“We had a lot of chances and really didn’t give them [Manitoba] much. I thought we played 50 minutes of pretty good hockey all the way up until the last 10. We took a couple of unfortunate penalties, which took away our momentum.”
– John Gruden
The absence of Alex Steeves would leave an offensive chasm in any AHL team, but the Toronto Marlies hugely missed his presence across this past three-in-three weekend.
Not enough players stepped up to the mark offensively as Toronto managed just a single goal in this defeat, with players visibly overthinking plays in the offensive zone.
A late mistake from Matt Murray ultimately cost the Marlies the victory and two points, but it’s harsh to be overly critical of the goaltending when the offense is struggling so badly.
First Period
Despite getting outshot 13-7 in the first period, Manitoba generated two Grade-A scoring chances. Matt Murray stepped up early with stops on Mason Shaw and Fabian Wagner.
Toronto huffed and puffed to little effect. Alex Nylander could have made a difference if he scored on an early chance. In the fifth minute, his shot was blocked, and the rebound fell directly to him — the type of puck luck Toronto hasn’t had around the net of late. The Swedish forward didn’t take the second opportunity to give his team a much-needed confidence boost.
Domenic DiVincentiis held Topi Niemelä’s slap shot following nice interplay between Roni Hirvonen and Fraser Minten. Otherwise, the Manitoba netminder wasn’t tested. Too many soft shots from the perimeter with little to no traffic in the crease was the story of the opening frame.
Second Period
The first 10 minutes of the middle frame was a battle of the special teams in which the penalty kills came out on top.
A sloppy shift by Toronto with seven minutes left handed the Moose a Grade-A chance. Murray was equal to Axel Jonsson-Fjällby’s effort to keep the game tied.
A switch-up of the lines during a media timeout had the desired effect as Toronto dominated the final five minutes. That included a two-minute span where Manitoba was hemmed in the defensive zone and twice resorted to icing the puck in desperation. Toronto did an excellent job of getting traffic to the crease and recovering pucks following rebounds, blocks, or missed shots.
The Marlies had no puck luck, though, with several near misses and rebounds not falling kindly as Toronto endured an eighth successive period without scoring a goal.
Third Period/Overtime
Toronto carried the late second period into the third and deservedly opened the scoring inside two minutes. Nylander produced a redirect on Marshall Rifai’s point shot to break the deadlock.
The Marlies were guilty of not pushing home their advantage, and gradually, the Moose built momentum.
Murray denied Wagner from close range a minute after Toronto took the lead as Manitoba fired a warning shot indicating this game was far from over.
Manitoba fired seven shots without reply, including threatening on a power play. Toronto’s only semblance of a chance was a short-handed 2v1 where Minten led the rush but sent his shot wide of the far post.
The tying goal arrived with 6:38 remaining, and it was a gift. Murray saw Dylan Coghlan’s long-range rising shot all the way but somehow let the puck by him.
Zach Solow attempted to manufacture a response by drawing a penalty. William Villeneueve’s non-threatening shot from range was all Toronto could muster on the power play, and it was Manitoba who came closest to scoring a winner in regulation. Dominic Toninato forced Murray into a scrambly double save on an individual shorthanded effort.
Tempers frayed in the final minute with Joseph Blandisi and Nikita Grebenkin in the box for roughing for off-setting minors. 30 seconds later, Mikko Kokkonen’s hooking infraction proved the difference.
Two seconds after the penalty door was opened for Kokkonen to rejoin the fray, Toninato connected on Brad Lambert’s precision cross-slot pass to earn the Moose a comeback victory.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies went 0-for-3 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. After leading the shot clock 13-7 through 20 minutes, Toronto was outshot 27-26 by Manitoba.
– Alex Nylander skated in his 500th career professional game. He marked the appearance with a goal amid a barren spell (two goals in the last 10 games). The Marlies need him to find his regular scoring touch quickly.
– There’s been a lot to like about Topi Niemelä from an offensive standpoint, but his point totals don’t reflect his potential yet. He’s comprehensively been Toronto’s most effective blue liner in terms of breakouts and stretch passes leading to breakaways. His timing regarding when to pinch is much improved, but his scoring touch has deserted him. After scoring eight goals in 68 games last season, he has not found the twine in 44 games during this campaign. Niemelä did record his 17th assist of the season on the lone Toronto goal.
– Sunday’s lines:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Minten – Shaw
Quillan – Blandisi – Nylander
Grebenkin – Paré – Solow
Hirvonen – Tverberg – Barbolini
Defensemen
Mermis – Villeneuve
Webber – Kokkonen
Rifai- Niemelä
Goaltenders
Murray
Akhtyamov
