“Our power play was outstanding, our PK was outstanding, and Dennis [Hildeby] made some really big saves in a timely fashion. I’m proud of them. We’ve got to drive back (to Toronto) and do the exact same thing.”
– John Gruden
It’s been a long time between wins for the Toronto Marlies against Cleveland. They finally solved the Monsters with a strong performance in which the power play came up trumps.
With Belleville accruing five points in the last three games, this was a must-win for Toronto to keep their playoff hopes intact.
First Period
The Marlies got off to a strong start to the game, finally avoiding the early goal against that has been their Achilles heel all season. There weren’t many Grade-A chances in the first 10 minutes, with only an individual effort from the right circle from Alex Steeves worth noting.
Trey Fix-Wolansky was the first Cleveland player to test Dennis Hildeby from the slot and drew a penalty in the process. The penalty kill was excellent, including two big shot blocks from Cade Webber.
Alex Nylander, who was back to nearly firing on all cylinders, made Cole Clayton look foolish by spinning off the Cleveland defenseman in the left circle. Nylander’s rising shot was well-dealt with by Zachary Sawchenko, but it was a promising sign for Toronto.
Cleveland came close to scoring first on the next shift. Roman Ahcan drove across the crease, drawing one save from Hildeby before striking the post in the rebound, although Hildeby might have had the low shot covered by his right skate.
Toronto drew a penalty seconds later and made the extra skater count. Nick Abruzzese picked up a head of steam in the neutral zone and dissected all four Cleveland penalty killers in a surging drive to the net. Sawchenko made the initial save, and Abruzzese fell as he shot, but the winger tracked the puck sliding while on his front. He swept the puck past the netminder in a remarkable piece of hand-eye coordination.
Abruzzese nearly doubled his tally with another drive to the net, this time from the right side, but this time, Sawchenko made the double save required. Joseph Blandisi missed the target from close range after a steal from Jacob Quillan as Toronto gained momentum at five-in-five.
Cleveland pushed to tie the game late in the frame, but James Malatesta was thwarted by another timely save by Hildeby.
Second Period
A stumble by Marshall Rifai at the Cleveland blue line presented the Monsters with a 2v1 rush just 50 seconds into the middle frame. Rocco Grimaldi opted to shoot, and Hildeby flashed his glove to keep the lead intact.
After dodging the early bullet, Toronto set about regaining control at five-on-five. Nylander orchestrated a chance for the top line with good work in the neutral zone, releasing Abruzzese on the left wing. Logan Shaw connected with the latter’s feed but was robbed by an incredible glove save by Sawchenko.
The Marlies doubled their lead with a power-play tally at the eight-minute mark. After moving the puck up top looking for an opening, William Villeneuve fired a shot into the top right corner of the net past a bemused Sawchenko.
An inspired Hildeby continued to make important and timely saves. He robbed Grimaldi following a mistake by the returning Mikko Kokkonen. The Swedish netminder proved Toronto’s best penalty killer soon after, denying Dyland Gambrell, Trey Fix-Wolanskey, and Luca Del Bel Belluz from close range.
Ryan Tverberg and Roni Hirvonen came close with consecutive efforts before Toronto scored a third with 60 seconds remaining.
A stretch pass by Nylander sent Abruzzese away on the left side, where the winger cut inside to the slot, beating one defender before losing out to a second. Jacob Quillan kept the play alive with a stick lift, allowing Nylander to collect the loose puck and beat Sawchenko with a quick release.
Third Period
Cleveland’s ability to mount a comeback hinged on a Grade-A scoring chance 80 seconds into the final frame. Hildeby stonewalled Mikael Pyyhtiä and wasn’t tested again before Toronto struck for a fourth time.
Nylander’s booming shot produced an uncontrolled rebound, and Topi Niemelä appeared seemingly through a crowd of players to finish off the second opportunity.
Toronto cruised for the remainder of the period, and Hildeby deserved a shutout after two sharp saves on Malatesta and Joseph LaBate.
Unfortunately, the Marlies netminder was denied a clean sheet with 50 seconds remaining as Hunter McKown got the home team on the board.
All hell broke loose from the restart of play after Niemelä was charged by LaBate. Quillan and Steeves ended up brawling, with no love lost between the two teams.
All that mattered was the two valuable points for Toronto, who will return home and hope to repeat the feat against the same opponent on Sunday afternoon.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies comprehensively won the special teams battle: 3-for-4 on the power play, and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
“The power play simplified things, moved the puck extremely well, and most importantly, we won a lot of battles to keep pucks alive,” said Gruden. “Robert Mastrosimone did a really good job of keeping pucks alive. It goes unnoticed and doesn’t end up on the scoresheet, but we notice it. And then there is the confidence. When you start to feel good about yourself, the next thing you know, you get on a bit of a roll. That’s a good sign as well.”
– Alex Steeves recorded eight shots on goal, but his goalless streak was extended to seven games. He did register a primary assist on the second goal, and his line did an excellent job of containing Cleveland’s top unit.
– Nick Abruzzese was more direct and aggressive in his offensive approach, which paid dividends: His first three-point haul of the season included his first goal since February 26.
– Alex Nylander broke a five-game scoring slump with his 21st goal of the season (61 games played). He added an assist to register his first multi-point haul since February 17.
– Dennis Hildeby turned aside 24 of 25 shots to record his 15th win. It was a solid bounce-back performance after he was pulled four minutes into his most recent start against Syracuse.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Abruzzese – Shaw – Nylander
Mastrosimone – Quillan – Steeves
Blanduisi – Pare – Solow
Barbolini – Tverberg – Hirvonen
Defensemen
Kokkonen – Benning
Rifai – Villeneueve
Webber – Niemela
Goaltenders
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
