Räty’s first Marlies goal, Holinka’s first AHL assist, and other notable performances in a fourth-straight victory over Hamilton

Netminder Samuel Hlavaj was named the first star, but that doesn’t tell the full story of this 4-1 win over Hamilton, as the Toronto Marlies dominated the Hammers for most of the game.

The Marlies are now 4-0-0 against Hamilton this season.

First Period

Samuel Hlavaj produced a sharp early save on Matthew Highmore in an otherwise fairly quiet period for the netminder. The Marlies then scored twice in six minutes.

Landon Sim was at the heart of the first goal, delivering a big hit on Daylan Kuefler. The Hamilton forward took umbrage at the legal hit and dropped the gloves with Sim. In front of the Marlies’ bench, Sim pummelled his opponent, celebrating not only the takedown but also earning his team a power play.

From there, the Marlies opened the scoring on a beautifully worked play on a rush entry. Miroslav Holinka’s great pass through a seam found an in-stride Luke Haymes, who made a nice move around Vítek Vanecek.

The Marlies then doubled their lead, punishing Hamilton for their failure to clear the zone. Toronto cycled the puck up to the point, where Philippe Myers had plenty of space available to take a few strides in and fire a wrist shot. The puck hit Michael Pezzetta square in the midriff, but the veteran reacted quickly to finish it off.

The Marlies carried the play but didn’t create another Grade-A chance until the final five minutes. Ryan Tverberg drove down the right wing to create a slot chance for Brendan Brisson, but Vanecek made a sharp save and also turned aside subsequent attempts from Tverberg and Pezzetta.

The Marlies got a little sloppy in the final three minutes and relied on Hlavaj to stonewall Marshall Warren after a defensive-zone turnover. A soft slashing call on Ben Danford was especially frustrating late in the frame; the Marlies were clearly upset after obvious interference and high-sticking infractions against Borya Valis and Vinny Borgesi went uncalled.

Second Period

Toronto killed the penalty and asserted dominance at five-on-five. It was one-way traffic as Vanecek kept Hamilton in the game with good saves on Hayes Hundley, Aatu Räty, and Haymes.

The Marlies deserved a third goal and struck on the power play for the second time. Tverberg’s extra effort to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone paid off when Brendan Brisson found Räty with space in the slot. Vanecek got a piece of the shot, but the puck rolled over the goal line.

Down on a conditioning stint, Dakota Joshua hasn’t exactly impressed so far. He had one notable shift, and it followed the third goal. Using his length and strength on the puck to good effect, Joshua beat two defenders to work his way into the slot but saw his attempt turned away.

On the next shift, Hamilton got on the board. The Hammers worked the puck to the left point, where a seeing-eye long-range effort from Calle Odelius snuck past Hlavaj on the short side. It wasn’t a great look for the netminder, but after a second look, it’s possible it took a slight deflection on the way in.

The Marlies dodged a couple of bullets as the game moved past the midway mark. A pair of rare rookie mistakes from Danford resulted in high-danger chances for the Hammers. Hlavaj turned aside a Quinn Finley effort on a 2-on-1 and denied Brandon Scanlin from point-blank range.

Toronto responded the right way, generating chances for Hundley and Haymes. That was followed by a dominant shift lasting over a minute, during which the Marlies brought in fresh legs on the fly. Hamilton’s pushback had been quelled before Myers took a bad penalty, inviting more pressure. The Hammers hit the post, and a good pad stop denied Pierre Engvall. Hlavaj pulled off two more excellent saves before the intermission buzzer, first robbing Kuefler from close range and then stonewalling Ryan Healey on a breakaway after a brain cramp from Myers.

Third Period

The Marlies produced an almost perfect third-period performance. Another soft call, this time on Haymes, handed Hamilton a lifeline, but Toronto allowed just three shots on the ensuing penalty kill, and Hlavaj wasn’t put under any undue pressure.

The Marlies threatened offensively without taking unnecessary risks. Sim had two Grade-A chances but couldn’t bury either after excellent buildup play from Haymes and Hundley. At the other end, the Hammers were kept to the perimeter and finished the third period with just six shots.

Räty had the chance to cement the victory on a 2-on-1 break but didn’t dwell on the miss. With the Hamilton net empty, the Finnish native made the smart choice to chip the puck clear of the defensive zone without risking an icing. Marc Johnstone won the race for the loose puck and scored Toronto’s fourth, finalizing a 4-1 scoreline.

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Post-Game Notes

• The Marlies went 2-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. “I asked them not to care that they were 3-0 against Hamilton,” said Steve Sullivan. “Today was going to be its own thing, so pick up a little bit of the urgency away from the puck and have good starts. It was a team win, and our special teams were really, really good. Our goaltender kept us in there because we gave up some grade-As on line rushes against. Overall, we stuck to the game plan. Really good effort from all 20 guys.”
• Aatu Räty (1G, 1A) has seamlessly integrated himself into the team. The coaches trust him in all situations and move him up and down the lineup as needed. He’ll feel good about burying his first goal after several near misses. Four points (1G, 3A) in three games is a great start after coming over from the West Coast.
• Hayes Hundley continues to impress and deserves another mention. He registered his first professional point (the secondary assist on the opening goal), and more are sure to follow. He’s making high-percentage offensive decisions and clean breakout plays. Had Sim buried a chance or two in the third period, the defenseman could have left the game with a multi-point haul.
• Samuel Hlavaj delivered a strong outing, easily his best performance through four games. He’s still a little scrambly at times and sometimes loses his bearings. Expectations have to be dialed back after we were spoiled by one of the best goaltending tandems in the AHL last season. If he can consistently perform at this level, he’s a perfectly capable number two. “He is a very aggressive goaltender, and he puts a little confidence in our players,” said Sullivan. “He’s just very active back there. Our defensemen love the fact that he makes quick plays with the puck and keeps the play moving along. He has been outstanding for us.”
• I’m uncertain whether Dakota Joshua is taking it easy and saving himself for an NHL recall, but he hasn’t looked good through two games. Aside from one notable shift, he was again a non-factor offensively.
• Miroslav Holinka‘s first professional assist is worth a second watch. You can see his confidence visibly growing with every passing game. He might be on the fourth line right now, but he’ll certainly move up at some point this season. “Miro is really starting to come around, and I’m really excited about where he’s come from,” said Sullivan. “The first three or four games were a little bit rough, but we put him back in the middle of the ice and got him moving a little bit more, so he is kind of still skating his way out of things, and then his vision comes into play.”
• In my view, it’s the sensible, responsible call by the Leafs today to bring up the veteran Dakota Mermis as the team’s sixth D and 25-year-old Cole McWard as the 7th/extra rather than rushing Ben Danford to the big leagues right now, particularly into a game against Edmonton. We’re half a dozen games into October and just 22 games into Danford’s AHL career.

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Game Highlights: Marlies 4 vs. Hammers 1