite the lack of offense this year (four points in 15 games).
– Sam Stevens potted his first professional goal one game after registering his first point against Hershey. Stevens was handed the game belt in the locker room, an acknowledgment of his work ethic and commitment to driving to the dirty areas.
“You could see how connected our players are by how excited everyone else was for [Stevens],” said Gruden. “He has been in and out of the lineup, gets inserted, and makes a big play at a big time to give us that one-goal lead.”
– Mathieu Gosselin was solid in his AHL debut. He generated one Grade-A scoring chance for Robert Mastrosimone and was sound without the puck. The fact that the recent additions have been able to fit seamlessly into the structure and make a positive impact is a testament to the coaching staff and overall team leadership/chemistry.
“It is no different than what the Leafs are going through,” said Gruden. “It’s the same systems.”
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Tverberg
Hirvonen – Kressler – Solow
Mastrosimone – Quillan – Sikic
Stevens – Gosselin
Defensemen
Webber – Benning
Rifai – Miller
Kokkonen – Niemelä
Matinnen
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
