“It starts right away by us taking advantage of a power play. We set the tone with everyone, not just a few [players]. We’ve done a good job of staying out of the box, staying disciplined, and defending. All of our transition is coming from our good D-zone coverage, and we have to continue that moving forward. We were connected. It’s good that we see when we are playing like that, what the result may be.”
– John Gruden
“Sticking the gas pedal all the way and keep going and building on what we did in our second game. We played great hockey the whole game.”
– Alex Nylander on the message from the coaching staff ahead of Game 3
“Being able to play with the lead and dictate the pace of the game is definitely a recipe we want to follow. So to be able to get on them early and have the power play capitalize was huge.”
– Henry Thrun
This 6-2 victory had shades of the Toronto Marlies‘ 2018 Calder Cup team. From the opening faceoff, where Laval committed a high-sticking infraction, the Marlies stomped on the opponent’s throat and rarely let them up for air. After trailing 1-0 in the series and 2-0 in Game 2, Toronto is now one win away from completing a minor upset and progressing to the third round.
First Period
Logan Shaw has brought his A-game through these playoffs, desperate to finally taste some post-season success. When Lucas Condotta was assessed a double-minor penalty for high-sticking on the opening faceoff, the Marlies captain was chomping at the bit to deliver an early blow. Off the faceoff, Vinni Lettieri found Shaw with some room in the slot, where the captain buried just 11 seconds into the opening frame. The Coca-Cola Coliseum was rocking, and the home team rode the momentum from that point forward.
In the second half of the penalty, the Marlies didn’t test Kaapo Kähkönen, with Noah Chadwick’s redirected shot the only chance of note. Back at five-on-five, Laval mustered a small pushback, spending some time inside the Marlies‘ zone, but they only had Joshua Roy’s effort from the left faceoff dot to show for it. Artur Akhtyamov dealt comfortably with the shot and then watched on as Easton Cowan scored another beauty at the five-minute mark.
Marshall Rifai intercepted a pass deep in the defensive zone and found Cowan, who had space ahead of him. The rookie jumped on his horse, sped down the left wing, and cleanly beat Kähkönen far side from outside the faceoff dot.
It was then 3-0 inside eight minutes after Toronto again turned good defense into a dangerous attack. Strong puck pressure and a solid hit from Jacob Quillan resulted in a turnover that Cowan seized on before sending a pass to Ryan Tverberg in stride. With Quillan catching up for a 2v1, Quillan fired a one-timer back into the goalie, but Henry Thrun followed up on the play to steer the puck across the goal line with a dislodged net. After a review, the goal stood, as the Rocket knocked the net off its moorings before the puck crossed the line.
Akhtyamov was instrumental in killing off a penalty by Marc Johnstone, making three key saves and then another on Jared Davidson once Toronto returned to five skaters.
After three goals in eight minutes, the home crowd only needed to wait until the 15-minute mark for the fourth and final Toronto tally of the opening frame. A solid forecheck by Alex Nylander kicked it off, and the resulting turnover fell to Dakota Mermis, who found Luke Haymes in space in the middle of the offensive zone. Haymes opted for an in-tight pass to Nylander, who was initially stopped, but the save sent the puck into midair, where Nylander batted the puck by the Laval netminder with a finish his brother — watching from the stands — would have been proud to produce.
This was an emphatic first-period performance in which the Marlies dominated every facet of the game.
Second Period
The Rocket switched goalies to begin the period, with Hunter Shepard taking over between the pipes.
The Marlies were a little sloppy in the opening two minutes and a little fortunate not to pay a price. Davidson fired wide on a partial break 30 seconds in, and Akhtyamov stopped Laurent Dauphin and Sammy Blais from close range.
The Marlies regrouped and began to create scoring chances in transition once again. Tverberg’s soft hands allowed him to settle a lofted stretch pass and generate a 2v1 opportunity. He sent a reverse pass to Quillan, but Shepard made the save.
Laval’s power play was shut down by the Toronto penalty kill for a second time as the Rocket struggled to find their way back into the game. The Marlies, meanwhile, continued to pile on the pressure.
