“For the first 10 minutes, I thought we were outstanding, and then penalties took away our momentum. We had little flashes [of good play] after that, but against a good team that knows how to lock it down and eliminate your time and space, it makes it hard [to come back]. I give our guys a lot of credit for trying to fight back.”
– John Gruden
There were three determining factors in this 3-2 loss for the Marlies, in no particular order:
- Toronto’s inability to get inside Charlotte’s defense with any regularity.
- Toronto’s lack of discipline, especially in the first period.
- An abhorrent display by the officials.
First Period
The Marlies dictated the pace of play through the opening six minutes without making it count on the scoreboard. Nick Abruzzese fired wide from the slot on a nice feed from Logan Shaw, while Roni Hirvonen’s effort from the left circle was blocked.
The Marlies‘ momentum was halted by the first of many questionable calls after Ben Steeves skated directly into Topi Niemelä before flopping to the ice (called interference).
Toronto saw off the penalty with ease but had no excuses 60 seconds later. A too-many-men penalty followed by Cédric Paré’s hooking infraction handed the Checkers an 80-second 5v3 power play. John Leonard scored from close range on a rebound chance to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead.
Alex Steeves created a partial breakaway for himself within seconds of the restart. He couldn’t beat Appleby with a backhand effort, but he drew a penalty, leading to some four-on-four action.
A mistake by Alex Nylander resulted in a 2v1 for Charlotte, but Artur Akhtyamov pulled off a tremendous save to rob Jaycob Megna.
When the game returned to five-on-five, the ice was tilted in favour of the Checkers, who dominated zone time and possession.
On a rare offensive foray, Nylander delivered a weak finish from the slot after nice set-up work from Jacob Quillan. That’s as close to tying the game as Toronto came before they found themselves back on the penalty kill.
Captain Logan Shaw was assessed a tripping penalty despite being nowhere near his opponent, who flopped to the ice. Toronto successfully navigated the final penalty of the period to trail 1-0 through 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Marlies were not sharp in the early stages of the middle frame, committing a series of turnovers that allowed Charlotte to tilt the ice again. Akhtyamov was alert to make three good saves before Toronto was once again back on the penalty kill.
I feel like I’m making excuses for the Marlies at this point, but the incompetent officiating and Charlotte’s embellishment made what transpired hard to swallow.
Steeves received an obvious elbow to the head from Rasmus Asplund. The winger did not stop playing and responded by delivering a crushing, legal check into the glass. Apslund clutched his face, and Steeves was assessed a high-sticking penalty.
To make matters worse, Steeves could only watch from the box as his brother Ben gave Charlotte a 2-0 lead on the resulting power play.
Akhtyamov kept Toronto in the game with several excellent saves as Charlotte threatened to build a healthy lead.
When the Marlies got on the board, it came out of the blue courtesy of an unfamiliar source providing the set-up. Defenseman Matt Anderson trailed the play across the blue line and picked up a pass from Joseph Blandisi in his stride before firing on goal. The puck found the net via Robert Mastrosimone to draw Toronto within one.
The goal went straight to Toronto’s legs, although neither Quillan nor Steeves could bury their scoring chances. The pressure did result in a tripping penalty and Toronto’s first two-minute power play of the game.
The Marlies’ effort with the extra skater was a complete disaster. They escaped undamaged after giving up a 2v1 but gave up a goal seconds after the penalty expired. After Blandisi whiffed on a feed from Abruzzese, four Toronto skaters were caught down low, and the last man back, Steeves, was seemingly unaware of the danger as the penalty expired. From out of the box, Sandis Vilmanis collected possession in the neutral zone and scored on a breakaway.
Third Period
Toronto opened the third period on a power play carrying over from the final seconds of the previous frame. Despite the fresh ice, the Marlies’ power play remained ineffectual, but back at five-on-five, Toronto again drew within a goal.
William Villeneuve lept to catch the puck and deny Charlotte a zone exit before quickly dishing off to Cédric Paré on his left. Paré dangled his way past Michael Benning before delivering a low wrist shot past Appleby.
The Marlies had 17 minutes to find a tying goal, although they rarely looked likely to, and grade-A chances for Paré and Zach Solow came and went without success.
The officials weren’t helping matters by keeping their whistles silent as Charlotte escaped without a penalty in the third period despite some blatant infractions. Shaw was incandescent with rage late in the frame after he was the victim of a high stick with blood drawn.
Akhtyamov kept his part of the bargain by turning aside five high-danger scoring chances, but as time wound down, his efforts were in vain.
Blandisi and Matthew Barbolini overplayed a 2v1 rush as Appleby again escaped danger without making a save.
There was late drama in the final 30 seconds after Toronto pulled the goalie for an extra attacker. From point-blank range, Blandisi sent a shot off the post and out, with Nylander diving in and Appleby flat out on his back in desperation during a mass scramble. Protests from Toronto led by Blandisi fell on deaf ears, although the officials did conduct a video review to see whether the puck crossed the line.
Unsurprisingly, given the lack of camera angles in the AHL, no goal was awarded, and Toronto slipped away to another close but frustrating defeat this season.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies went 0-for-3 on the power play and 5-for-7 on the penalty kill. They were outshot 30-18, mustering single figures in each period. The Marlies gave up just one 5v5 goal in 120 minutes against Charlotte, and that came after a penalty expired.
– Robert Mastrosimone netted his eighth of the campaign and has goals (3) in three consecutive games.
– William Villeneuve now has assists (7) in four consecutive games after the helper on the second goal. He’s ranked 15th among all AHL defensemen in assists (27 in 43 games).
– Sunday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Steeves
Hirvonen – Quillan – Nylander
Mastrosimone – Blandisi – Solow
Barbolini – Paré – Johnson
Defensemen
Mermis – Villeneuve
Rifai – Niemelä
Anderson – Miller
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
