“I thought it was a step in the right direction. We got one point, and we’ll move on from this. We didn’t really give them much, but unfortunately, a couple of our mistakes were catastrophic, and there wasn’t much Dennis [Hildeby] could do about them. Other than that, we played a pretty good game, so we’ll take it as a plus and move forward.”
– John Gruden
Lately, writing these Toronto Marlies recaps feels like I’m stuck in an endless time loop. In Cleveland on Saturday, the Marlies played a strong 40 minutes on the road before once again giving it away in the third period. At least this time, they tied the game very late in regulation to earn a point in a 3-2 shootout defeat.
First Period
Two marginal penalty calls against Toronto in the opening frame handed the momentum to Cleveland. The Marlies killed off both infractions and came close to scoring on their first penalty-killing effort. Logan Shaw (breakaway) and Marc Johnstone (partial breakaway) couldn’t bury.
In between penalties, Dennis Hildeby produced an outstanding save to rob Mikael Pyyhtiä on a breakaway following a giveaway by John Prokop.
The Marlies broke the deadlock inside the final two minutes with a nice lunchpail goal from their first line. Bo Groulx stole possession at the red line and immediately dished the puck to Ryan Tverberg, who burned past Dysin Mayo, beating him on the outside before driving the net. Tverberg cut across the crease and shot low, and Monsters goaltender Ivan Fedotov couldn’t hang onto the puck. Logan Shaw was on the scene, battling hard at the net to collect the loose change.
Second Period
In a very quiet period for Dennis Hildeby, he still produced two quality saves on Luca Del Bel Belluz and Pyyhtiä. Otherwise, the Marlies held the upper hand and had their opportunities to pad a slim lead.
Toronto needed to kill another penalty after another debatable call, but they continued to pose an offensive threat while down a skater. During a 2v2 break, Groulx rang a shot off the goaltender’s helmet.
The new-look fourth line made a nuisance of itself in the middle frame in a good way, imposing a strong forecheck on Cleveland. After one particularly dominant shift, they enabled a change on the fly, and Jacob Quillan went close with a strong drive to the net against tired defenders.
Tverberg threatened to score on a rebound from a Marshall Rifai point shot as Fedotov rode his luck during an intense scramble in his crease. Additional chances for Cade Webber and Ben King passed Toronto by, as did a late power play.
Third Period
The Marlies gave up the lead inside five minutes in the final frame. Zach Aston-Reese was rushing down the left wing and forced the puck out front, where the Marlies had the numbers back to take care of it but missed an assignment on Jordan Dumais, who couldn’t miss from point-blank range.
The Marlies generated one chance of note to restore their lead. Groulx surged through the neutral zone to create a partial breakaway and produced a rebound that evaded both Tverberg and Shaw.
Cleveland capitalized on the bullet dodged by scoring three minutes later, taking advantage of more generosity from Toronto. An avoidable icing by William Villenueve was just the beginning. The Marlies lost the resulting faceoff, and Dumais beat Groulx in the slot before sniping into the top-shelf to give the Monsters a 2-1 lead. Cleveland recorded just four shots in the third period but finished with a 50% success rate.
The Marlies offered little response offensively until they pulled Hildeby with two minutes remaining. It did the trick on this occasion; Groulx’s shot from the right circle resulted in a melee around the crease, with Shaw and Quillan hammering away at the loose puck before the latter applied the final touch for the tying goal.
Overtime/Shootout
As much as overtime can be a lottery, the Marlies should have claimed the extra point. Fedotov produced an outstanding left pad save to rob Tverberg on a set-up by Groulx. Toronto then drew a penalty with 2:07 remaining, but they wasted the opportunity with some brainless hockey.
The Marlies gave up the best chances to Cleveland, with Hildeby making a spectacular save to send the game to a shootout. On a 2v1, Hildeby flew to his right, deflecting the puck onto the post via the shaft of his stick.
The skills competition was a non-event from the Marlies’ perspective. Cleveland netted on its first two attempts while Fedotov got the best of Luke Haymes and Groulx to claim victory for the Monsters. The Marlies are now 3-4 in the shootout this season.
Post Game Notes
– With 22 games remaining on the docket, the Marlies’ magic number to qualify for the playoffs is now 32.
– A sixth point (2G/4A) in five games for Ryan Tverberg included the primary assist on the opening goal.
– Hopefully, the late tying goal is the spark needed for Jacob Quillan. The sophomore forward has gone cold in the last half dozen games and hasn’t been driving his line in the manner we’ve become accustomed to seeing this season.
– Bo Groulx picked up the secondary assists on both goals to record his 12th multi-point haul this season. He’s now 14th in scoring among all AHL players with 45 points (23G/22A).
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Tverberg
Barbolini – Quillan – Nylander
Paré – Haymes – King
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Baddock
Defensemen
Mermis – Chadwick
Webber – Rifai
Prokop – Villeneuve
Goaltenders
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
