“It was definitely a great bounce-back game. We were dialled from the get-go, and the best thing about it was that I thought we got stronger as the game went on. We continued to apply pressure and won it with a great team effort.”
– John Gruden
The Toronto Marlies produced one of their best 60-minute performances this season to record their first road shutout of the 2024-25 campaign against Wilke-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night. The team’s defensive buy-in and relentless puck pressure resulted in their most comprehensive road win of the season.
First Period
After numerous slow starts, it was refreshing to see Toronto engaged from the first whistle without any let-up. The Marlies created the best looks during an opening frame that lacked many high-quality scoring chances.
Cédric Paré almost struck in the opening two minutes after some nice set-up play by Matthew Barbolini.
The Marlies were forced into killing a penalty soon after — a rare blemish in an otherwise sound performance.
The PK units stood firm and came close to opening the scoring. Logan Shaw was denied on a partial breakaway after excellent work from Paré, while Alex Steeves opted to shoot in a 2v2 situation, forcing Joel Blomqvist into a decent save.
Toronto drew a penalty through extended possession time in the Penguins’ zone but failed to capitalize on it due to issues setting up the zone on the man advantage.
Mikko Kokkonen, who has flourished offensively of late, sent a pinpoint stretch pass to Nikita Grebenkin for a partial breakaway. Blomqvist denied the Russian forward in tight, and Alex Nylander couldn’t bury the rebound from a tight angle as he shot on the turn.
Matt Murray went largely untested in the opening frame, comfortably dealing with long-range efforts without giving up second opportunities. His one save of note — on Vasily Ponomarev from the slot with two minutes remaining — ensured the game remained goalless heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
After surviving a sloppy line change that the Penguins couldn’t take advantage of, the Marlies took control of the middle frame.
The fourth line broke the deadlock at the eight-minute mark, reaping the rewards of consecutive excellent offensive-zone shifts.
After Wilkes/Barre-Scranton finally cleared their lines, Topi Niemelä gave the Penguins no chance of a breather with a quick breakout pass to find Robert Mastrosimone at the blue line. The latter combined with Jacob Quillan to set up Roni Hirvonen in the slot, where the Finnish forward made no mistake with a clinical top-shelf finish.
Steeves fired narrowly wide on a fast transition play by the top line, but he didn’t make the same mistake twice. On a feed from Shaw, Toronto’s leading goal-scorer potted from the left circle through traffic to double the Marlies‘ lead with six minutes remaining.
Toronto finished the frame on the penalty kill but saw off the threat, thanks mostly to Murray. He turned aside Tristan Broz and Ponomarev to frustrate the Penguins, who were then fortunate not to fall further behind.
Fraser Minten, who has taken to PK duties like a duck to water, forced a good save out of Blomqvizt on a shorthanded rush.
Third Period
The Marlies survived three early scares in the third period before stamping their authority to secure the victory.
Emil Bemstrom, Isaac Belliveau, and Filip Král were denied inside the opening 90 seconds as Murray produced his best work of the game.
Toronto responded in kind, creating a couple of quality scoring chances. Mattero Pietroniro probably should have done better from the left circle, and it was surprising to see Steeves not score on a breakaway, as Blomqvist stopped him with a glove save.
WBS sustained spells of possession, but they were kept to the perimeter by the Marlies, who did an excellent job of boxing out the Pens’ attackers.
Toronto’s smart game management and commitment to defense paid dividends as they ground Wilkes/Barre-Scranton down before scoring a third goal.
Joseph Blandisi and Minten hounded the Penguins deep in the offensive zone, resulting in a turnover that Alex Nylander recovered. With the Penguins out of sorts, Nylander immediately found Blandisi below the goal line. The latter sent the puck into the blue paint, where Minten was causing havoc. Call it good fortune or a reward for battling in the right areas of the ice, but the puck rebounded in off the rookie to put Toronto 3-0 ahead.
Murray faced just one shot in the final five minutes as the Marlies firmly shut the door. The veteran netminder turned aside Bemstrom’s effort with eight seconds left to secure a well-deserved shutout.
Post Game Notes
– This was just Toronto’s fourth victory on the road this season in 10 attempts and third in regulation. The clean sheet is the third shutout of the season and first on the road. Toronto’s record when scoring first improved to 6-0-1, and they will need to replicate this performance with Lehigh and Hershey on the docket this weekend.
– This was Matt Murray‘s first AHL shutout since his clean sheet on Dec. 11, 2015 against Lehigh Valley when he was backstopping Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Credit to John Gruden for giving Murray this start back where his pro career began and to Murray for responding with a perfect performance. Expected to join the Leafs shortly, Murray has a 4-1-2 record this season with a .931 save percentage.
“[Murray] still owns this town,” said Gruden. “It is good for him to come back. He is getting more and more comfortable. He is coming off of an injury, so he is getting stronger and stronger. You can see it from the beginning of the year to now. He looked outstanding. Huge win for him and for the team as well.”
– A stint in the NHL has elevated Fraser Minten’s game one more notch. He didn’t look like a rookie back at the AHL level and drove his line with Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Nylander on the wings.
“[Minten] plays such a solid 200-foot game and can make people better,” said Gruden. “He is really good for Nylander and Grebenkin. He solidifies things. You can put him in all situations, and he is mature for a rookie.
“He has a great demeanor. He is good for the bench and good for the locker room. He is still a rookie, but he has times when he wants to take charge, and he does it mostly by his play. He did a great job returning to the lineup. He’s a big part of our team.
“He doesn’t just want to be handed something. He wants to earn it. He is coming down and making sure he grows his game. He is not going to come down here and be upset about it. The guys all want to play in the NHL ultimately, but he is a guy who wants to improve his game so that the next time he gets his opportunity, he is a better version of himself.”
– The fourth line of Roni Hirvonen, Jacob Quillan, and Robert Mastrosimone was Toronto’s most dominant through 60 minutes. There are signs of chemistry between those three, who play a similar style with plenty of hustle, are not afraid of going to the dirty areas, and are detailed with their defensive duties.
“They share the puck extremely well,” said Gruden. “They have a good understanding of where everybody is, and they are sneaky and have skill. When they are put in those spots, it is good that they can take advantage of it, but it starts with their great defensive play. It translated in the offensive zone.”
– Alex Steeves scored his 15th goal in just his 16th game of the season.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Steeves
Grebenkin – Minten – Nylander
Barbolini – Paré – Blandisi
Hirvonen – Quillan – Mastrosimone
Defensemen
Kokkonen – Benning
Rifai – Villeneuve
Pietroniro – Niemelä
Goaltenders
Murray
Akhtyamov
