“I thought the execution was great. The first 10 [minutes] were as good as we’ve played for a long time. [Rochester] didn’t touch the puck much, and we were doing a good job of spending time in their end, wearing out the back of the net, and making them defend. That just sends the right message.”
– John Gruden
“It’s been a little bit of an issue holding onto leads after Christmas in the third period, so this is a confidence boost for us. A lot of the guys wanted it for [Artur Akhtyamov], too. He’s just worked so hard, and he’s a great human being. Everyone wanted to get him a shutout, and we’re very happy that we did.”
– William Villeneuve
It took 59 games, but the Toronto Marlies finally recorded their first shutout of the season against Rochester on Saturday. It couldn’t have been more timely, as this was a must-win game to keep tabs on Cleveland in third place. The Marlies also needed to set down a marker against a Rochester team they could meet in the play-in round next month.
First Period
As well as John Gruden thought his team performed in the opening 10 minutes, the Marlies did give up two Grade-A scoring chances. Carson Meyer fired wide on a 2v1 break as the Amerks threatened to score early.
A fight then ensued between Landon Sim and Kaleb Lawrence behind the play. The Toronto player may have been shorter in stature, but there’s no doubting his heart or commitment to the team as he acquitted himself well in the bout.
The Marlies scored within seconds of the restart by winning an offensive-zone draw. From the point, William Villeneuve sent a floated shot that Logan Shaw got a piece of. Devon Levi made the initial save but couldn’t control the rebound, which Shaw was on hand to finish off.
After his offensive exploits on Friday evening, Matthew Barbolini almost got back on the scoresheet on Sunday. A booming hit from Brandon Baddock resulted in a turnover, but Levi made a tremendous save on Barbolini from the left circle.
Artur Akhtyamov wasn’t called on until the nine-minute mark when a giveaway by John Prokop handed possession to the dangerous Konsta Helenius. Barely involved up until this point, Akhtyamov stayed focused and made a stellar save.
I can’t finish a game recap these days without mentioning how dangerous Ryan Tverberg is offensively. His great work down low teed up Luke Haymes in the slot, but the quality of finish didn’t match the build-up play.
A giveaway during a Marlies line change put Toronto under more pressure when Olivier Nadeau escaped down the left wing, but Akhtyamov was there again.
Toronto’s first power play of the game was a mess. Describing it as disconnected would be an understatement, as Rochester spent little time in the defensive zone.
The final five minutes were a little frantic, including 4v4, 4v3, and 3v3 action, as the parade to the penalty box intensified. Villeneuve was stopped on a 2v1 with Shaw when Toronto’s captain probably should have shot, with Levi slightly cheating for the pass. Rochester attacked in transition, but Anton Wahlberg was the next player frustrated by Akhtyamov.
Gavin Bayreuther and Tverberg also couldn’t solve the respective netminders as Toronto’s early tally held up as the lone goal at the first intermission.
Second Period
After seven minor penalties in the opening frame, the second period wasn’t too much better, with the officials calling four more minor infractions.
The Marlies frittered away another two-minute power play and almost paid a high price when the penalty expired. Lawrence jumped out of the box into a breakaway, but Akhtyamov refused to bite after challenging at the top of the blue paint and made a left-pad save.
Toronto generated five high-danger scoring chances in the middle frame but couldn’t bury any of them. Tverberg (x2), Haymes, and Barbolini (x2) couldn’t solve Levi, who was holding his own in the netminding battle.
Before the save on Lawrence, Akhtyamov turned aside Chris Douglas and Trevor Kuntar inside the opening five minutes but was otherwise untested as the Marlies made fewer mistakes than in the first period.
After another abject power-play effort, the Marlies scored a crucial insurance marker. Marc Johnstone jumped over the bench as the penalty expired and received possession via a stretch pass from Noah Chadwick and a touch forward by Ryan Kirwan. At the top of the left circle, Johnstone looked over at his passing option, Ben King, before whistling a wrist shot far side past Levi. With 42 seconds left in the period, it was a timely goal in a tight game.
Third Period
The Marlies gave up only two shots in the first half of the final frame, and both came from long range.
At the midway mark, Rochester gained a little momentum when a giveaway by Blake Smith led to 90 seconds of offensive-zone pressure for the Amerks. Toronto withstood the push but did require a touch of luck with seven minutes remaining when defenseman Ryan Johnson rang a shot off the iron.
There were chances for Alex Nylander and King to seal the deal before Rochester went for broke with 3:20 left on the clock. The aforementioned Nylander hassled and hurried Bayreuther as the defenseman attempted to exit the defensive zone with possession. The Swedish forward snatched the puck, stepped around Wahlberg, and slid the puck into the empty net.
The only question remaining was whether the “smiling assassin” in the Marlies’ net would get his due rewards. Akhtyamov made two saves in the final 75 seconds to record the Marlies’ first clean sheet of the season and first home shutout since December 26, 2024.
Post Game Notes
– Head coach John Gruden recorded his 100th win behind the Marlies bench, the fifth head coach in franchise history to reach the milestone. Gruden’s overall record is 100-69-9-13 over three seasons with the Marlies.
– Artur Akhtyamov earned his first shutout of the season and fourth of his career with 26 saves. His record on home ice this season is quite remarkable: 11-2-2 with a .917 save percentage. He has not suffered a regulation loss at Coca-Cola Coliseum since Nov. 26 (8-0-1).
– Captain Logan Shaw registered the game-winner with his 19th goal of the season. After a downturn in production last season, Shaw is set to score 20+ goals for the third time in four seasons with the Marlies.
– William Villeneuve registered his 20th assist of the campaign (51 games) with the primary helper on the game winner. He has assists (three total) in three consecutive games.
– A 15th assist for Noah Chadwick takes him to the 20-point mark this season through 56 games. His heads-up stretch pass resulted in the insurance marker.
– The Marlies went 0-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. “As long as we even out on those two, as we have in the last two games, it is a win for us because I like our five-on-five game,” said Gruden.
– Saturday’s lineup:
Forwards
Nylander – Shaw – Tverberg
Barbolini – Haymes – Valis
Kirwan – Paré – Johnstone
Baddock – King – Sim
Defensemen
Thrun – Chadwick
Mermis – Villenueve
Smith – Prokop
Sharpe
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Peksa
