“We left [Akhtyamov] out to dry. He’s been our best player pretty much all year. It sucks to see him leave the ice, but [Matt] Murray came in and did a job and we came back, so we’re happy with that.”
– William Villeneuve on Artur Akhtyamov
“We never give up. We know that our best is hard to compete with for other teams. Obviously, we don’t want it to be like this anymore, and we want to lead instead of coming back every game because, in the long run, it doesn’t work like that.”
– Alex Nylander
“It’s not a trend that we want to continue. Credit to our guys, but as the season goes on, you’re just not going to be able to get away with that.”
– John Gruden
Where to even begin?
The Marlies produced another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance en route to a memorable 6-5 comeback victory over Bakersfield on Saturday.
The visiting Condors lost five straight heading into this encounter and had won just seven of 20 games this season. They probably couldn’t believe their luck when they were gifted separate three and four-goal leads, but they ultimately showed their vulnerability when the Marlies finally found their top gear.
First Period
Bakersfield opened the scoring at the five-minute mark with the help of some questionable officiating. Marshall Rifai was the victim of holding/interference in the neutral zone by Drake Caggulia, resulting in a 4v2 break for the Condors. On a nicely worked tic-tac-toe play, Caggiula applied the finishing touch.
Toronto’s mood wasn’t improved when Alex Nylander was clearly cross-checked from behind with no call.
Scoring chances were exchanged off the rush, with the Marlies guilty of losing their structure. After Nick Abruzzese was stonewalled on a five-hole attempt during a partial breakaway, Toronto was fortunate not to fall further behind 30 seconds later. Artur Akhtyamov pulled off a fantastic double-stop to rob Cameron Wright and Jayden Grubbe.
The Marlies quickly broke in transition and should have tied the game. Joseph Blandisi’s cross-slot pass presented a tap-in chance that Roni Hirvonen somehow didn’t finish off.
The officials again played their part with a cross-checking call on Cédric Paré that was laughable in the context of the game.
Bakersfield’s power play has struggled this season, connecting at under 9%, but it took them just a few seconds to take advantage of the favourable officiating. Lane Pederson ripped a one-time shot from the left circle to put the Condors ahead 2-0.
From the restart of play, Nylander was obstructed during another strong drive through the neutral zone, but much to the chagrin of the home crowd, the refs allowed play to continue.
The Marlies couldn’t blame anyone but themselves for the third goal. Off the entry, Toronto backed off far too much as Petrov picked his head up and waltzed in below the right faceoff dot untouched for a far-post finish through traffic, giving Bakersfield a 3-0 lead.
After John Gruden sent out his top line for the final 90 seconds of the period, Toronto spent the remaining time in the Bakersfield zone. Abruzzese and Alex Steeves couldn’t bury their chances to cut into the deficit before the intermission horn sounded.
Second Period
Four goals in the opening five minutes summed up the madness of this game.
Toronto got off to a perfect start, netting inside 50 seconds. The Marlies made the Condors pay for an ill-judged line change, resulting in a 2v1. Blandisi teed up Nikita Grebenkin to score in his return to the lineup.
After scoring, Toronto fell asleep at the wheel, and Bakersfield responded 26 seconds later. The Marlies stood around following a dump-in, and the puck eventually found a wide-open Grubbe above the hashmarks. The one-time, top-shelf finish beat Akhtyamov cleanly, and worse soon followed.
An ill-judged line change, plus a lack of awareness from those on the ice, resulted in Cam Dineen finding Petrov alone in the left circle with a stretch pass. Akhtyamov got a piece of the resulting shot and would have been disappointed not to make the save. It signaled the end of the rookie’s night as Matt Murray took over between the pipes.
Despite trailing 5-1, Toronto continued to believe in their ability to fight back, having already created a bunch of quality scoring chances.
A quick momentum change was needed, and one arrived within five minutes. Toronto struck on its first power play as Nylander scored after a scramble in front of Olivier Rodrigue.
