“Until the third period, it was a good hockey game. We let it slip away from us. Too many turnovers.”
– Logan Shaw
“They made us pay, and the quick second goal [in the third period] was the backbreaker. We couldn’t recover from it. We gave up too much. We have to be better.”
– John Gruden
After finally finding some offense at five-on-five, the Toronto Marlies‘ puck management, play without the puck, and special teams sunk them in this 6-3 loss.
First Period
The Marlies conceding the game’s first goal feels like a given at this point, and it took the Penguins under two minutes to grab the lead. Artur Akhtyamov would have been annoyed to be beaten by a wrist shot low on his short side, but the coaching staff are likely bothered by the nature of the goal.
When Ville Koivunen picked up a pass from Boris Katchouk with speed through the neutral zone, William Villeneuve left a generous gap as Koivunen cut into the left circle before scoring.
Nate Clurman then split the Toronto defense, but Akhtyamov came to the rescue and prevented the Marlies from falling behind by two in four minutes.
That save appeared as if it might swing momentum as Toronto leveled the game 60 seconds later. A quick transition play resulted in Alex Nylander picking out Nikita Grebenkin, who beat Filip Larsson with a nicely-placed wrist shot into the near side of the net.
Toronto continued to give up Grade-A scoring chances after tying the game. Akhtyamov turned aside Katchouk and Joona Koppanen to keep his team level.
On their best shift of the first period, the Marlies scored a go-ahead goal. Mikko Kokkonen’s tip-seeking point shot was heading wide by design, and Jacob Quillan produced a brilliant redirect, using his long reach to good effect.
The lead lasted all of 64 seconds. Toronto failed to clear their lines effectively on three occasions, leading to a botched line change as the puck barely crossed the red line.
Mac Hollowell sent the puck to Emil Bemström waiting on the blue line, where Bemström wasted no time sending Koivunen away down the left. It was a good finish from just inside the left faceoff circle, as the puck found the far top corner of the net.
Two minutes later, the Marlies were trailing once more. The penalty kill was not at its best, and the Penguins didn’t have to work too hard to score through an open lane with an uncontested screen. Filip Král shot it from inside the blue line, and Rutger McGroaty provided the screen to take the eyes away from Akhtyamov.
That signaled the end of the game for the rookie netminder, but unfortunately, it was due to injury rather than a pull. He walked gingerly up the stairs and down the tunnel in obvious discomfort.
Second Period
Matt Murray wasn’t given an easy introduction to the game as Toronto continued to make bad decisions on both sides of the puck. McGroarty, Sam Poulin, and Corey Andovski all had high-danger scoring chances for the Penguins, and it’s no exaggeration to say the game could have been done and dusted inside the first four minutes if not for Murray.
A penalty kill turned the tide for the Marlies, who produced a solid five minutes of game action, including drawing a power play. Unable to connect with the man advantage, Toronto pulled level again afterward, thanks to their second line.
From below the goal line, Grebenkin sent a beautiful dish out to Minten in the slot, where the rookie made no mistake.
It’s as if Toronto relaxed after the tying goal, as more lackadaisical play in possession invited pressure, and the Penguins finished the period in the ascendancy. A top-draw glove save from Murray robbed Bemström from the heart of the slot.
Third Period
Toronto wasted a power play that started at the end of the second period and carried over into the third, but they were gifted a second bite at the cherry within a minute. Outside of one chance for Minten, the Marlies were toothless with the extra skater.
The missed opportunities came back to bite the Marlies at the eight-minute mark. A clean faceoff win was sent to Král, who netted his second of the game with a one-time shot from the top of the right circle.
Toronto compounded their problems by conceding again 59 seconds later. Amid a messy defensive sequence from the Marlies, Bemström tapped home a rebound after saves on Ville Koivunen and Joona Koppanen.
A comeback was never on the cards, and the final nail driven in the coffin was an empty net hat-trick goal for Koivunen. It was another bad goal to concede as Nick Abruzzese turned the puck over.
It summed up a forgettable performance, and the Marlies now face notable adversity for the first time this season with four consecutive defeats, all on home ice.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies went 0-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. Their first goal in the game was their first at five-on-five through four games in 2025.
– As per John Gruden, Artur Akytyamov has a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day. The Marlies have recalled Vyacheslav Peksa from the Cincinnati Cyclones.
– After nine games without a point, Nikita Grebenkin (1G/1A) showed flashes of his early-season offensive form, connecting with Fraser Minten (1G/1A) for a pair of goals. Minten’s goal takes him up to five goals in 14 AHL games (eight points).
– One player I’ve been disappointed with recently is Alex Nylander. He was the weak link alongside the two aforementioned rookies. Nylander wasn’t hard enough on the puck and was guilty of at least three turnovers inside the red line. It might just be a funk, but that early-season drive to be better defensively and make smart high-percentage plays has deserted him lately.
– Logan Shaw and Alex Steeves will represent the North All-Stars at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic. This is Shaw’s third All-Star selection and the second for Steeves.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Steeves
Grebenkin – Minten – Nylander
Blandisi – Paré – Blandisi
Mastrosimone – Quillan – Solow
Defensemen
Mermis – Villeneuve
Kokkonen – Benning
Webber – Niemelä
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Murray
