“We had some chances. We had some really good looks to get it by the goalie. He made some big stops, but we needed to get that first one… We were waiting a little too long in the offensive zone. It was looking like one of those games where one shot wasn’t beating this guy, so we were going to have to create more chaos — second and third opportunities — and I don’t think we had enough of those.”
– John Gruden
As well as Thomas Milic played between the sticks for Manitoba, this was another missed opportunity for the Toronto Marlies, who failed to make good on several high-danger chances in this 1-0 loss on Sunday. They were also guilty of not crowding the netminder, crashing the crease, or generally creating enough of a nuisance around the blue paint.
First Period
How different might the game have been if Vinni Lettieiri scored just eight seconds in? The veteran forward snuck in behind the defense but couldn’t solve Thomas Milic.
The Marlies were on the penalty kill inside two minutes after they were caught running around in the defensive zone. Ryan Tverberg’s hooking was negligible, although these teams knew what to expect from this officiating crew by this point. Artur Akhtyamov made sure Manitoba didn’t profit with a brilliant double save on Walker Duehr and Kale Clague late in the kill.
In the four minutes following the successful kill, Toronto generated three Grade-A scoring chances. William Villeneuve helped create a great chance for Luke Haymes down low in the right circle, where Haymes snapped his stick in two while attempting to shoot. Tverberg called his own number and fired high on a 2v1 break, but he wasn’t the only Marlie missing the net. 30 seconds later, Tverberg and Matthew Barbolini sent Haymes in 1v1. Haymes beat the defender but fired wide.
The Marlies were disconnected and squandered two power-play opportunities, and it could’ve been worse if not for Villenueve breaking up a 2v1 shorthanded rush after a mistake by Logan Shaw.
The Marlies outshot the Moose 9-6 in the opening frame; every recorded shot, barring the early Grade-A chance for Lettieri, was a routine save for the Manitoba netminder.
Second Period
The Marlies went down to five defenders when Cade Webber didn’t return for the second period after sustaining an injury at the end of the opening frame.
The opening five minutes featured a handful of excellent scoring chances at both ends. The best of the bunch fell to Manitoba on a 2v1; the Marlies were fortunate that Mason Shaw whiffed on his shot from the slot.
Bo Groulx and Shaw couldn’t convert from promising positions for the Marlies, and the game slipped into a lull until the midway mark. At that juncture, Toronto took control for around 90 seconds — dominating possession, offensive-zone time, and seamlessly changing on the fly.
Tverberg was the main architect of the attack, but he couldn’t convert on two opportunities from close range, and neither could Haymes on his chance. It summed up Toronto’s performance: sporadically dominant when connected, but frustratingly impotent when it mattered.
Akhtyamov kept the game scoreless with two good saves on Brayden Yager and Mason Shaw in the second half of the period.
Another high-danger chance went to waste late in the middle frame for Toronto. Borya Valis made a nice play following a messy offensive-zone draw to tee up Paré. The big centerman couldn’t finish from the doorstep, letting Manitoba off the hook once more.
When you let a team hang around…
Third Period
The Moose were much more of a threat in the final frame, but that’s not to suggest the Marlies didn’t have more chances to score. Marc Johnstone couldn’t finish after cutting across the crease following some swift interplay from the fourth line. It was the same story at the midway mark when Johnstone shot into the netminder’s crest after receiving a long stretch pass from Dakota Mermis. Mermis also generated a chance for himself after beating one defender and working his way into the slot, but the backhand finishing attempt didn’t match the initial move.
The Moose were starting to make inroads offensively. Yager rifled a shot off the crossbar, and Lettieri made a crucial backcheck on Phillip Di Giuseppe, who paused in the slot for a beat too long. On the same shift, Akhtyamov produced a brilliant save on Di Giuseppe.
Inevitably, a slip-up in defensive coverage handed Manitoba the game-winning goal. Toronto’s top line was the culprit as Mason Shaw was left open in the slot to capitalize on a feed from below the goal line, spoiling Akhtyamov’s shutout bid.
In the nine minutes remaining, there was no concerted push from the Marlies. There were a couple of snapshots from Matt Benning and Lettieiri, but otherwise, the Toronto wilted under Manitoba’s tight-checking. There wasn’t even the chance to pull Akhtyamov for the extra attacker due to Tverberg’s penalty with 2:13 remaining.
The weekend was a missed opportunity for the Marlies, who frittered away four points with the chance to close the gap on third-place Cleveland.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies went 0-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Toronto’s road record is now 13-13-5. They’ve won just two of their last 10 games away from Coca-Cola Coliseum.
– Artur Akhtyamov stopped 27 of 28 shots in the 1-0 loss. “He was outstanding and made some big saves,” said Gruden. “He made a save on that breakaway as well. He was good. He gave us a chance.”
– It appeared to be a upper-body injury for Cade Webber. He was able to skate off the ice under his own power, albeit very gingerly.
– Sunday’s lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Barbolini – Haymes – Rverberg
Nylander – Paré – Valis
Pezzetta – Johnstone – King
Defensemen
Thrun – Benning
Mermis – Villenueve
Chadwick – Webber
Goaltenders
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
