It was 3-0.
December 18, 2015: The Toronto Marlies find themselves trailing 3-0 after 42 minutes on the road against a rolling Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team. A wild, highly improbable comeback unfolds as Toronto scores three shorthanded goals in 2:34 before winning the game in a shootout.
Roll forward almost 10 years, and the Marlies mounted a comeback as miraculous and impressive. Funny enough, it came during the same week the big club erased a 3-0 third-period deficit against the Penguins’ parent franchise.
“Obviously, no one liked our first 40. But for [the players] to come out and execute the way they did, that can really pull a team together at the end of the day. It can build some momentum, and it’s really good for morale.
“Man, it feels good, I’m not going to lie. And the credit goes to our players in figuring it out.”
– John Gruden
First Period
The writing appeared to be on the wall early against a WBS team in strong form to start the season. The Penguins opened the scoring 16 seconds into the game on an odd-man rush after a Toronto turnover in the offensive zone; on a 2v1, Tristan Broz beat Artur Akhtyamov on the first shot of the game.
The opening frame was almost exclusively one-way traffic toward the Toronto net. The Penguins outworked the Marlies and managed the puck more efficiently.
Akhtyamov was the only reason the game didn’t get out of hand, as he turned aside five Grade-A scoring opportunities. Zach Gallant also ripped a shot off the post from the left faceoff dot as Toronto continued to ride their luck in a period where they were outshot 12-5.
Against the run of play, Jacob Quillan almost orchestrated a tying goal late in the frame. Reese Johnson tipped Quillan’s shot in front, but the otherwise untroubled Filip Larsson made a sharp left pad save.
Second Period
The Marlies got off to a slightly better start to the middle frame with two positive shifts, only to concede a second goal. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton established another forecheck that the Marlies couldn’t cope with, and as Toronto scrambled, Atley Calvert swept home a rebound off a Daniel Laatsch shot.
The Marlies found themselves behind by three just before the midway point of the game. It was rinse and repeat as the WBS forecheck and work rate overpowered Toronto. With a crowded crease to contend with, Akhtyamov couldn’t see a shot from Bokondji Imama, which appeared to take a wicked deflection before finding the net.
The result looked set in stone at this stage, and it was a case of how much misery the Penguins could pile on. The fact that they didn’t widen the gap further was thanks to three excellent saves by Akhtyamov, who singlehandedly prevented a blowout loss.
There were sporadic flickers of life from Toronto when Ryan Tverberg, Vinni Letteiri, and John Prokop got on the end of some promising attacking movements without finding a breakthrough.
Third Period
Whatever was said in the room during the second intermission, combined with some line tinkering, delivered the desired effect for the Marlies.
“We had to do something with the lines. Sometimes you’ve got to juggle them. We just made a decision to put those young kids together, and they got us going. Everyone followed.”
– John Gruden
Alex Nylander set up Quillan from point-blank range, and though the latter couldn’t get enough on his shot to score, it felt like a shift in momentum. Toronto’s work rate went through the roof and they finally established a forecheck, putting the Penguins on their heels.
Matthew Barbolini tipped a point shot from Noah Chadwick, drawing a pad save. The puck escaped to the right side, where Barbolini closed fast and disrupted a breakout by laying a big hit along the boards. Borya Valis followed up by winning his battle against two Penguins defenders, securing possession below the goal line for Tverberg. The latter rounded the net, sent the puck through the blue paint, and Valis was on hand to score his fifth of the campaign.
A man inspired, Letteiri’s wraparound attempt flew through the blue paint and narrowly wide of the far post. The Penguins’ netminder’s pad came loose on the play, but it wasn’t the reason why a timeout was called. An animated Kirk MacDonald was concerned about his team’s start to the third period and the clear momentum shift underway.
The kid line, as John Gruden called them, drew a penalty, but it amounted to nothing as zone entries proved problematic for the Marlies on the man advantage.
At five-on-five, Nylander and Quillan came close to scoring on yet another good link-up play. The former’s shot resulted in a rebound that Quillan could only stretch to shovel wide.
Akhtyamov’s save on Nolan Renwick from close range was noteworthy with the score at 3-1; it was a Grade-A opportunity and the lone chance of note for the Penguins in the third period.