The Marlies needed to be patient before striking again, but within three seconds of their next power play expiring, Steeves executed the JVR play at the side of the net and scrambled a shot over the shoulder of Rodrigue.
Matt Murray denied Ethan De Jong to ensure the deficit remained at two before Toronto should have drawn within one late in the middle frame. Steeves and Shaw broke away, but neither could capitalize with Bakersfield all sixes and sevens defensively.
Third Period
The Marlies found themselves down a man within 35 seconds, but after killing off the penalty to Steeves, Toronto pushed hard and drew within one at the three-minute mark. Joseph Blandisi applied a deft redirect on William Villenueve’s point shot.
Now, the comeback felt like a distinct possibility. Matthew Barbolini and Abruzzese wasted Grade-A scoring chances as Bakersfield barely held onto their narrow lead.
With four minutes remaining, Steeves showed the new side of his game with some excellent defensive hustle to deny a breakaway for Bakersfield.
As the clock wound down, Murray was pulled for an extra attacker, and Toronto laid siege in search of the tying marker.
The Marlies were looking to create space for Nylander to rip a shot and made it happen with 59 seconds to play. Nylander unloaded a one-time bomb from the top of the left circle, and the puck found its way through traffic and into the net.
Overtime
The Marlies completely dominated the extra frame but struggled to finish initially. Steeves, Abruzzese, and Villeneuve had the game on their sticks before the game-winner finally arrived.
On a feed from Mikko Kokkonen, Nylander applied the deftest backhand finish from close range to complete his hat-trick/the comeback and secure the extra point for the Marlies.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies improved to 10-0-2 at home, where they’ve outscored the opposition 44-27.
– A five-point haul for Alex Nylander (3G/2A) speaks for itself; it was a truly dominant offensive showing from the winger. He certainly wasn’t feeling sorry for himself after the demotion, and Bakersfield simply couldn’t handle him.
“We all know how dangerous [Nylander] is on the ice,” said Gruden. “If he can continue to clean up everything else away from the puck, he is just going to have the puck on his stick even more. He has done a good job of it, and it has led to more of the puck on his stick. He is dangerous with his shot and offensive instincts.”
– Alex Steeves helped himself to three points (1G/2A), but a part of him will be disappointed at scoring just once. He had a handful of Grade-A scoring chances and registered 10 shots on goal. The backcheck late in regulation will most please the coaching staff, as it was just as important as a goal.
– A four-assist game for William Villeneuve doubled his point total (eight assists) for the season. The defenseman has seven points in the last four games, a reward for making smarter decisions offensively and picking his spots well.
“By understanding to defend first, [Villeneuve] has done a really good job of being in a good position defensively, which has allowed him to be better offensively,” said Gruden. “His confidence is starting to grow as well. It’s a good sign for us, and I am proud of him. Seeing where he’s come from the start of the season to now is pretty impressive.”
– I won’t dwell on the performance of Artur Akhtyamov, who was hung out to dry by his teammates. At most, he would want two of those five goals back, but this experience won’t hurt him as long as he responds to it the right way. The pull is his first taste of adversity this season.
“We wouldn’t have the record we have if it wasn’t for [Akhtyamov],” said Gruden. “He is still a rookie in this league. You are going to have those (games). It is what you do from those times forward. You brush it off, and he’ll be back in the net. We don’t expect those types of performances from him very often, but he is still young and learning. The guys had his back.”
– An invaluable veteran presence on and off the ice, Joseph Blandisi is finding his stride after returning from injury, registering two points (1G/1A) in this outing.
– This was a mixed performance from Nikita Grebenkin. He scored a nice goal and showed the usual hustle, which created turnovers and sustained offensive-zone pressure. He lost the handle on several occasions, though, and his decision-making in possession was off.
– Zach Solow and Ryan Tverberg are considered day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Steeves
Grebenkin – Paré – Nylander
Hirvonen – Quillan – Blandisi
Barbolini – Stevens – Mastrosimone
Defensemen
Kokkonen – Benning
Rifai – Villeneuve
Miller – Niemelä
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Murray
