“I thought we were focused and doing the right things. We were predictable [in our play] and did it with all four lines and seven defensemen. We have to continue to play like that with the same urgency.”
– John Gruden
Despite the absence of some key offensive producers, the Toronto Marlies delivered plenty of bang for their buck with a five-star performance against a Syracuse Crunch team in red-hot form (won 12 of last 13 games). A line of Alex Nylander, Luke Haymes, and Ryan Tverberg was unstoppable, accounting for four goals and nine points. But this was a brilliant team performance from the net out, with all 11 forwards and seven defensemen pulling on the rope in a 5-1 victory.
First Period
From the opening puck drop, the Marlies played with the type of pace and intensity that was sorely lacking against Manitoba, and they deservedly scored a confidence-boosting opening goal at the five-minute mark.
Ryan Tverberg took a hit to make a play at the top of the left circle, allowing Alex Nylander to recover possession. The Swedish forward sent a pass to the opposite side to pick out the on-rushing Noah Chadwick, who has grown offensively as the season has progressed. The rookie defenseman picked the corner with a good finish past Brandon Halverson.
The pace of the game ramped up afterwards as Syracuse attempted to answer back with their team’s calling card: speed. Toronto handled the Crunch’s response well, staying above them and moving the puck quickly when in possession.
The Marlies turned defense into offense when Heny Thrun’s stretch pass sent Luke Haymes away. Alex Nylander turned a 2v2 into a 2v1 with a burst of speed, and Haymes found him with a quality saucer pass. Nylander placed his shot top shelf, over the glove hand of Halverson, to double the Marlies‘ lead.
It was now Dennis Hildeby’s turn to excel as Syracuse created its best chances of the game in the half dozen shifts following the goal. Mitchell Chaffee, Jakob Pelletier, and Ethan Sansom were all turned aside as the big Swedish netminder showed his NHL class.
After surviving the minor barrage, the Marlies got back on an even keel and drew the game’s first penalty late in the frame.
Second Period
The middle frame was a masterclass road period from the Marlies. On the power play carrying over from the previous frame, Logan Shaw rattled the crossbar from the slot. When the third goal arrived just inside the five-minute mark, it was worth waiting for.
There appeared to be little danger when William Villeneuve found Nylander in the neutral zone, as Syracuse had numbers back. As Nylander approached the blue line, he left the puck for Tverberg, who came roaring in and beat the challenges of Ethan Gauthier and Simon Lundmark. Snakebitten in Manitoba, Tverberg delivered a perfect shot above the right pad and below Halverson’s blocker to find the net.
The Marlies’ penalty kill stood firm under incessant pressure from Syracuse, as the Crunch struggled to gain a foothold in the game. In fact, Syracuse was limited to four shots in the middle frame, none of which troubled Hildeby at all.
The returning Landon Sim took umbrage with a late hit on Ben King and dropped the gloves with Reece Newkirk. The rookie handled himself well in a closely fought tilt featuring few clean punches. With Michael Pezzetta up with the Leafs, the youngster stepped up into his role, which the Marlies bench clearly appreciated.
The Marlies almost netted a fourth goal by again quickly transitioning defense into offense. Haymes’ pass split the defense, sending Tverberg away once more. This time, Tverberg was hooked from behind, although he still got a backhand shot off, drawing a decent save from Halverson.
The shell-shocked Crunch almost got caught on a bad line change late in the period. Marc Johnstone led a 3v2 break and made the right call with a drop pass to Haymes. The rookie was frustrated with himself after he sent his shot over the crossbar.
Third Period
With Haymes in the box inside the opening minute, the Marlies were forced to weather an early storm. Hildeby stood tall with solid saves on Dylan Duke and Michael Milne as the Marlies stymied the division’s second-best power play.
Toronto’s netminder made another quality save on Jarred Tinordi before his shutout bid was broken at the four-minute mark. Mitchell Chaffee’s point shot appeared to take at least one awkward deflection before handcuffing Hildeby.
The Marlies didn’t allow Syracuse to build momentum from their goal, immediately drawing a penalty. The Marlies gave up just one shot in the next five minutes before reestablishing a three-goal lead.
Haymes seized on an errant defensive-zone pass by Lundmark and drove to the top of the right circle. I’m not sure if it was a slap pass to Tverberg in the slot or a shot, but it’s all academic; the puck found its way in, giving the Marlies a commanding 4-1 lead.
A rare defensive mistake by Toronto presented Duke with a Grade-A chance, but Hildeby made the save, possibly his best of the game, with seven minutes left on the clock.
Joel Bouchard is not a head coach who allows games to meander. It was no surprise when the Syracuse bench boss pulled his netminder with a little under six minutes remaining. The Crunch dominated possession and zone time but didn’t generate anything resembling a high-danger scoring chance.
The Marlies staved off two minutes of pressure before sealing the deal with an empty-net goal. Syracuse partially won an offensive-zone draw but didn’t account for Tverberg surging forward to tip the puck clear to Nylander, who scored from just inside his own blue line.
Post Game Notes
– Alex Nylander recorded four points (2G/2A), his third career AHL game with four or more and his second with the Marlies. His performances of late have not been up to scratch, as he’s been almost a non-factor offensively (two points in seven games). Nylander proved to be the perfect complement to the Marlies’ young guns, and surely John Gruden will stick with the Nylander-Haymes-Tverberg trio this weekend.
– Two points (1G/1A) for Luke Haymes included his 15th goal this season. In the 29 games since the Christmas break, Haymes has accrued 19 points (13G/6A) and has become a true impact player in the second half of the season.
– Ryan Tverberg continues to drive offense and got his just rewards in this game (1G/2A). Outside of the Marlies’ top line (Groulx/Shaw/Lettieiri), Tverberg leads everyone else in five-on-five scoring with 22 points (8G/14A).
– After a below-par performance in Manitoba, Dennis Hildeby bounced back with 30 saves and looked like his old self. He’s 6-4-4 with a .906 save percentage this season.
– Landon Sim returned to the lineup for his first appearance since December 7th. The rookie was disciplined at both ends of the ice, fared well when he dropped the gloves, and brought a spark of energy to the lineup.
– Travis Boyd underwent successful ankle surgery on Monday. He will miss the remainder of the season, a real blow for the Marlies’ playoff prospects.
– Ryan Kirwan has been recalled from the Cincinnati Cyclones.
– Wednesday’s lineup:
Forwards
Barbolini – Shaw – Lettieri
Nylander – Haymes – Tverberg
Paré – Johnstone – Valis
Sim – King
Defensemen
Thrun – Benning
Mermis – Villenueve
Smith – Chadwick
Sharpe
Goalies
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
