“I liked how physical we were. I thought all of our players were engaged, physical, and did what they had to do to help the team. It was enjoyable to watch. We needed a win like that, and credit to them for getting it done.”
– John Gruden
For the Toronto Marlies, points are more valuable than the nature of the performances as we head down the stretch. They were fortunate to escape the first period with this game against Providence tied, but from then on, they dug deep to grind out a victory built on solid goaltending and timely scoring.
First Period
Toronto’s play in the opening frame was tentative, with little conviction besides Dennis Hildeby’s performance and two notable offensive-zone shifts.
The Marlies‘ lack of discipline in recent games reared its head again just 34 seconds in. With Logan Shaw in the box for slashing, the penalty kill bent but didn’t break, and Hildeby delivered the lone save required.
Providence held the zone as Shaw re-entered the play and came within a whisker of breaking the deadlock. John Farinacci smacked the crossbar with a stinging shot from the high slot as Toronto dodged an early bullet.
A power play offered Toronto a chance to turn the tide, but one effort from Alex Steeves was all the Marlies could muster.
Providence broke the stalemate with nine minutes remaining. A wild pass by William Villeneuve into the slot after pinching down the right side resulted in a counterattack back toward the Toronto goal.
Nick Abruzzese didn’t stay central or on his horse when tracking back, creating space through the middle, and Alex Steeves looked like an outnumbered forward defending the rush as the last man back. The Bruins took full advantage, and Fabian Lysell sniped into the top corner over Hildeby’s glove.
John Gruden threw out the fourth line for the restart, and it almost paid dividends. After hemming Providence in the defensive zone, Cedric Paré’s feed from behind the goal found the debutant in the slot. Unfortunately, Resse Johnson’s finish found DiPietro’s glove.
Toronto produced a similar dominant shift and tied the game with 90 seconds remaining. After moving the puck with pace and purpose, Villeneuve found Roni Hirovonen in the high slot, where the Finnish forward did a good job of presenting himself as an option in space. With traffic in the crease courtesy of Quillan’s screen, Hirvoenen’s wrist shot tied the game at one.
Second Period
Some shenanigans to end the first period resulted in 4v4 action to begin the second frame. Toronto made the extra space work for them by taking the lead 30 seconds in.
After Steeves dished off to Shaw in the neutral zone, Toronto’s captain wide before releasing a shot from distance. DiPietro didn’t hold onto the shot, and Steeves pounced between four defenders to slam finish off the rebound. It’s the type of play I’d like to see a little more from Shaw — getting pucks to the net — as he’s seemed affected by his lack of goals this season while shooting a paltry 6%.
Lapses in concentration continued to plague Toronto, but they went unpunished. Tyler Pitlick was afforded a free route to the net but lost the handle at the critical moment as he attempted to make a move on Hildeby. The Marlies goaltender then came up with a good save when Riley Tufte looked set to score from the slot.
Providence wasn’t denied for much longer, as they tied the game with Marshall Rifai in the box for a double minor (high sticking). Frederic Brunet picked his spot with a well-placed shot through traffic.
The Marlies recovered to kill off the second minor and regained their lead with six minutes remaining. It wasn’t a classic goal, but they all count, and the Marlies did a good job of getting pucks and bodies to the blue paint. Villenueve’s shot from the top of the right circle produced a looping rebound that Zach Solow appeared to touch by the side of the net. The puck fell into the blue paint, where Robert Mastrosimone reacted quickest to force it across the goal line.
The Marlies earned a power play within seconds of the restart but frittered away the man advantage. Matthew Barbolini was left wondering how he didn’t pad the Toronto lead with three chances from the slot in seven frantic seconds, although some credit must go to DiPietro.
Hildeby made key saves on Matthew Poitras and Pitlick to ensure Toronto headed into the second intermission with a 3-2 lead.
Third Period
Toronto didn’t capitalize on their early quality scoring chances to calm the nerves. Steeves didn’t get all of his effort from the right circle, and Hirovonen would have been disappointed not to score on the power play.
The Marlies were better defensively, keeping the Bruins to the perimeter. Hildeby produced key saves to deny Fraser Minten (in his Providence debut) and Poitras, giving up no second opportunities in the process.
Steeves missed an even better chance from the slot after good work on the forecheck and a quality feed from Shaw found the Marlies’ leading scorer.
Toronto remained in charge, drawing a fourth power play, but all the momentum was swept away as Providence threatened to strike while shorthanded. Hildeby denied Jeffrey Viel on a 2v1 opportunity and produced another three saves after the penalty expired as the Bruins generated a push.
Dakota Mermis could consider himself very unfortunate to receive a hooking penalty on an innocuous play, but it mattered little. The Marlies’ penalty kill reigned supreme when the team most needed it. The Bruins didn’t register a single shot and had to go for broke in the final 90 seconds by pulling DiPietro.
Hildeby once more denied Pitlick, this time with a flying blocker save, as Toronto withstood some pressure and iced the puck with 50 seconds remaining.
The coaching staff called a timeout to give their skaters a breather and a chance to reset. It paid dividends as Joseph Blandisi deflected a pass into the path of Paré, who dished off to Quillan. The rookie picked the correct option to send Blandisi free in the neutral zone, with the time to skate the puck into the vacant cage.
Post Game Notes
– William Villenueve marked his 150th game with three assists. The defenseman has five helpers in his last two games and has set a new single-season career high in points (27) and assists (25).
“The biggest thing for [Villenueve] is his maturity and ability to understand the pro game and settle himself down to be a defenseman who defends when he has to,” said Gruden. “When he has the puck on his stick, he is a good offensive player. Trust your instincts. He has done a good job of adapting to the game. He had a tough start, too, as he was in and out of the lineup, but he did a great job of controlling his emotions and growing up as a human being.”
– Jacob Quillan’s goal streak ended at three games. He unselfishly dished off to Joseph Blandisi to score an empty-net insurance goal, registering his 15th assist and 27th point of the season (51 games).
– It was a strong debut for Reese Johnson, who featured on a power-forward fourth line. John Gruden entrusted him with PK1 duties, and he rewarded that faith. He may not have buried his one Grade-A scoring chance, but it’s encouraging that Johnson has adapted quickly to new surroundings.
“There’s nothing better than winning the first game with the group,” said Johnson. “A couple of new systems, but good communication from the guys and my linemates. The boys did a good job helping me out.”
– This was another strong performance from Dennis Hildeby in his second consecutive victory, as he turned aside 25 of 27 shots and has a combined .936 save percentage in his last four starts.
“[Hildeby] was outstanding,” said Gruden. “We wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. He has finally gotten into a little bit of a rhythm. We have had three goalies with the rotation for a little while, and he has played the last three games now. He is starting to find his groove. It is a development league, and everyone still needs to play, but you can see he has elevated his game for sure.”
– Injury updates: Matt Benning — upper Body (week-to-week); Kyle Clifford — upper body (day-to-day); Mikko Kokkonen — lower body (week-to-week).
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Hirvonen – Shaw – Nylander
Abruzzese – Quillan – Steeves
Mastrosimone – Blandisi – Solow
Barbolini – Paré – Johnson
Defensemen
Mermis – Villeneuve
Rifai – Niemelä
Webber – Miller
Goaltenders
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
