“Again, not the start we wanted. I give the guys a lot of credit. I’m not going to think too much into it. I thought the effort was there; it’s just the execution wasn’t. Just a great gutsy win by our guys. Wins like this can continue to propel our team to climb the standings and [help the players] understand what we need to do to become a successful team.”
– John Gruden
In a game played at a frantic pace, an offensively gifted Laval Rocket team tore the Toronto Marlies apart in the first period. The Rocket scored three times unanswered, generating nine high-danger scoring chances and dominating the special teams battle. The Marlies showed mental resolve to respond in the second period, gradually fighting their way back into a game they could have lost handsomely.
First Period
A penalty by Marc Johnstone at the three-minute mark was the start of the slippery slope for the Marlies. Alex Belzile rang a blistering shot off the iron on the resulting power play, but that was only a brief respite. As the penalty expired, a William Trudeau point shot through traffic worked its way past Vyacheslav Peksa, beating the netminder through the five-hole.
Laval doubled their advantage two minutes later. Bo Groulx lost a battle in the neutral zone, and two passes later, the puck was behind Peksa again. Laurent Dauphin delivered a perfect cross-slot feed, and Belzile produced an equally good finish.
Penalties assessed 16 seconds apart to Joshua Roy and Tobbie Bisson handed Toronto an extended 5-on-3. The high-sticking infraction by the latter sent Groulx to the dressing room for repairs, resulting in a double minor.
The Marlies‘ extended power play was futile, to put it kindly. Alex Nylander was the only player to record a shot on net as Laval comfortably killed off the 5v3. During the extended 5-on-4, only a drive from the side of the net across the crease by Borya Valis threatened the Laval goal. The Rocket should have scored a shorthanded goal, to boot; Peksa produced a brilliant stop on Florian Xhekaj on a breakaway, saving some embarrassment for Nylander.
Toronto’s penalty kill went back to work and again struggled to contain the Rocket’s fluid power play. Peksa made an initial save on Filip Mešár, but his teammates couldn’t bail him out with a clearance as Sean Farrell swept home the loose puck.
Peksa was still called on late in the frame when Laval spent the majority of the final three minutes camped in Toronto’s zone. A sharp double-save to stonewall Will Dineen ensured no more damage was done on the scoreboard.
Second Period
The middle frame was a wild affair in which both teams feasted on loose defensive play.
A giveaway from below the goal line led to Jacob Quillan getting Toronto on the board 77 seconds into the period.
Peksa continued to pull off impressive saves with little support in front of him. A tremendous double-stop robbed Tyler Thorpe from the slot, and the same Laval player was guilty of firing wide on arguably a better chance 30 seconds later.
Ryan Tverberg was the architect of Toronto’s second goal. His tenacity to hunt the puck down with a diving hit on Nate Clurman freed up the puck for Cédric Paré in the offensive zone. The centerman drove to the goal line before pulling the puck back for Matthew Barbolini, who scored with a bar-down one-timer.
A line brawl ensued after the goal as tempers boiled over. It was mostly frustration from Laval’s perspective after their healthy lead was eaten away.
The Rocket struck back by playing to its strength — namely, speed in transition — although Toronto gave them a helping hand. With all three forwards above the puck, Chas Sharpe attempted to pinch at the Laval blue line. The result was an odd-man rush and a goal for Luke Tuch despite a valiant effort from Peksa to make the stop against the grain, as the puck trickled across the line.
Far from dispirited, the Marlies drew within one once again. Nylander knocked the puck around Trudeau and collected it off the boards to generate a 2v1 with Quillan in support. The former opted to shoot, ripping the puck far side by Kaapo Kähkönen with a trademark Nylander finish.
The Marlies appeared the likelier team to score the next goal, but they couldn’t break through to tie the game. More excellent work by Tverberg allowed Matt Benning to tee up Barbolini. Kähkönen stonewalled Barbolini and produced an even better save on Tverberg on his next shift.
Third Period
The Marlies began the final frame of regulation on the power play but frittered away the opportunity, handing back momentum to the Rocket. Laval ran with it, but they couldn’t find a way past Peksa. The Russian netminder rejected Sammy Blais, Dauphin, and Roy with three outstanding saves to keep the Marlies within one.
Toronto struggled to generate anything offensively for much of the final frame. 12 minutes passed before they recorded the first shot of the period, a solid effort by an activating Chas Sharpe.
Peksa found himself on his backside after he was drilled by Lucas Condotta. Thankfully, the goaltender was okay to continue, but remarkably, no penalty was called.
The goaltender did exit the game with 1:43 remaining when the Marlies went for broke with the extra skater. At 6-on-5, Logan Shaw potted a rebound from a Nylander point shot to complete a remarkable comeback and tie the game at 4-4.
Overtime/Shootout
I’m still not sure how overtime didn’t produce a winning goal.
A breakaway for Groulx, who also hit the crossbar in the dying second, was sandwiched by two great chances for Vinni Lettieri. Peksa only faced one shot in overtime, but it required a great save to stop Tobie Bisson from the slot.
In the game that wouldn’t end, 11 shooters failed to convert in the skills competition. Groulx hit the crossbar (again!), and Nylander drew a fantastic left-toe from Kähkönen. Peksa remained perfect until Luke Haymes stepped up to score the winner.
Post Game Notes
– Luke Haymes‘ shootout winner was his first professional attempt. With just a single point (1G) in the last eight games, hopefully, it’s a much-needed confidence boost for the rookie forward.
– Logan Shaw’s third-period tying goal was the 72nd of his career in Toronto. He is fourth all-time in goals scored with the Marlies.
– One assist for Ryan Tverberg doesn’t tell the full story of his performance. He drove the third line with Barbolini – Paré and generated four high-danger scoring chances.
– Jacob Quillan recorded his fifth multi-point goal (1G/1A) this season. He now has 18 points (4G/14A) through 20 games.
– With Ken Appleby injured, Brendan Bonello was signed to a PTO as cover.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Haymes- Quillan – Nylander
Barbolini – Paré – Tverberg
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Valis
Defensemen
Smith – Benning
Chadwick – Sharpe
Prokop – Parsons
Goaltenders
Peksa
Bonello
