“I don’t think it was a perfect 60 [minutes], but we kind of got on the other side of the luck. It was nice to play with the lead for a change.”
– Fraser Minten
“That’s the best third-period we’ve played in a long, long time. We were outstanding. Before that, Murray made some really big saves during that stretch of the second period [when Toronto was under pressure].”
– John Gruden
The Toronto Marlies snapped a four-game losing streak with a crucial 3-2 victory against a divisional rival. The top six delivered offense, while Matt Murray produced timely saves when the game was in the balance.
First Period
The game started with a frenetic pace initiated by the Crunch. Forced to ice a 10-7 lineup due to call-ups and the veteran rule, the plan for Syracuse was to build an early lead that they could defend with potentially tired legs.
A sharp double save to deny Jesse Ylonen and Joel Teasdale was the extent of Matt Murray’s work in the opening frame, as Syracuse registered just five shots on goal.
Neither team generated scoring chances on one power-play opportunity, and it appeared the first period would end goalless.
Enter Fraser Minten. The rookie won a puck battle against two Syracuse players, freeing up possession for Alex Nylander, who immediately chipped the puck back to Minten rushing through the neutral zone. Minten created space after pulling up along the right boards and picked out Nikita Grebenkin joining the rush. With confidence sky-high after busting his slump in the previous game, the Russian forward sent a dart of a shot past Brendan Halverson from just above the hash marks.
Second Period
Toronto got off to a sloppy start to the middle frame and relied on Murray to bail them out. Cédric Paré took a delay-of-game penalty as the Marlies started to bend under pressure.
The penalty kill stood firm but for one dangerous mistake by Tommy Miller. An abomination of an attempted clearance gifted a great look to Maxim Groshev, but Toronto’s veteran goaltender bailed out his defenseman.
The Marlies calmed the storm somewhat but conceded more good looks in the second half of the period. Murray produced his best save of the frame to deny Gabriel Fortier after a giveaway by Nick Abruzzese. Further saves on Max Crozier kept the Marlies‘ narrow lead intact.
With four minutes remaining, Halverson made an easy glove save to deny Abruzzese on a 2v1 opportunity.
Toronto struggled to generate offense due to frequent failures to clear the zone or get the puck in deep enough with regularity to orchestrate complete line changes. Meanwhile, Syracuse put a lot of effort into the middle frame without reward, and tired legs were about to factor into the third period.
Third Period
Toronto could have put the result beyond doubt in the first five minutes. Chances for Minten, Steeves, and Paré weren’t capitalized on, but the Marlies looked so much more threatening than in the previous period.
Murray continued to play his part, making two solid saves to turn aside the dangerous Fortier, one of which was the only recorded shot on a power play for the Crunch.
Toronto scored the invaluable next goal, thanks to great work from Abruzzese. He snatched possession in the defensive zone and surged up the ice before a misplaced pass dulled the attack. The top line stayed with the play, though, and Abruzzese created a turnover and then delivered a beautiful reverse pass from the slot to Steeves down low, where Steeves scored from just above the goal line.
The Marlies kept their foot on the gas and made it 3-0 just 23 seconds later.
Dakota Mermis won a crucial battle for possession inside Toronto’s blue line and found Nylander with space in the neutral zone. The latter opted to head left across the Crunch blue line before chipping a pass to Grebenkin, who was driving the net and somehow produced a remarkably deft finish to bat the puck out of midair to score.
Toronto looked set to make it a 4-0 game shortly after. Ryan Tverberg teed up Jacob Quillan, who rounded the netminder and had his stick ripped away from him with the net at his mercy. Take your pick between hooking or holding, but the officials inexplicably kept their arms down.
A minute later, Steeves was the victim of a nefarious interference call, and you could certainly understand the Marlies’ frustrations. Frustration turned into anger when Syracuse scored during a 6-on-4 power play with 2:09 remaining.
Previously in total command of the game, the Marlies were now fighting fires as Syracuse closed to within one with 51 seconds left in regulation. Fortier finally put the puck behind Murray, and Syracuse now believed they could pull off a remarkable comeback.
The Marlies survived the final seconds without allowing another shot on goal to record a vitally important victory at the start of a long road trip.
Post Game Notes
– A 23-save performance from Matt Murray was a bounce-back showing from his last outing. He’ll be heavily relied upon during the Boat Show road trip, where Toronto heads out to play Pacific Division opponents.
– After a nine-game pointless slump, the confidence is now flowing for Nikita Grebenkin (2G), who has three goals and four points in his last two games. He’s playing with more of the snarl and edge he started the season with and is hunting shots more often.
“Grebenkin-Minten-Nylander is really becoming a dangerous line when they are out there,” said Gruden. “They are moving the puck quicker. They are in tighter support. When guys like that get opportunities with time and space, they are pretty dangerous. They were able to get a couple.”
– Alex Nylander (2A) produced one of his best performances in a while, and it was timely. His offensive game flourishes much more when he puts the work in away from the puck. Hopefully, this game sparks him back to the form.
– Friday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Steeves
Grebenkin – Minten – Nylander
Clifford – Paré – Barbolini
Mastrosimone – Quillan – Tverberg
Defensemen
Mermis – Miller
Kokkonen – Benning
Webber – Niemelä
Goaltenders
Murray
Peksa
