This loss bore all the hallmarks of the Toronto Marlies from last season.
Poor decision-making, turnovers in all three zones, and selfish penalties resulted in a defeat that should have been a comfortable opening-night victory.
“I liked a lot of our game, and obviously didn’t like the result. You take away 10 minutes of the second period — a couple of bad line changes, a couple of times we turned the puck over, allowing them to transition.
“Their [Rochester’s] power play took some momentum away from our five-on-five (play). I thought at five-on-five, for the most part, we were pretty good tonight.”
– John Gruden
First Period
In a somewhat tentative and sloppy start to the game/season, both teams struggled to find rhythm in their play. Toronto appeared the likelier to strike first, generating three chances inside seven minutes.
Luke Haymes was denied in tight after good work from Bo Groulx, and Borya Valis showed he wasn’t afraid of going to the greasy spots of the ice as he tested Devon Levi on a feed from Alex Nylander. Vinni Lettieri was frustrated after not capitalizing from point-blank range, albeit under pressure in a big melee inside the netminder’s crease.
The period then swung on the back of two stick penalties taken by veterans who should know better. Nylander (high-sticking) and Matt Benning (slash) took penalties just 2:14 apart to hand the momentum to an otherwise lacklustre Rochester team.
Yet to face a shot at five-on-five, Artur Akhtyamov needed to make eight saves across the two penalty kills to keep the Amerks off the board.
Toronto’s netminder bailed out Noah Chadwick after the rookie blue line was caught flatfooted with seven minutes remaining. Anton Wahlberg gained a step on Chadwick in the right circle, but Akhtyamov stood tall.
The Marlies almost produced a positive response 30 seconds later when Jacob Quillan created some space for himself in the left circle. Quillan’s hard shot produced a huge rebound, but nobody in a blue jersey seized on it.
The tide turned late in the frame on the back of a thundering, legal hit on Henry Thrun deep in the Toronto zone. Logan Shaw stepped in, dropped the gloves with Trevor Kuntar, and landed some hefty blows.
With Shaw assessed an extra two minutes for roughing, Toronto found itself on the penalty kill for a third time. It was the type of penalty you really want to kill off for the captain, but the Marlies‘ PKers failed to get in the lane of a booming one-timer from Isak Rosén.
Second Period
The beneficiary of a breakaway after leaping into the play off the bench, Nylander had the chance to tie the game 30 seconds into the middle frame. The Swedish forward fired wide of the target, and 35 seconds later, Toronto fell further behind.
With Luke Haymes in the box for slashing, Rosen scored a similar power-play goal to his first, as the Marlies‘ PK allowed an open seam through the high slot shortly after the faceoff.
The Marlies failed to capitalize on their first power play and promptly conceded back at five-on-five. An ill-advised line change and a turnover resulted in a 2-on-1 for Rochester, and Tyler Kopff buried a low shot off the post and past Akhtyamov.
Rochester now led 3-0 inside 26 minutes without establishing any fluency in their game.
The third line for Toronto, the only one consistently threatening, struck just after the midway mark. Nylander and Quillan created the play, and Valis once again went to the dirty areas to provide the finish past Levi.
Instead of building on the momentum, Toronto gave up another terrible goal from their standpoint. After Kampf was nailed (cleanly, and not for the first time in the game), Rochester created a turnover and a breakaway for Brendan Warren. An elder statesman of the Amerks roster, Warren finished in alone past Akhtyamov.
The Marlies required a spark to get back into the game, and one came via Haymes. The rookie forward broke out of the defensive zone, rushed down the ice, and rounded the Amerks’ net. Haymes then found Matthew Barbolini in space, where he teed up Shaw to score with a cross-slot pass.
The goal, scored with just over a minute left in the period, gave the Marlies life heading into the final frame.
Third Period
The Marlies brought a level of competitive intensity and physicality to the third period that was sorely lacking in the previous frame. They deservedly drew within one within six minutes.
A reverse pass in the defensive zone from Nylander spung Quilan, who wasted no time driving through the neutral zone and across the blue line. After a fantastic give-and-go sequence with Benning, Quillan delivered a pass across the top of the blue paint, where Valis once more cleaned it up. Benning recorded a secondary assist on the play, and his crashing of the net was critical to the goal.
Although Rochester was limited to three shots in the final frame, Akhtyamov needed to be sharp to keep the game within reach with saves on Noah Östlund and Viktor Neuchev.
Toronto dominated a good chunk of the possession and offensive-zone time, but they could not find a tying goal. Bo Groulx, Blake Smith, Vinni Lettieri, Landon Sim (x2), and Haymes all couldn’t convert grade-A chances.
Although the comeback ultimately fell short, their issues earlier in the game ultimately cost Toronto rather than the failure to find another third-period goal.
Post Game Notes
– Despite giving up four goals, it was a solid performance by Artur Akhtyamov, who was hung out to dry with two power-play goals, a 2v1 against, and a breakaway.
– The combination of Borya Valis, Jacob Quillan, and Alex Nylander was easily Toronto’s best forward line. Valis seems like the perfect complement with his no-nonsense approach and willingness to crash the crease. Quillan drove the line, and while Nylander was frustrating at times in overplaying situations, he showed glimpses of class, including the touch pass that sprung Quillan on the third goal.
– Landon Sim grew into the game and made his presence felt offensively in the final frame. He twice drove the net and drew a penalty. I’d be interested to see him on a line with a little more talent.
– Of the veterans, only Vinni Lettieri should’ve been pleased with his performance. The likes of David Kämpf, Bo Groulx, and Logan Shaw (despite his goal) were ultimately disappointing, but it’s only game one.
Luke Haymes was let down by his linemates, but he tried to drive his line as best he could.
– On the blue line, Cade Webber and Henry Thrun were solid enough, but the latter struggled to move the puck cleanly, which is supposed to be an asset in his game. William Villeneuve wasn’t his normal self on the offensive side of the puck and was hesitant defensively. Blake Smith went on a couple of nice offensive forays but needs to tighten up defensively and move the puck a little quicker in the defensive zone.
– Friday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Kämpf – Lettieri
Barbolini – Haymes – Shaw
Valis – Quillan – Nylander
Pezzetta – Paré – Sim
Defensemen
Webber – Thrun
Smith – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Benning
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Peksa
