“I wanted to come back and do anything to help the team win. The guys made a lot of great plays today, and I happened to be on the end of it.”
– Jacob Quillan on his hat-trick performance
“Good for [Quillan] to get rewarded. He continues to grow and get better as a player. He came back with some confidence, and it showed. All four lines were great, but it’s a pretty special night for him to get four points.”
– John Gruden on Quillan
After consecutive defeats, the Toronto Marlies produced one of their best 60-minute performances this season to brush aside the Belleville Senators. While Jacob Quillan will rightly receive the headlines for his performance and production, this 6-1 victory was an excellent team effort.
First Period
From the outset, the Marlies drove the pace of the game, albeit without generating a whole lot of high-danger scoring chances throughout the opening frame. It took until the eight-minute mark for Toronto to really threaten offensively.
The puck was worked back to Noah Chadwick atop the circles, where the rookie defenseman ripped a slapshot. The puck thudded off the underside of the crossbar and bounced straight out, with Hunter Shepard beaten.
30 seconds later, Bo Groulx went on a breakaway following a beautifully-executed stretch pass. His low shot knocked Shepard’s stick out of his hands, but the puck stayed out of the net.
Artur Akhtyamov wasn’t called on until the second half of the frame when he had to make some key saves. Hayden Hodgson and Jamieson Rees were stopped from the right circle, and the netminder saved his best for when the Marlies were on the penalty kill. Akhtyamov robbed Olle Lycksell and then took care of Arthur Kaliyev’s booming one-time shot from the right circle.
Toronto’s fourth line — top-notch offensively in the last few games — delivered late in the period to break the deadlock. After picking up the puck in the defensive zone, Michael Pezzetta turned on the jets down the right wing in a 3v3 situation. From a bad angle, he sent a speculative pass toward the blue paint, producing a loose puck behind the net. Marc Johnstone picked up the pieces and, from below the goal line, set up Reese Johnson for a tap-in.
Second Period
The Marlies broke the game wide open with two goals 59 seconds apart.
There was a lot to like about the quick-strike second goal at the six-minute mark. Firstly, Borya Valis displayed great awareness when intercepting a pass in the defensive zone before sending Alex Nylander away through the neutral zone, immediately setting in motion a 2v1. Nylander found Quillan, who produced a tidy five-hole finish.
Sent out for the restart of play, the fourth line immediately drew a penalty. The anaemic power play found its feet through simplification. Logan Shaw found Vinni Letteiri in the left circle with a reverse pass, and the latter quickly sent the puck toward the goal. Quillan picked up the loose change in front of the net to make it 3-0.
Belleville’s lone chance to undo some of the damage fell to Oskar Pettersson on a partial breakaway. Akhtyamov sent the shot high with his blocker, just his second save of the second period with nine minutes on the clock.
Johnson should have tallied his second of the game two minutes later. Shepard fumbled a speculative rising shot from Chadwick, but Johnson couldn’t clean up the rebound from close range.
Shortly after that scoring chance, a crushing hit by Blake Smith on Rees along the wall at the Marlies‘ blue line led to Cameron Crotty dropping the gloves with the Marlies’ big rookie defenseman. Smith won the tilt on points, but that was the end of his night after he was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for interference. For his part, Crotty was assessed a two-minute instigator penalty, resulting in four-on-four action.
Toronto made use of the extra space, as Alex Nylander blew a tire in the Belleville zone but still pulled off a risky drop pass. It was close to an odd-man rush the other way, but Chadwick picked it up nicely in stride and beat Shepard with a quality finish.
A penalty drawn by Haymes meant Toronto only had to kill 80 seconds of the five-minute major. Akhtyamov pulled off a big save after a minor breakdown and was immediately rewarded. Johnstone burst away on the counterattack, got in behind the Senators, cut across the crease, and scored with a beautiful backhand finish.
Akhtyamov’s shutout bid was spoiled late in the frame after some sloppy defensive work left Xavier Bourgault in front on his lonesome.
Third Period
The Marlies struck 64 seconds into the final frame as Jackson Parsons gave up a goal on his first shot faced in relief of Shepard. On a power play carrying over from the second period, Chadwick sent a perfect pass for Quillan to complete his hat trick from the doorstep.
The Marlies managed the remainder of the game with relative ease and kept the Senators at arm’s length. Quillan had a chance to score a fourth goal but was slashed on a breakaway chance. On the ensuing power play, Haymes was robbed by a flying glove save by Parsons.
It was a picture-perfect performance, one that the Marlies hope to repeat in the last regular-season meeting of the season against Belleville on Saturday night.
Post-Game Notes
– Jacob Quillan recorded his first professional hat trick and put on the type of performance that reminds us why he’s a legitimate NHL prospect. He also added an assist, setting a career-high in points (four) in a single game.
“[Quillan] plays the right way,” said Gruden. “He’s fast and isn’t afraid to get inside. It is nice to see those guys get rewarded.”
– It was noticeable from the outset how engaged the Marlies were physically, laying hits at every opportunity and protecting Artur Akhtyamov whenever a Belleville player had a sniff of the blue paint.
– It was a two-point haul (1G/1A) for Noah Chadwick, who needs some coaxing to utilize his shot on a more regular basis. The pass to set up Quillan for his hat trick was a great feed, and this could be a game to build off for the rookie offensively.
“[Chadwick] continues to grow up fast,” said Gruden. “Man, he doesn’t look like a first-year player anymore. He is doing things with lots of poise. He has a good stick. He isn’t afraid to get into some bodies. He has played extremely well. It’s encouraging.”
– The fourth line has been chipping in secondary scoring, particularly Marc Johnstone. His four-game point streak includes three goals and two assists.
– This game marked the halfway point of the season for the Marlies. They sit second in the North Division with 41 points (19-14-3), but they have played two or more games than all of their rivals.
– The power play went 2-4, and the success was the result of returning to basics. The penalty kill was a perfect 3-3 and scored a shorthanded tally in a flawless game for the Marlies’ special teams.
– Friday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Tverberg – Haymes – Boyd
Nylander – Quillan – Valis
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Johnson
Defensemen
Thrun – Rifai
Webber – Chadwick
Smith – Villeneuve
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Peksa
