“We played a good game defensively. We had a lot of PKs, but we handled it well, kept it simple, and blocked a lot of shots. I think we were just smarter with the details.”
– Dennis Hildeby
“Without [the PK], we would have been in big trouble. Usually, your best penalty killer is your goaltender, with that being said, [Hildeby] was outstanding. He gave us a chance to win, and the PK did a great job. He looked calm from the get-go, was seeing the puck and tracking it. He was under control [the entire game].”
– John Gruden on the performance of Hildeby and an outstanding penalty-killing effort
The Boxing Day Classic has rarely brought much holiday cheer for the Toronto Marlies. Belleville had won four of the previous five encounters and might have notched a fifth victory if not for a perfect Toronto penalty kill and a stellar performance from Dennis Hildeby.
First Period
Let’s begin by mentioning the elephant in the room, the officials. This was a poorly officiated game to the point where, in the third period, the players clearly felt any kind of contact or lifting of a stick would result in a penalty. It turned the game into a farce — especially in the middle frame — and much less of a quality spectacle for a big holiday crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
Before the parade to the penalty box began, Hildeby produced four key saves inside the opening four minutes. Matthew Highmore, Angus Crookshank, Zac MacEwan, and Jan Jenik forced the goaltender to be on his game early.
Toronto’s first power play didn’t convert, but they generated some good looks. The Marlies took the positives and scored with the extra skater on the second attempt. Alex Steeves ripped a shot bar-down past Mads Sogaard from the right circle.
Hildeby robbed Stephen Halliday from point-blank range to prevent Belleville from leveling the game on the Senators’ first attempt with the extra skater.
The netminder found his groove early and turned aside Crookshank on a 2v1 as Toronto was almost punished for a bad line change and lack of communication.
Toronto dominated a spell of 4v4 action, coming close to doubling the lead. Alex Nylander and Topi Niemelä didn’t seize on their opportunities to challenge Sogaard, sending shots narrowly wide of the target.
During a Marlies power play late in the frame, the Senators benefited from bizarre officiating. Reaching for a loose puck in the offensive zone, Niemelä was clearly the victim of interference, but with no call forthcoming, Belleville broke on a breakaway. Only a tremendous back-checking effort by Roni Hirvonen denied a goal-scoring opportunity, but the Finnish forward took a hooking penalty in the process.
Second Period
The home fans took umbrage with the officiating in the middle frame. Toronto was called for four penalties in 11 minutes, three of which were extremely questionable. How Belleville escaped with just one infraction — an off-setting roughing call late in the frame — was beyond belief.
On the penalty kill carrying over from the first period, Toronto’s second-period parade to the box began inside three minutes. Hildeby robbed Crookshank, Janik, and Hayden Hodgson before Toronto faced a two-man deficit for 81 seconds.
The three-man penalty-killing unit led by an inspired Fraser Minten and Hildeby ensured Toronto’s survival. MacEwan went closest, but Hildey could not be beaten.
Sogaard made an easy glove save to deny Nick Abruzzese’s weak finish on the breakaway before the Marlies were back on the penalty kill. Wyatt Bongiovanni wasted a breakaway opportunity on a rare mishap from the penalty kill as Belleville failed to register a shot on their fourth power play of the period.
30 seconds after the kill, Toronto doubled the lead through one of the team’s hardest-working players. Matt Benning’s point shot took a deflection and then hit MacEwan parked out front, where the Belleville winger could not sort his feet out quicker than the opportunistic Jacob Quillan, who finished from close range.
Quillan has taken a step in the last month offensively, but the rookie hasn’t scored since the opening game of the campaign. Netting his second of the season in an NHL barn was likely the reasoning behind an emotional celebration for a highly likable prospect.
The Marlies gave up just one shot on their final penalty kill of the frame and attempted to pad their lead back at five-on-five.
Nikita Grebenkin was having himself in a feisty game, but neither he nor Nylander could capitalize on Grade-A scoring chances inside the final 90 seconds.
Third Period
Game management was the order of the day for Toronto as they set about beating Belleville in regulation for the first time this season. The Marlies shut down the Senators for 10 minutes before Hildeby stepped up with another important save to deny MacEwan.
Only a late penalty threatened to derail the party. The home crowd was far from impressed as William Villeneuve was called for cross-checking. In reality, it wasn’t a penalty, but in the context of how the game had been officiated, the defenseman should have been smarter.
Xavier Bourgault and Bongiovanni had the best looks for the Senators, but Hildeby stood firm, and the PK bailed him out on one occasion. Belleville opted for an extra skater late in the power play, but it made little difference. I would be remiss not to mention Joseph Blandisi and Benning, who both put their bodies on the line to block slapshots.
Toronto made certain of victory with an empty-net goal from Minten, who shot from just inside the Marlies blue line. The hard work of Marshall Rifai and Quillan to deny a clean zone entry and free the puck for Minten epitomized the Marlies’ gutsy performance.
Post Game Notes
– With their first regulation victory against Belleville this season (2-0-2), Toronto is one point back of first place, but more importantly, they’ve opened up a seven-point gap to Belleville in fifth.
– Toronto was 1-for-5 on the power play and 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. It was the most penalty kills Toronto has faced this season.
– This was Toronto’s fourth shutout of the season, tied for most in the league. Artur Akhtyamov (2), Matt Murray (1), and Dennis Hildeby (1) have all recorded a shutout for the Marlies this season.
– Dennis Hildeby stopped all 31 shots he faced to record his fifth career AHL shutout (fifty games). Considering it was just his third game this month, Hildeby showed no signs of rustiness in any part of his performance.
“The best ones don’t get too high or too low,” said Gruden. “They just go about their business, and [Hildeby] does that. He was outstanding. He looked calm from the get-go. He was seeing the puck, tracking it, and he was under control.”
– Alex Steeves recorded his 15th game-winning goal with the Marlies, the second most in franchise history. He recorded a team-high five shots but did not shy away from getting involved in a game that turned physical from an early stage.
– With his second goal of the season, Jacob Quillan has points (1-4-5) in five consecutive games. It speaks volumes that John Gruden is prepared to throw the rookie out in key situations, including late in the game when he played his part in the empty-net goal.
“[Quillan] continues to understand the pro game,” said Gruden. “He is strong. He is a big guy who can skate extremely well. He is playing in different situations, and he has adapted and learned. He has done a really good job.”
– Fraser Minten was thrust into situations he might not have otherwise faced had Toronto’s captain been available. His performance on the penalty kill showed remarkable maturity, but at this point, I’m not surprised by anything this young man does. You’ll rarely see rookies on the ice killing a 5v3 penalty, but he was out there leading the way.
– A special mention goes to Logan Shaw, who scored in his Team Canada debut against host HC Davos at the Spengler Cup.
– Thursday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Blandisi – Steeves
Grebenkin – Minten – Nylander
Clifford – Quillan – Barbolini
Hirvonen – Paré
Defensemen
Kokkonen – Benning
Rifai – Villeneuve
Webber – Mattinen
Goaltenders
Niemelä
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
