“In the first 40 minutes, I thought we were kind of in quicksand. 20 hours on a bus coming home from Utica and Cleveland can do that to a team. I just like the way we played in the third. We played extremely well and had some good chances. Over the course of a season against a really good opponent, we got to find ways to win. We did exactly that, and I’m very proud of the players.”
– John Gruden
“Artie played really well tonight. Without him, we wouldn’t have won. He made those huge saves at the end there and in OT, so a huge thanks to him. [Syracuse] was forechecking us hard and winning pucks. We had some turnovers that allowed them to get their game going.”
– Alex Nylander
If not for the performance of Artur Akhtyamov, the Syracuse Crunch would have won this game comfortably after dominating the opening 40 minutes. The Marlies didn’t find their feet until the eighth minute of the third period, but find their feet they did, earning a tying goal and generating a chance to win it in regulation. That said, Akhtyamov needed to deliver more brilliance in the final moments of regulation and in overtime to “steal” a 2-1 victory for the Marlies.
First Period
Much of the talk after the game described it as a low-event affair. While that’s true of the first period, Syracuse generated enough high-danger chances to make up for the lack of shots.
The Crunch began brightly, testing Artur Akhtyamov three times in the opening 80 seconds. Nick Abruzzese, Mitchell Chaffee, and Ethan Samson were all stopped as Syracuse made an early push.
Alex Nylander’s drawn penalty halted the pressure, but Toronto’s power play was dreadful and gave up a 2v0. Jakob Pelletier intercepted William Villenueve’s pass and charged down the ice to tee up Brendan Furry on his right. Akhtyamov committed to the pass and made a brilliant glove save to his left.
The Marlies failed to record a shot with the extra skater on consecutive power plays, sucking the life out of the home crowd. Syracuse continuously hemmed Toronto in the defensive zone with extended cycles and forechecking pressure without turning it into any Grade-A scoring chances.
The Crunch did, however, draw consecutive penalties and make good on the second power play with 43 seconds remaining. There was a little good fortune about the goal as Abruzzese’s waist-high shot thudded into the midsection of Dylan Duke and found the back of the net.
Second Period
Syracuse came out of the blocks firing for a second time, but they couldn’t beat an inspired Akhtyamov. The netminder rejected Furry, Mitchell Chaffee, and Wojciech Stachowiak inside 45 seconds.
Akhtyamov prevented a second Syracuse power-play goal with a smart save on Connor Geekie, and he saved his best stop for the midway mark of the game. A stretch pass cut Toronto wide open, but Akhtyamov stretched out his right pad to deny Pelletier.
Syracuse barely recorded a shot to speak of in the second half of the frame, although they weren’t exactly clinging onto the lead. A backhand effort from Vinni Letteiri and a one-timer from Nylander on the power play were the only shots of note at the other end.
Third Period
Toronto killed off an early penalty before getting down to work and establishing a foothold in the game. Off the rush, Letteiri teed up Nylander for a shot from the high slot, and the rebound evaded Shaw, who would have had a tap-in.
The Marlies seemingly flipped the switch, and Shaw escaped on a partial breakaway. The captain shot wide, but Lettieiri recovered possession to tee up Bo Groulx, who also fired wide with Halverson way out of position following the initial shot.
A barnstorming shift from Michael Pezzetta and Reese Johnson on the forecheck allowed Toronto to bring fresh legs into the offensive zone on the fly. Pezzetta teed up a chance in the slot for Shaw, but the captain once again missed the target in a frustrating game for him offensively.
However, that shift led to the tying goal after the first line completed a full change. A relentless Marlie cycle led to Henry Thurn teeing up Groulx in the left circle, where the French forward snapped a one-timer by Halverson. The fired-up celebration told the story as the Marlies got their due rewards for a huge third-period pushback.
Toronto’s best chance to win the game in regulation came with two minutes remaining. Pezzetta found Johnson with a pinpoint feed through the slot, but Johnson failed to lift the puck from close range, allowing Halverson to make a left pad save.
The Marlies unravelled in the final seconds of regulation and needed to rely on their goaltender once more. Akhtyamov produced a brilliant blocker save and stayed in the fight as he faced three rebound attempts.
Overtime
The extra frame lasted less than two minutes but featured more action than you’ll see in many overtime periods that go the distance.
From the get-go, Akhtyamov produced quality saves on Stachowiak and Chaffee, and Groulx’s sharp reaction to bat the puck out of mid-air denied Chaffee a second chance.
At the other end, Villeneuve couldn’t capitalize on a partial breakaway, and Syracuse orchestrated a breakaway chance in response. Stachowiak was stonewalled again as Akhtyamov produced a solid right pad save while directing the rebound away from danger.
Some calm ensued with Toronto in possession, waiting for their moment before Nylander jumped over the boards. The Swedish forward anticipated Simon Lundmark pinching him against the left boards, banked the puck off the wall, and skated by the Syracuse defenseman. There was the passing option of Thrun at the far post, but Nylander lost control of the puck and opted to drive through the crease. He flubbed his first shot, which worked in his favour as Halverson bit on it, allowing Nylander to slide the puck by the netminder to clinch a remarkable victory.
The Marlies are now 17-13-1-1 this season after a fourth consecutive win.
Post Game Notes
– It’s been a while since a Marlies goaltender stole a game, so huge props to Artur Akhtyamov. This 34-save performance was easily one of his best this year. He’s won five straight starts and has an AHL career overtime record of 6-1. “Huge saves when we needed them,” said Gruden of Akhtyamov’s performance.
– Bo Groulx is finding the net with regularity just when his team needs him to. He has seven goals in the last nine games and leads Toronto with 14 goals this season.
“In the last 20 games, [Groulx] has been outstanding,” said Gruden. “Any time you come to a new team, it takes a little bit of time, but he is definitely playing the game the right way. He is playing a 200-foot game. He can play in all situations. He has some real explosiveness to his game, and he is not afraid to get inside, either, to fight for his ice. He is playing really good hockey, and he’s going to have to continue to in order to get where he wants to go and help us when he is here.”
– Thursday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Nylander – Tverberg – Boyd
Barbolini – Haymes – Valis
Pezzetta – Paré – Johnson
Defensemen
Thrun – Rifai
Webber – Chadwick
Smith – Villeneuve
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Peksa
