“He has been a breath of fresh air for us. He brings a lot of jam and energy. He is making plays. He is doing his job and is doing a really good job in his role. He brings a lot of jam to the group, and it couldn’t be more fitting for a guy like that. We talked about more traffic and getting in front of the goaltender. They did exactly that, getting pucks through.”
– John Gruden on Landon Sim
“That is what big-time players do. He is a gamer. It is not always going to go your way. That happens. It is part of hockey. But the way he bounced back and started to make little plays… He and his line started to have some good offensive-zone time. Good for him to get on the board. When goal scorers are confident and it goes in, they get a little bit more confident. Good for him. It is a good bounce-back for a young, talented hockey player.”
– John Gruden on Easton Cowan
Following the disappointment of consecutive home defeats, the Toronto Marlies produced a dominant performance in front of a packed crowd at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Game 5. Redemption for the star rookie, production from the veterans, stellar goaltending, and a first-star performance from a young fourth-liner highlighted a massive Game 5 victory that puts the Toronto Marlies one win away from the Calder Cup Final.
First Period
With the series tied 2-2 and so much on the line, the opening period was a cagey affair.
Landom Sim generated the first high-danger chance for Toronto with a drive around the net and a wraparound attempt, but Sergei Murashov shut the door.
The Penguins had a potential opening goal denied by an excellent glove save from Artur Akhtyamov at the five-minute mark. William Villeneuve blew a tire defending the rush, but the Marlies‘ goaltender made yet another timely save this postseason. Akhtyamov made two more excellent stops on Gabe Klassen and Rutger McGroarty to keep the Penguins off the board in the opening frame.
The Marlies‘ new-look second line generated four shots in 20 seconds, drawing a penalty in the process, with Ryan Tverberg’s chance from the side of the crease the best opportunity of the sequence.
The Marlies didn’t generate anything of note with the extra skater but also killed off a late penalty to wrap up a scoreless first period.
Second Period
If the opening frame lacked drama, the second period more than made up for it.
A giveaway by Ben Danford went unpunished just 20 seconds in as Akhtyamov produced a tremendous double save on Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. Just over a minute later, Logan Shaw stripped a WBS defenseman of the puck and teed up Vinni Lettieri in the slot. Normally lethal in those situations, the veteran didn’t get all of it, and Murashov made a comfortable glove save.
Bo Groulx then nearly produced a moment of magic to open the scoring. After controlling a lofted breakout pass through the neutral zone, Groulx surged between two WBS defensemen and in alone on goal, but Murashov prevented what would’ve been a highlight-reel goal.
The officiating was far from highlight-reel calibre for the umpteenth time in this series. Cédric Paré was assessed a slashing penalty—a weak call—seconds after he was the victim of a clear high stick. Lettieri’s stick was knocked from his hands late in the first period without a call, as the refs maintained an inconsistent standard that frustrated players and fans alike.
Making matters worse, Mikhail Ilyin sniped home a power-play goal from the left circle to open the scoring.
Impressively, it took Toronto just 49 seconds to respond. A strong cycle resulted in Landom Sim redirecting a point shot from Ben Danford to tie the game.
The home crowd began to lose patience with the officials after two more calls went against the Marlies. Groulx was penalized for a marginal cross-check moments after WBS appeared to go offside. Paré was clearly held below the Penguins’ goal line by Scooter Brickey for several seconds after the puck had left the area. Next, a questionable icing call against Toronto led directly to a great chance for Chase Pietila; Akhtyamov turned him aside and later made a stunning save on Bill Zonnon during the penalty kill.
Incredibly, the officials then called a holding infraction on Brickey, far less obvious than the one committed against Paré. As Todd Crocker remarked on the broadcast, “Make it make sense.”
The Marlies capitalized on the man advantage to take the lead. It was hardly a textbook power-play goal. Easton Cowan somewhat mishandled a pass on the entry play, only for the puck to bounce through to a surging Groulx in the left circle. With few options available, Groulx lifted a shot into the shortside top corner.
Akhtyamov remained dialed between the pipes, making quality saves on Atley Calvert and McDonough.
Searching for an insurance goal, the Marlies came close late in the period. Alex Nylander tore apart the Penguins’ defense, sending Paré in alone, but Murashov came up with another key save.