With the Marlies attacking in waves, they found a second goal as the Penguins scrambled for a line change after a partial clearance. William Villeneuve took two Penguins out of the play with a stretch pass to Travis Boyd. Boyd dished off to Logan Shaw, who drove through the right circle. The captain’s scoring rate has died off in the last year or so, but he produced a vintage wrist shot to bring Toronto within one with 9:22 remaining.
Two minutes and change later, it was a brand new hockey game.
As Wilkes-Barre/Scranton changed, Bo Groulx took possession in the defensive zone and sped through neutral ice. He dished off to Quillan, who crossed the Penguins’ blue line before delivering a perfect pass back to Groulx, taking three Penguins defenders out of the play. Groulx was on his backhand, but it didn’t matter as he produced a brilliant far-post, blocker-side finish.
The remaining seven minutes were much calmer, with little in the way of scoring chances. Luke Haymes couldn’t beat Larsson from the hashmarks, and overtime was required.
Overtime
The story reverted to the opening 40 minutes as the Penguins took control of the extra frame. Akhtyamov came to the rescue for the umpteenth time, making three brilliant saves, none better than the extra effort to stop Rafaël Harvey-Pinard.
As the Penguins’ forward cut across the crease, Akhtyamov slid and stretched out his right pad. Harvey-Pinard elevated the puck over the goalie’s right leg, but Akhtyamov flipped his left pad up at the perfect moment to pull off an incredible save.
ICYMI
Artur Akhtyamov with THAT SAVE from last night.
His performance allowed Toronto to stay competitive in regulation and then earn the extra point in overtime. pic.twitter.com/TZyihtoG3l
— Mark (@MarkUkLeaf) November 6, 2025
“That’s what good goalies do. They make big saves at big moments to give your team a chance to win. That’s what Artie did.”
– John Gruden
On the next attack, Sam Poulin struck the post, and after that moment, the Penguins must have started to doubt if it was going to be their night.
With 43 seconds remaining, Toronto completed the epic comeback.
Quillan overpowered Poulin to win the puck back in the defensive zone and set a 2v1 in motion with Travis Boyd in possession. Noah Chadwick got on his horse to make the covering Alex Alexeyev respect the pass, although Boyd was probably always going to shoot. The veteran forward netted the 10th game-winner of his AHL career to set wild celebrations in motion.
“It’s a fun goal to score. You end the game and get to celebrate with the whole team. Especially in a situation to complete a comeback, after a great third period we played, being able to score the winner is just the icing on the cake.”
– Travis Boyd
Post Game Notes
– The statistic of 26 saves on 29 shots does not do Artur Akhtyamov‘s performance justice. He may want the second goal back, as he should have held onto the initial shot. Otherwise, Akhtyamov was outstanding in a game that Toronto should have lost decisively. The young netminder has put together two good performances in a row and can now hopefully ride the confidence into this weekend.
– Jacob Quillan played a key role in both the game-tying goal and the overtime winner. With two assists, the centreman has 11 points (1G/10A) in 10 games. He’s made everyone on his line better in whatever role John Gruden asks of him.
– It’s a first AHL assist for Chas Sharpe on the game-tying goal. It wasn’t a major play, but he was alert to the line change and got the puck to Bo Groulx quickly. More importantly, he’s currently part of a six-man unit, rather than a 7D, and is not looking out of place. He and Chadwick fared well together, considering they’re both rookies.
– As a side note, plus/minus isn’t a statistic to hang your hat on, but Noah Chadwick was a plus-three in this game. Credit to John Gruden for putting the kid on the ice in overtime. The blue-liner responded with a solid play in the defensive zone to help Quillan in the build-up to the winning goal.
– When you sign a veteran like Travis Boyd, it’s done with moments like this in mind. Two points in this game (1G/1A) give him seven points (5G/2A) in eight games.
– I hope John Gruden keeps the “kid” line of Borya Valis, Ryan Tverberg, and Matthew Barbolini together. They all bring something different to the party, appear to complement each other well, and were highly effective in the third period.
Valis is now tied for the team lead in goals with five and is tied for second among all AHL rookies.
– Easton Cowan has officially been added to the Toronto Marlies roster. I’m led to believe he’ll feature this weekend.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Nylander – Shaw – Boyd
Lettieri – Groulx – Tverberg
Barbolini – Quillan – Johnson
Baddock – Haymes – Valis
Defensemen
Webber – Thrun
Prokop – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Sharpe
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