A fantastic defensive play by Reese Johnson resulted in Cowan speeding through the middle of the ice to generate another 2v1 alongside the veteran forward. Cowan chose pass, but Johnson couldn’t bury past Shepard.
When Toronto finally scored a fifth, it was well worth the wait. William Villeneuve’s area pass appeared to have a little too much weight on it, but Tverberg’s burst of speed and outstretched stick allowed him to corral the puck. Tverberg got Shepard to bite hard on a backhand-forehand move before depositing it into the net.
The only disappointment of the frame came when the Marlies switched off a minute later, conceding a goal almost directly from a defensive-zone faceoff. After losing the draw, Dauphin was stopped by Akhtyamov, only for Alex Belzile to finish off the rebound with Toronto defenders late to react.
The Marlies had opportunities to restore their five-goal lead on the power play. Credit to Shepard, who pulled off brilliant saves on Tverberg and Nylander.
Third Period
With the game over as a contest, Laval inevitably opted for the dark arts in the final period. Tyler Thorpe tripped Michael Pezzetta while waiting for the puck to drop at a neutral-zone draw, and the Toronto forward laughed at Thorpe as he headed to the box. Florian Xhekaj restored to his usual M.O., and Johnson was in no mood to mince words. The pair were both sent to the sin bin for roughing. Laval took a third penalty in six minutes after Dauphin was called for slashing.
Haymes should have made them pay with half an empty net to aim at, but his one-time shot went narrowly wide of the left post after a great feed by Noah Chadwick. Haymes was enjoying himself offensively and linked up with Nylander shortly afterward, but the pair got in a little too tight on a 2v1 chance.
With nine minutes remaining, the Marlies gave up a second goal after a lost battle below the goal line. An unmarked Owen Beck scored from the slot.
The Marlies weren’t going to give Montreal’s affiliate the final word, striking for a sixth time three minutes later. Nifty work from Haymes along the right wall freed him up to feed Cédric Paré in the high slot. After flubbing so many high-danger chances in the playoffs to date, Paré sent a catch-and-release shot right through Shepard. His two previous goals were a puck hitting him and then a shorthanded empty-net goal, so this one must have felt good for a centerman not known for his scoring prowess.
The Marlies should have scored the touchdown, but additional chances for Quillan and Cowan weren’t buried, not that it really mattered.
Xhekaj and Pezzetta went head-to-head in the final seconds, ending the night for both. The pair showed vastly different body language when heading for their respective locker rooms, as Pezzetta shared a laugh with Landon Sim on his way down the tunnel.
Post Game Notes
– With six playoff points (2G/4A), Easton Cowan is now second in AHL rookie scoring this postseason. His goal was another quality finish, but more importantly, this was another excellent all-round performance. Another sign of his high hockey IQ, he’s quickly adapted to his new environment as the playoffs have progressed and is now a true impact player for the Marlies.
– Special teams remained in the Marlies’ favour: 2-for-2 on the penalty kill, and 1-for-5 on the power play.
– Artur Akhtyamov is now 3-1-0 in the post-season with a .929 save percentage.
– Stepping up from the blue line offensively, William Villeneuve picked up a pair of helpers in this game and now has five in the last two games. The defenseman is second in team playoff scoring (1G/6A).
– Logan Shaw recorded Toronto’s fastest goal in playoff history by scoring 11 seconds into the first period. It was the captain’s fourth goal of the playoffs and sixth point.
– Secondary scoring: Cédric Paré has a goal in each game of this series against Laval.
– Pointless in the Rochester series, Luke Haymes has found another gear versus Laval. He produced a pair of assists in this game to give him four points in the series (1G/3A).
– Alex Nylander recorded his first playoff point by scoring Toronto’s fourth goal.
– Ryan Tverberg registered his first professional multi-point playoff game with a goal and an assist.
– Game 4 is Tuesday night, 7 p.m. EST puck drop at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. Get out and support your Marlies.
– Game 3 lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Quillan – Tverberg
Pare – Haymes – Nylander
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Johnson
Defensemen
Rifai – Thrun
Mermis – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Sharpe
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
