“They flipped the script on us. They’re a really good team. The close-out one is the hardest. They got to their game early and got that early goal. They got some life. We never recovered from that. We just seemed flat. I’ll look into a couple of things, but we didn’t have our energy… We just didn’t have it.”
– John Gruden
After composing five outstanding periods to take a 2-1 series lead, the Toronto Marlies produced a disappointingly toothless performance with a close-out opportunity in Game 4. Undoubtedly, and predictably, Laval found another gear with their season on the line, and the Marlies simply didn’t match it. Toronto’s best opportunity to win this series was on home ice, and frankly, they blew the chance in ugly fashion: a 4-0 loss in which they were outshot 32-18. Now, whether they can dig in and respond on Saturday in Game 5 will decide their season.
First Period
The Marlies handed Laval the perfect start, offering them the opening goal on a silver platter. On a partial breakaway, Jacob Quillan was stopped and collected his own rebound. As he skated up the wall toward the offensive blue line, Quillan didn’t take care of the puck in a critical area of the ice and was dispossessed by Belzile, who went on a breakaway and roofed it with 46 seconds off the clock.
In a flat first 20 minutes, the Marlies rarely threatened offensively. Quillan had one chance on a power play, and there was a scoring opportunity for Luke Haymes late in the frame, but this was a comfortable period for Rocket goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen.
While they dictated the pace of play and spent extended periods in the offensive zone, Laval generated just three further high-danger scoring chances. After allowing an early goal, Artur Akhtyamov stayed composed and turned aside David Reinbacher, Sammy Blais, and Joshua Roy on those looks.
Second Period
The Marlies mustered little pushback and took an early penalty to immediately put themselves on the back foot in the middle frame. Akhtyamov was holding the fort down well until a bad-angle shot from Sammy Blais found its way through. It’s possible the puck took a deflection, but to allow a goal from that area of the ice was a kick in the teeth for a team with no momentum in the first place.
The Marlies created some chances in the final eight minutes but failed to convert any into a comeback attempt. The best of them fell to Cédric Paré alone at the doorstep with just the netminder to beat. Ryan Tveberg fired wide from a promising position in the slot, and Marc Johnstone rattled the inside of the post on a delayed penalty in an otherwise comfortable 20 minutes for Kähkönen.
During a spell of four-on-four, Laval found a third goal, essentially sealing Toronto’s fate. Blais coasted down to the hashmarks and rifled a shot by Akhtyamov, and it felt like the white flag had been waved by this point.
Third Period
John Gruden switched up his lines and swapped goaltenders, with Dennis Hildeby entering the game for the final frame. It made little difference after what transpired 2:36 into the third period.
A misplay by Alex Nylander high in the offensive zone led to a 2v1 for Laval, which they executed to perfection. Laurent Dauphin scored his team’s fourth goal while shorthanded. It was a rough introduction to the game for Hildeby, but the Swedish netminder excelled for the remainder of the frame, making a handful of top-notch saves to prevent a complete blowout.
The game finished with a plethora of penalties as both teams took some shots at one another ahead of Game 5, and the officials handed out 10-minute penalties like confetti at a wedding.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies lost this game due to their own disconnectedness and lack of jump. That said, the officials’ performance was also dreadful. After calling Laval for almost every infraction in the previous two games, this was a return to old-school playoff officiating in which only egregious penalties were called. It certainly favoured Laval’s brand of hockey, and at times, they got away with murder in this game. As much as Toronto needs to be better in Game 5, they’ll need to pray the officials are, too.
– Dennis Hildeby has to start Game 5, and that’s no knock on Artur Akhtyamov. The organization wants (and should want) to give AA playoff exposure, but there is also a balance to be struck. Hildeby has done nothing wrong in the playoffs this season, and I’d bank on his experience in such a key game.
“We’ve relied on two goalies, and we said, hey, let’s maybe get a jumpstart with a new goalie by getting Dennis some time,” said Gruden.
– Toronto’s all-time record in winner-takes-all elimination games is 5-3. Winning in Laval, facing an overwhelming home crowd and a team now full of confidence, will be no easy task. We will see what this team is made of Saturday afternoon with a 3 p.m. EST puck drop.
– Game 4 lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Quillan – Tverberg
Pare – Haymes – Nylander
Pezzetta – Johnstone – Johnson
Defensemen
Rifai – Thrun
Mermis – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Sharpe
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
