“We didn’t do a very good job executing our game plan. When you’re connected and willing to simplify things, everything happens naturally. But if you want to go off script, do it your way and freelance, not much gets done. It’s a good lesson for them, but they should already know this. This is playoff hockey. Playoff hockey is supposed to be hard. I know our group will bounce back, but it’s a little disappointing.”
– John Gruden
For the first time since 2013, the Toronto Marlies were shut out in a playoff game in Rochester, and now it comes down to a winner-takes-all Game 3 in Toronto on Sunday at 4 p.m. EST.
First Period
The warning signs were apparent from the opening minute when Artur Akhtyamov was forced into a sharp right-pad save to rob Carson Meyer.
The Marlies responded positively after surviving the early scare and started to take the game to the Amerks. Alex Nylander should have scored after snatching the puck in the slot area. He was patient, but his shot glanced off Devon Levi’s glove to send the puck over the crossbar.
Jacob Quillan and Luke Haymes then combined to generate a partial breakaway for the latter. Infringed as he was about to pull the trigger, Haymes’s shot was dealt with by Levi, but he earned Toronto the first power play of the game in the process.
The Marlies mustered nothing with the extra skater — after decisively winning the special-teams battle in Game 1, Toronto went 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill — and from the midway point of the period, Rochester dictated the pace of play. Akhtyamov was forced into a pair of quality saves on Konsta Helenius and Anton Wahlberg as Rochester carved Toronto’s defense open.
It was of little surprise when the Amerks opened the scoring on their first opportunity with the extra skater. With traffic at the top of the crease, Helenius scored with a shot from the top of the circles seconds after winning the opening draw.
It went from bad to worse for the Marlies after Meyer was afforded a little too much time and space in the high slot and made it 2-0.
Despite being largely second-best, the Marlies continued to generate chances to get themselves back into the game. Ryan Tverberg was stopped by a spectacular, if somewhat fortunate, right skate save by Levi. On an ensuing power play, Groulx was also robbed from point-blank range and then sent the rebound wide of the target.
Second Period
In search of a goal to get themselves back in the game, the Marlies generated just a pair of Grade-A chances. Quillan’s effort from the slot rattled between the pads of Levi but stayed out, and Tverberg didn’t bury another breakaway chance.
As the Marlies pressed, Rochester used their speed in transition to create three high-danger scoring chances. Akhtyamov stopped Wahlberg, Red Savage, and Olivier Nadeau to ensure the middle frame remained goalless.
Third Period
If the Marlies had halved the deficit at the five-minute mark, perhaps the Amerks might’ve cracked, but Haymes couldn’t beat Levi from close range after good work from Matt Benning.
Three minutes later, the Amerks scored a third on a Vsevolod Komarov point shot past a screened Akhtyamov, who needed to come up with a save on at least one of these Amerks goals by this point to keep his team in the game (not that it would’ve ultimately mattered with zero goal support).
When Borya Valis fired wide on a rebound from Noah Chadwick’s point shot, Rochester knew victory was theirs. The Marlies wasted a power play and squandered a series of late chances after pulling Akhtyamov for the extra attacker.
Ryan Johnson’s empty-net goal was the cherry on top for Rochester as they kept the series alive, forcing a winner-takes-all encounter back in Toronto.
Does Gruden go back to Akhtyamov in net, or does he bet on Dennis Hildeby’s experience in a do-or-die Game 3?
“It’s a Game 7, so we’re going to have to make sure we’re dialed, ready to go, and understand what it’s going to take.”
– John Gruden
– Game 2’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Tverberg – Nylander
Quillan – Haymes – Valis
Pezzetta – Paré – Johnstone
Defensemen
Rifai – Thrun
Mermis – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Benning
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
