“It wasnt a recipe for success by any means (in reference to the high-octane offense on both sides). [Chicago] is playing extremely well and play very fast. We are happy to get out of there with a point. We scored some goals, but gave them some gifts. We didn’t protect the front of the net well enough.”
– John Gruden
It’s difficult to decide whether this 5-4 shootout loss was a point earned or a point lost for the Toronto Marlies on Saturday. After opening the scoring, the Marlies came from behind three times in regulation. Leaky defensive coverage and gifted goals were obvious frustrations for the Marlies‘ coaching staff in a game Toronto should have taken two points from. That said, it takes character and resilience to keep fighting back and earn something from the game despite those setbacks.
First Period
The opening frame was wild, to say the least. The Marlies were fortunate to trail by only one goal as they struggled to cope with Chicago’s pace and transition threat.
Toronto struck inside three minutes when the fourth line connected on their first shift of the game. Michael Pezzetta sent Matthew Barbolini in alone on goal, and the towering forward forced a puck through Cayden Primeau’s five-hole.
The lead lasted 67 seconds. After winning a battle below the goal line, Matt Benning’s pass didn’t connect and found Joel Nyström at the top of the right circle. The latter dished off to Ronan Seeley in the middle of the zone, where his shot weaved through traffic to level the game.
Artur Akhtyamov was quickly forced into a quality save on Evan Vierling after a sloppy line change presented Chicago with a partial breakaway. It merely delayed the inevitable as the Wolves took the lead at the seven-minute mark.
After a miscommunication between Akhtyamov and Henry Thrun, the puck turned over below the goal line, and Thrun completely lost his bearings. Ryan Suzuki snatched the puck and set up Bradly Nadeau to score with ease at the back post. It was another gift, as John Gruden alluded to after the game.
Within seconds, the Marlies were on the penalty kill but managed to tie the game while down a skater. Following a melee in the crease, the Marlies transitioned at speed after Cade Webber cleared the puck to Bo Groulx. Toronto’s leading scorer led the 2v1, and with the defender taking away the passing option, Groulx buried with a clinical finish.
Luke Haymes then drew a penalty, but Toronto’s first effort with the man advantage was completely ineffective.
The Wolves retook the lead with 2:33 remaining when they made mincemeat of Toronto’s top line. Alongside the defense pairing of Thrun and Mermis, they were run ragged for 30 seconds in their own zone. After Thrun whiffed on a puck on the wall, an open Justin Robidas scored top-shelf from between the hashmarks.
The Marlies almost snatched a tying goal late in the frame when Alex Nylander generated two rebound opportunities. As frustrating as those misses were, the Marlies were fortunate to trail by one after getting thoroughly outplayed and outchanced.
Second Period
The Marlies were back on the penalty kill early in the middle frame after Mermis was tabbed for tripping. Nadeau missed a great opportunity to pad the Wolves’ lead before Toronto scored a second shorthanded marker.
The Marlies made use of an attempted pass that struck an official’s skate, creating a 2v2 situation. Johnstone drew the attention of both Chicago defenders as he drove the center lane, allowing Tverberg to skate down to the hashmarks and rip a shot high into the net.
With the game tied at 3-3, the Marlies earned another power play only to waste it, similar to the first period. The Marlies then gifted Chicago a third go-ahead goal.
With a blind attempted D-to-D reverse pass, Benning turned the puck over below the goal line straight to Felix Unger Sörum, who set up Suzuki for a tap-in.
Just past the midway mark of the game, Toronto tied the game back up at 4-4 in what was certainly the funkiest goal of the game. Noah Chadwick worked his way around a defender before losing the handle. The puck drifted away from the rookie defenseman but continued toward the goal and possibly took a deflection off a defender’s skate before fooling the netminder. It was Toronto’s fourth goal on nine shots and the eighth goal of the game with just 31 minutes played.
The remainder of the second period fell into a lull, with Toronto sporadically manufacturing glimpses of offensive-zone pressure. The Jacob Quillan and Tverberg combination continued to gel and almost gave Toronto the lead; after some nice interplay, Quillan’s initial shot was stopped, Paré didn’t get enough power on his effort for the initial rebound, and Tverberg was stopped when attempting to lift the puck into the net from close range.
The same line drew a penalty seconds later, and while this was a better effort from the Marlies’ power play, it still failed to break through on the scoreboard.
Third Period
Toronto’s penalty kill stepped up to the plate in the final frame of regulation. They kept Chicago off the board twice, which felt like some form of justice after the Marlies were denied at least two — if not three — power plays on clear tripping and high-sticking infractions.
Akhtyamov turned aside five grade-A chances for Chicago to ensure Toronto earned at least a point. At the other end, the Marlies recorded a total of one shot on goal throughout the third period but did have the opportunity to win the game in regulation inside the final minute. The deadly duo of Quillan and Tverberg threatened again, but Paré’s finishing left much to be desired when it mattered.
Overtime/Shootout
The Marlies’ opening shift at three-on-three lasted a lung-sapping two minutes. Akhtyamov denied Robidas from the slot and then clung onto an effort by Dominik Badinka to get a change for his team.
The Marlies might have won with a little more luck and better finishing. Logan Shaw rattled a shot off the crossbar after skating past all three Chicago players. Vinni Lettieri somehow didn’t score with the goal at his mercy after a feed from Nylander on what was easily the best chance for either team in overtime.
The shootout wasn’t much to write home about. Primeau wasn’t stressed enough while making all three saves, and Nadeau scored a highlight-reel goal to earn the Wolves the extra point.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies took their shorthanded goals tally to five this season with a pair in this game. Ryan Tverberg’s first shorthanded goal of his professional career was his 20th point this season (8G/12A). His current point streak reached four games (2G/3A).
– While he was held off the scoresheet, Jacob Quillan took another step forward in this outing. He is beginning to dominate shifts and has found a dynamic partner in Tverberg. With no disrespect to Cedric Paré, who is the disruptor on the line, I wonder what might be possible with a more potent offensive threat on the left wing. If the organization had done the right thing already and reassigned Easton Cowan, he would be a fascinating addition alongside those two.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Paré – Quillan – Tverberg
Nylander- Haymes – Valis
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Barbolini
Defensemen
Mermis – Thrun
Chadwick – Benning
Webber – Villenueve
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
