“Too many penalties, and we were making too many mistakes. It’s more stick penalties and laziness, myself included.”
– Logan Shaw
“As far as our game is concerned, we have to clean [the penalties] up. That can’t continue; we have to play five-on-five hockey.”
– John Gruden
On a day of moving parts for the Toronto Marlies, those who took the ice did not step up to the plate.
Taking eight penalties rarely ends well, and Providence carved Toronto apart. More concerning to the coaching staff will be how quickly the Marlies‘ heads dropped after a promising start. The Marlies imploded and were fortunate to lose by only three.
First Period
The first five minutes were contested in the Providence zone as Toronto dictated the pace of play. Given the recent form and the quality of the opponent, John Gruden was likely delighted with how his troops responded to the deadline-day events leading up to this game.
Quality scoring chances for Logan Shaw, Alex Nylander, Matthew Barbolini, and Jacob Quillan were frittered away as the Marlies couldn’t take advantage of an excellent start.
The period and the game tilted toward Providence at the nine-minute mark. A neutral zone-turnover resulted in a scramble, and Toronto took a too-many-men penalty.
Artur Akhtyamov was Toronto’s penalty kill as the Bruins cut through the Toronto PK like a knife through butter. The rookie goaltender made six tremendous saves after not seeing a shot through the opening six minutes.
Robert Mastrosimone drew a penalty against the run of play, but Toronto’s power play consisted of one Nylander shot easily dealt with by Michael DiPietro.
Akhtyamov made two additional excellent stops to rob Fabian Lysell and Jeffrey Viel as Providence feasted on defensive breakdowns.
Second Period
The Marlies were fortunate to exit the first period unscathed, but the same could not be said in the middle frame.
On a power play carrying over from the first period, Providence cut the Marlies’ PK to shreds through the seam, as Georgii Merkulov teed up Oliver Wahlstrom for a tap-in.
The Marlies were outworked by a Bruins team with the bit between their teeth, and Quillan was next in the box for tripping. Akhtyamov was again Toronto’s best penalty killer, robbing Tyler Pitlick and Wahlstrom (x2) to keep the game within reach.
It was merely delaying the inevitable. Providence doubled up at the eight-minute mark on yet another power-play chance. Wahlstrom had plenty of time and space to measure a shot from the hash marks before netting his second of the game.
It took Providence 77 seconds to record a third goal. Pitlick seized John Farinacci’s offensive-zone faceoff win and sniped past Akhtyamov, with Toronto second to react.
The game was over as a contest 31 seconds later. Riley Duran scored an easy tap-in after Providence swarmed the net and outbattled the Marlies. Three goals in two minutes led to Dennis Hildeby entering the game.
No fault could be placed at the feet of Akhtyamov, who attempted to keep Toronto competitive with the ice firmly tilted in his direction.
The Marlies’ lone power play of the period was negated by Shaw’s hooking penalty. Hildeby held firm, making several good saves, including killing off a 5v3 power play for Providence as Toronto skaters paraded to the penalty box.
Out of the blue, Toronto got on the board with 12 remaining. Quillan tipped home a point shot by Topi Niemelä to the disappointment of a home crowd expecting to witness a shutout.
Third Period
Any thoughts of another miraculous comeback were dashed in 25 seconds. That’s how long it took Providence to notch a fifth goal of the game as Wahlstrom completed a hat-trick courtesy of a tip in the slot, as he slipped in between Cade Webber and Tommy Miller.
The Bruins could have easily added more goals but were more interested in conserving energy. There was also an air of playing with their food as Providence toyed with Toronto without going in for the kill.
With six minutes remaining, Hirvonen finished off a rebound after Quillan was denied from point-blank range. It might have proved more than a consolation if Hirvonen scored from a similar position on a feed from Webber 90 seconds later.
Post Game Notes
– John Gruden mentioned it was a tough afternoon for the players, who said goodbye to teammates. That was especially pertinent for Artur Akhtyamov, as he and Nikita Grebenkin are close friends who helped one another transition to life in North America. That aside, Akhtyamov was excellent in this game until the barrage in the middle frame, and it was the correct move to pull the rookie in the circumstance.
“I am not making excuses, but still, these guys are human beings,” said Gruden. “It was a long afternoon.”
– It was a two-point haul (1G/1A) for Jacob Quillan, who was one of Toronto’s better forward performers. He has goals in consecutive games after going goalless in five outings.
– This was a tough game for Chas Sharpe to make his AHL debut. In the circumstances, he played fine and made just one notable mistake. He didn’t deliver anything offensively, but I think some production will arrive as he gains comfort at this level.
– Ryan Reaves is officially on the Marlies roster, but he is not expected to feature. New acquisition Reese Johnson is also on the Marlies roster and could feature Saturday night against Bridgeport. With Fraser Minten now in Pittsburgh, Johnson provides some depth down the middle, has the experience of over 250 pro games, and adds some physicality. Don’t expect too much in the way of scoring, with 36 career AHL points (13G/23A) in 132 games.
– Friday’s lineup:
Forwards
Blandisi – Shaw – Steeves
Abruzzese – Paré – Nylander
Hirvonen – Quillan – Barbolini
Mastrosimone – Tverberg – Solow
Defensemen
Rifai – Sharpe
Webber – Miller
Villeneuve – Niemelä
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
