“We got away from what we wanted to accomplish, not just the two points, but they took the game to us a little bit. We have to play a little more simply; sometimes we try to make too many plays through the neutral zone. We have to play to our strengths.”
– Logan Shaw
“At the end of the day, we had a couple of 2v1s and didn’t get a shot on net. We had the chance to make it 3-1. We have to be more predictable on our breakouts. We turned the puck over a few times, and against a team like that, you give them a second opportunity to play in the offensive zone — they took advantage of it, and it ended up costing us the game.”
– John Gruden
The Toronto Marlies paid the price for another sluggish start and a weak finish against a Charlotte team that punished them for defensive mistakes. Offensively, the Marlies didn’t do nearly enough to test the Checkers’ netminder through 60 minutes en route to a 3-2 loss.
First Period
The Marlies didn’t heed the early warning signs as Dennis Hildeby produced a quality save on Trevor Carrick just 30 seconds into the game. The teams then exchanged power play opportunities with no success before Charlotte opened the scoring with nine minutes remaining.
It was a goal you could see coming, as Charlotte generated a minute of sustained offensive-zone pressure leading to a sloppy D-to-D play between Henry Thrun and Vinny Borgesi and a goal by Jack Devine, who was wide open in the slot and finished far-side on Hildeby.
The Marlies‘ inability to establish a forecheck fed into Charlotte’s strength: a fast transition game. The Marlies recorded just four shots in the opening frame, with only one a Grade-A scoring chance. William Villeneuve’s stretch pass from the Toronto goal line sent Ryan Tverberg on a breakaway, but with only Cooper Black to beat, the Checkers netminder turned aside the backhand attempt.
Hildeby made two critical saves on Ben Steeves and Eamon Powell to keep the game close heading into the first intermission.
Second Period
The Marlies took the game to Charlotte in the middle frame in a much more evenly contested period.
Establishing an early forecheck generated a chance in the left circle for Henry Thrun, but the defenseman didn’t take advantage of a high-danger opportunity. On the same shift, Alex Nylander and Villenueve didn’t make good on additional quality looks.
Charlotte’s speed once again caught Toronto cold, leading to a 2v1. Hunter St. Martin cut inside Henry Thrun and shot it, but Hildeby produced a brilliant blocker save.
That appeared to be a big missed opportunity when Toronto tied the game two minutes later on a nothing play. Luke Haymes contested an offensive-zone draw in the left circle, but the puck went nowhere as sticks clashed. The Marlies’ rookie reacted quickest, sending the puck toward the net and through Cooper Black’s short side.
Hoisted up to second-line duties, Cedric Paré bungled two key potential scoring chances: He misplayed a 2v1, and on the same shift, an errant pass killed a promising attack.
The fourth line took over and drew a penalty with a brilliant shift that included crashing the net and drawing a penalty after the whistle. Toronto’s power play was not only non-existent offensively but also gave up two high-danger shorthanded chances to the Checkers. Sandis Vilmanis and Carrick forced Hildeby into more quality saves to prevent a bigger deficit.
The Marlies netminder made an even better save with three minutes remaining when Devine looked odds-on to score. Hildeby reached behind himself to claw the puck off the goal line following a terrible turnover in the slot by Marc Johnstone.
Villeneuve was assessed his second penalty of the period, and six seconds into the kill, a line scuffle ensued. Thrun was sent to the box for cross-checking, and it was the only infraction handed out. The result was Toronto facing a 3-on-5 penalty kill for 1:54, a huge opportunity for Charlotte to take the game away from the Marlies.
The Marlies not only battened down the hatches to stave off the two-man deficit but also struck to take the lead. Logan Shaw tipped away a cross-ice pass, chased down the loose puck, and showed a burst of speed to earn himself a clean breakaway. His low shot found its way through the goalie for a 5-on-3 shortie that should have been a momentum builder heading into the final frame…
Third Period
Tverberg was at the heart of some Grade-A opportunities that passed Toronto by inside the opening four minutes. Leading a 2v1, Tverberg probably should have shot but opted to pass to Paré, who whiffed on the chance. In a 2v2 situation, Tverberg turned his defender inside and sent a high shot, handcuffing Black. The netminder was fortunate to not only make the save but also send the puck clear of danger. On the same shift, Tverberg teed up Villenueve in the slot, but the defenseman didn’t bury his second high-danger chance of the game.
Hildeby continued to play his part, especially on the penalty kill. He turned aside four shots, including a top-class double save on former Marlie, Robert Mastrosimone.
The Marlies spoiled the efforts of their netminder with a poorly timed line change. The result was a 2v1, and Charlotte proved far more proficient in that department as Steeves scored top-shelf on a feed from Jack Studnicka.
With a single shot in the following six minutes, the game appeared to be meandering toward overtime, until Toronto presented Charlotte with the gift of a go-ahead goal.
Defensive-zone turnovers on the same shift by Paré and Villeneuve resulted in an elongated offensive zone shift for Charlotte and another defensive breakdown. Carrick was the beneficiary, burying while wide open in the slot.
Five minutes remained in regulation for the Marlies to pull up their boot straps. What followed wasn’t good enough as the Marlies recorded one shot against a goaltender who was clearly struggling in the game.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies went 0-for-2 on the power play and 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Toronto was outshot 30-17.
– Logan Shaw scored his first shot-handed goal this season. It was Toronto’s sixth goal while down a man. Only Rochester has scored fewer SH goals in the North Division this year.
– A .900 save percentage in this game for Dennis Hildeby doesn’t do his performance justice by any stretch of the imagination. Around 33% of the shots he faced were from the house as Charlotte got inside of the Marlies with regularity.
– Friday’s lineup:
Forwards
Nylander – Shaw – Lettieri
Paré – Haymes – Tverberg
Barbolini – Johnstone – Johnson
Sim – King – Buhr
Defensemen
Mermis – Villeneuve
Thrun – Borgesi
Smith – Chadwick
Goalies
Hildeby
Akhtyamov
