“We got our team back. They found their confidence. They found their mojo. And I knew they would. We’ve said it all year and all playoffs long: When their backs are against the wall, it brings out the best in them. I guess that is a good trait to have when your team is on the brink of losing.
“We just have to bring it again. We’ve got to bottle it up, understand what was successful, make sure we get our rest, enjoy the win, and make sure we are ready to go on Sunday.”
– John Gruden
As recommended in our piece after Game 3, John Gruden shook up the lines — including Bo Giroux at center, with Easton Cowan and Ryan Tverberg — and worked out a better matchup plan on home ice. The Marlies responded with their best performance since the Laval series. Aided by another outstanding performance from goaltender Artur Akhtyamov, Toronto never looked back after scoring the crucial opening goal en route to a 5-2 victory.
First Period
The Marlies‘ new-look fourth line, with an injection of rookie Landon Sim’s moxie, made an immediate impact. Sim made a nuisance of himself and was hauled down behind the Cleveland net, drawing a penalty inside three minutes. Jacob Quillan nullified the penalty halfway through, but the Marlies were feeling good about themselves and got the crowd into it early. Toronto killed the abbreviated penalty, with Akhtyamov making one key save on Owen Sillinger.
Finally, the Monsters weren’t allowed to dominate possession and zone time as in the previous three games. Cleveland was ahead on the shot clock, but most of it came from the perimeter.
The first goal was always going to be critical in a must-win game for the Marlies. Finding a breakthrough on the power play was doubly important, as the Monsters paid the price for more shenanigans after the whistle.
William Villenueve made a slick play at the blue line to free up Ryan Tverberg in space in the high slot, where a confident Tverberg didn’t hesitate. He took a stride and ripped the puck into the roof of the net, beating Zach Sawchenko blocker side.
Sim continued to be a nuisance to the Monsters and was targeted by Riley Bezeau; despite a clear intent to injure away from the puck, which probably should have ended his game, the Cleveland forward was assessed a five-minute major for interference. Reese Johnson was assessed a slashing penalty on the same play in one of many dubious decisions by the officiating crew in this game.
A giveaway by Vinni Lettieri during 4v4 action wasn’t costly thanks to Akhtyamov stonewalling Justin Pearson from the left circle. The stripes then leveled up proceedings by assessing Tverberg a hooking penalty, but Toronto was content to head into the intermission up 1-0.
Second Period
The middle frame resembled the first period as Cleveland led the shot clock with a plethora of shot attempts from distance.
After killing the remainder of Tverberg’s penalty, the Marlies generated the first chance of the period. Sim made a nice play in the neutral zone, allowing Johnson to race across the blue line with a head of steam and some space available, but he couldn’t solve Sawchenko.
Cleveland’s three high-danger chances in the second period were all taken care of by Akhtyamov (on Hudson Fasching, Mikael Pyyhtiä, and Pearson), and the Russian netminder gave up no second opportunities on the other nine shots he faced.
Easton Cowan didn’t capitalize on a 2v1 after choosing the right option to shoot, but any disappointment there was short-lived. On a disjointed power-play effort, Tverberg was again instrumental in Toronto’s second goal. He charged down Guillaume Richard’s ill-advised exit through the slot, freeing the puck up to Luke Haymes, who set up Alex Nylander to score from close range.
A late penalty to Bo Groulx wasn’t costly as Toronto allowed just one shot against and kept the 2-0 lead intact.
Third Period
Cleveland began throwing a little more caution to the wind in the early shifts of the final frame. Both teams had chances to score at the four-minute mark as the two goaltenders survived flurries around the blue paint.
After Nylander and Haymes went close, the Marlies found the crucial third goal. The revamped top line featuring Cedric Paré, Logan Shaw, and Lettieri recovered possession with a hunger sorely missing from the series to date. Henry Thrun was the recipient of the puck at the point, where his rising shot found a way past Sawchenko, with the help of a screen provided by two Cleveland defenders.
Akhtyamov reserved his best for a Cleveland power play with Tverberg back in the box for another dubious penalty decision. The Monsters worked the puck to Williams at point-blank range, only for the Russian netminder to pull off two spectacular, athletic saves. Akhtyamov also produced a great stop on Brendan Gaunce, which in all likelihood took any remaining air out of the Cleveland sails.
At the other end, Toronto took that momentum and went hunting for another insurance marker. Sawchenko robbed Haymes, producing his best save of the game from in tight before Quillan stepped up with seven minutes remaining. A drive into the middle of the ice and a well-placed shot gave Quillan his first of the playoffs and put the game out of reach.
Williams broke the shutout bid inside the final three minutes, but any thoughts of a comeback were dispelled by an empty-net goal from Tverberg after strong work by Quillan.
A brawl with 71 seconds remaining foreshadowed something more violent shortly afterward. After Luca Del Bel Belluz scored on the power play to make it a 5-2 game, all hell broke loose behind Toronto’s net from the restart. A high cross-check by Luca Pinelli was the catalyst, and by that point, the Marlies were done with Cleveland’s antics. Gloves flew off after Marshall Rifai responded in kind, and even Tverberg got involved, albeit he showed why he’s not a fighter.
For the third straight playoff series, the Marlies will play a winner-takes-all deciding game. They won’t be the favourites away from home, but if Toronto can build on this type of performance, another upset could be in the cards in Game 5.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies’ two best players in this series delivered huge performances in a do-or-die situation. Artur Akhtyamov turned aside 36 shots and deserved a shutout while once again outplaying Zach Sawchenko. Offensively, a three-point haul (2G/1A) for Ryan Tverberg moves him into a tie for the team lead in postseason goals (five). Alongside Easton Cowan and Bo Groulx, Tverberg was a constant problem for Cleveland throughout the game and has been the Marlies’ most consistent contributor in the series outside of the crease.
– Jacob Quillan got the monkey off his back with a first playoff goal. He’s looked out of sorts at times during the postseason, but this performance was closer to his best hockey.
– A first AHL point for Ben Danford came via a primary assist on Quillan’s goal. This was his most mature performance yet, and it’s impressive to see him quickly learning on the job in high-stakes games. His decision-making is beyond his years, and it’s evident why the coaching staff didn’t hesitate to throw him into pro playoff action so quickly; he’s maybe not an offensive dynamo, but he’s physically sturdy, skates and moves the puck well, and has a good head for the game. Also deserving of a shoutout is Noah Chadwick, who made up the second half of the Marlies’ rookie third defense pairing that acquitted itself well.
– Hello, Landon Sim. Thrown into his first AHL playoff game, Sim knew his role. He came in like a wrecking ball, drawing a penalty on his first shift of the game and carrying that effort throughout the 60 minutes. Somewhere, Rich Clune was looking on with pride.
– Game 4 lineup:
Forwards
Paré – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Groulx – Tverberg
Quillan – Haymes – Nylander
Pezzetta – Johnson – Sim
Defensemen
Thrun – Rifai
Mermis – Villeneuve
Chadwick – Danford
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
