Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 4-2 victory over the WBS Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final.
On starting the fourth line (Pezzetta-Johnston-Johnson) to begin the game, and the line coming through with the game-winner in the third period:
They’re the heartbeat of our team at times. When we need them, we see what happened in the third period there. That is twice now that they’ve had big third-period moments. They just bring a lot of life, on and off the ice, and mean so much to our team.
Johnstone is coming back from an injury and has played here. I know how much it means to him. For them to go out there and set the tone for this group is what makes this group so special.
They’re hunters on the puck. They move pucks quickly. They get to the front of the net. They simplify things, but they’re so effective at what they do. It is a huge boost for our group. They do a lot of the driving and heavy lifting out there. Good for them to get rewarded with a goal.
PEZZ LETS IT FLYYYY
Michael Pezzetta scores to make it 3-2! pic.twitter.com/ZOiJpA0nX3
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) May 28, 2026
On the power play scoring a big goal in the second period:
I thought Mark Giordano did a really good job of finding a couple of things we could exploit and executing it. They did exactly that. The [Penguins] have a good PK and have been good in the postseason. At the end of the day, the power plays are going to be few and far between. We have to make them pay for those huge momentum swings.
I thought our PK was outstanding as well. We got a couple of breakaways.
Again, a lot of credit to Mike Dyck and Mark Giordano.
On opening up a 1-0 series lead on the road:
It is huge. I thought we played really well in moments today, but we still know how dangerous they are in their transition game. We got a little cute on a few shifts there, but again, it is a bend-don’t-break mentality, and when it matters the most, our group finds a way to show up.
On how the Marlies limited the Penguins’ transition/rush threat:
At the end of the day, we know they’ll get their chances and have their moments, but when they transition from only 100 feet, it is a lot harder to defend against. It’s a quick strike. It is usually off turnovers in the middle of the ice. But if you make them go 200, they just can’t get the same transition and speed, so we can get above them more and get more into our structure.
We will take a look at it. We can still clean up a few things. They’re a dangerous hockey team, and this series is far from over. We can be better. But again, it is huge for us to get the win.
Every series has its own identity. Including Rochester, this is our fourth. Every team brings something different and unique. The focus still has to be on our group, but it definitely was a feeling-out process where there wasn’t much going on. I thought our first five was really good, not giving them much of anything until they grabbed some momentum out of the power play.
This is a best-of-seven, and there is a lot of hockey to be played, but it’s definitely a great win for our group.
On William Villeneuve playing his best hockey as a pro and his growth through the playoffs:
He moves the puck well, and his decision-making has been really good. He is like a quarterback back there. You get a lot of pressure… He is making simple plays. He is doing a really good job of taking hits to make plays. He’s grown a lot, and that is really good to see. He is a great kid, a great teammate, and is loved by his teammates. For him to have this type of success is very big for our group.
VILLY BOMB!!! 💣
William Villeneuve scores on the power-play to give us the 2-1 lead! pic.twitter.com/wvcBy1tPM0
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) May 28, 2026
