Vinni Borgesi scores first AHL goal, Toronto Marlies struggle to generate enough offense in home loss to Belleville

“It was a low-event game. I felt like we weren’t on our game for the first eight minutes. We allowed them to tiptoe their way in. We missed the net a lot, so that’s one area we are going to look at.”

– Steve Sullivan

You wouldn’t have guessed the Belleville Senators were the team playing their third game in under 72 hours. The Senators outworked the Marlies for stretches and limited the Marlies to 22 recorded shots. After outscoring some defensive issues so far this season, the Marlies couldn’t find the net enough at five-on-five.

First Period

An early Toronto power play wasn’t capitalized on, as Brendan Brisson fired wide, and Logan Shaw’s effort was easily handled. Belleville then took control at five-on-five and drew a penalty after hemming the Marlies in the defensive zone.

The Sens couldn’t capitalize on the power play but broke through at the eight-minute mark. After a defensive-zone turnover by the Marlies, Sammy Blais took a nice pass down low and roofed a shot past Artur Akhtyamov.

With his team needing a spark, Landon Sim found himself a dance partner. Sim comprehensively won the decision against Lucas Ellinas, which had the desired effect on his teammates. Grade-A chances for Aatu Räty, Ryan Tverberg, Ben Danford, and Brisson went begging, though. Jonas Johansson wasn’t tested enough, although the netminder rode his luck with two minutes remaining.

Brisson made a great defensive play, backchecking after Toronto turned the puck over high up the ice. The winger then surged up the left wing, cut across the crease, and beat Johansson but not the post in a frustrating opening period for the home fans.

Second Period

Belleville doubled its lead nine minutes into the middle frame on the power play. I’m not pinning this defeat on the officials — far from it. That said, the tripping penalty called on Marc Johnstone was ridiculous. The veteran forward lifted Scott Harrington’s stick, the defenseman collapsed to the ice like a sack of spuds, and the officials bought it hook, line, and sinker. The Marlies were scrambling back from a line change late in the penalty and couldn’t find their structure in time before they were punished by Phil Tomasino’s good finish.

After generating zilch in the first 10 minutes of the frame, Toronto required a spark. A drawn penalty and a power-play goal were just what the doctor ordered. Räty won the draw in the left circle back to Vinni Borgesi, who took a few strides to his right before beating Johansson over his blocker with a wicked wrist shot.

In a low-event frame, the Marlies generated two further opportunities to tie the game. Noah Chadwick struck the iron with a bomb from the left circle. Late in the period, Tverberg and Luke Haymes combined to good effect. Brisson was teed up in the slot, but the winger sent his effort wide.

Third Period

The anticipation was high when Toronto drew an early power play, but the energy was sucked out of the building as a desperate Belleville team outworked the Marlies. Toronto generated sporadic chances in the period, but the Senators weren’t put under concerted pressure.

Sim benefited from a defensive-zone turnover but didn’t bury his chance from close range. Borgesi and Chadwick’s consistent offensive threat caused problems, but neither could capitalize after an excellent shift by the youngsters.

At the midway mark, Artur Akhtyamov produced a great save on Kasper Halttunen. It felt like the type of save you could look back on as a game-changer, but it wasn’t to be, as Borya Valis and Brisson couldn’t shovel home rebound chances before Toronto pulled Akhtyamov. The push never got off the ground, as Belleville was handed a 2-on-0 on an empty net.

The game wasn’t quite over, as Brisson struck with 48 seconds remaining. Traffic in the crease and a sneaky low shot showed that Johansson was far from invincible. Interestingly, the Marlies restarted play with an extra attacker off the center-ice faceoff, and it immediately backfired after a lost draw. Scott Harrington scored from the red line as the Senators claimed two points in regulation.

Post Game Notes

• The Marlies’ four-game winning streak was snapped, moving them to 4-2-0 this season. Toronto went 1-for-4 on the power play without Vinni Lettieri and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
• Vinni Borgesi may have gotten his place in the lineup due to absences, but he’s grabbed the opportunity with both hands. His first AHL goal was a sweet finish, and it was a long time coming. It’s a small sample size, but the defenseman has four points (1G/3A) in three games. With a little more puck luck, Borgesi could have doubled that total. For such a green pro, he’s quite confident in possession and when activating offensively.
• “I think he gets better and better all over,” said Sullivan of Borgesi. “Obviously, we knew he was an offensive defenseman, but the way he defends with his feet, he’s got a good stick. He’s made an impact for us. A pleasant surprise in regard to him stepping in and fighting to stay in the lineup every single night. Happy for him that he gets his goal here because I thought he had some really good chances in the other games, too. Good for him.”
• There isn’t much to report regarding Dakota Joshua. He performed like a player who hasn’t played in a competitive game since April.
• Brendan Brisson extended his point streak to five games (7G/3A). Aside from the offense, he made a couple of smart defensive plays, which is encouraging. It’s clear through a handful of games that this is an area of his game where he and the coaches are focusing their attention.
• Ben Danford (5) and Ryan Tverberg (4) led the team in shots.
• Injury update: Matthew Barbolini (upper body, day-to-day); Cole McWard (lower body, day-to-day).

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Game Highlights: Senators 4 vs. Marlies 2

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