Third Period
“I cost my team the game. I’ve got to be better, and I will be Friday.”
— Easton Cowan on his mistake in Game 4
The Marlies blew the game open with two goals in the first five minutes of the third period.
The first was a moment of brilliance from Cowan. After picking up the puck in the defensive zone, he drove up the left wing and pulled a silky toe drag around a flailing Chase Pietila before snapping a low shot through Murashov.
Redemption? Certainly. More importantly, it broke the Penguins’ spirit. Cowan’s goal and exuberant celebration energized the crowd, and the Marlies roared to a fourth goal moments later.
A WBS own-zone fumble allowed Lettieri to break in on goal, but Murashov got the better of him again. Lettieri kept the play alive for Groulx, who picked out Thrun at the far side. Thrun’s low shot created a big rebound off Murashov’s pads, and Logan Shaw buried the puck on his second attempt in the ensuing scramble.
The Penguins didn’t generate much of a pushback offensively for the remainder of the game, although they attempted to leave their mark physically. A dangerous cross-check from behind by Avery Hayes on Sim resulted in a game misconduct. Seconds later, Harvey-Pinard cross-checked William Villeneuve three times in the head, somehow resulting in roughing the minors and game misconduct for both players as the Toronto defenseman attempted to defend himself. Joona Koppanen and Groulx also ended up in the penalty box as the Penguins tried to take a pound of flesh ahead of Game 6.
After a brawl near the benches, Sim, Cowan, Tanner Howe, and Brickey were also ejected. On the ensuing 5-on-3 power play, Luke Haymes struck the crossbar as a hockey game interrupted fight night briefly.
Michael Pezzetta was the next player sent for an early shower after doling out some justice of his own, and that proved to be the final penalty of the game.
With WBS on the power play and Murashov pulled for an extra attacker, Marshall Rifai sealed the victory with a long-range empty-net goal.
The Toronto Marlies are now one win away from the Calder Cup Final as the series shifts back to Pennsylvania.
Post-Game Notes
– “It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”
That’s how you respond to a situation like the mistake in Game 4. Easton Cowan is tied for the league lead in rookie playoff scoring with 12 points (6G, 6A). Skating on a revamped second line, he drove play alongside two relatively inexperienced playoff performers in Luke Haymes and Ryan Tverberg.
– Borya Valis has needed to bide his time during this playoff run, entering the lineup only when injuries created opportunities. His physicality and direct style provided a spark for Toronto in this game.
– A juggled lineup also resulted in Landom Sim moving to the fourth line in place of Reese Johnson. It proved to be the right call by John Gruden. Sim was a pest throughout the game, getting under the Penguins’ skin without taking a penalty through the first 40 minutes. He was defensively responsible while also generating offense from his opening shift. His teammates clearly feed off his effort and work ethic, and the home crowd does as well. The only disappointment was that he was unable to take the ice for a loop after he was named the game’s first star, due to the ejection.
– For the Marlies to reach this stage of the playoffs, many would have expected a larger offensive impact would’ve been required from Bo Groulx. His game-winning goal was just his ninth point overall through 17 games. However, his all-around game is starting to flourish again. Groulx now has three points in his last three games (2G, 1A) after going pointless in the previous five.
– I’m running out of superlatives for Artur Akhtyamov. He showed zero signs of second-guessing himself after allowing four goals in each of his previous two starts. If anything, he knuckled down and brought his best in a critical moment in the series. The Russian netminder stopped 32 shots to record his 10th postseason win (.923).
– Matt Benning returned from injury, and his calming presence on the blue line was a welcome addition. The Marlies will need his stability and reliability if they hope to take the final step.
– John Gruden on Jacob Quillan‘s status: “Day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Hopefully, we’ll get some news and get him back. If not, we want to make sure he’s healthy first and foremost. I think we might be getting him back soon, but we’ll listen to the trainers and his body and go from there.”
– Game 5 lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Haymes – Tverberg
Valis – Paré – Nylander
Sim – Johnstone – Pezzetta
Defensemen
Thrun – Benning
Mermis – Villeneuve
Rifai – Danford
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
