“He is our leader. He is our pulse. He is the heartbeat of this team. He leads on and off the ice. I can’t say enough good things about him as a leader. He has been outstanding throughout these playoffs, and he continues to not only score big goals in big moments but also kill big penalties in big moments, win big draws, and do the little things as well. The team is following. There is a trickle-down effect. He is definitely setting the tone. Scoring those two goals was pretty impressive.”
– John Gruden on Logan Shaw
“We gave up the early goal, but I thought we settled in nicely and did a lot of good things as it went on. There were just some huge momentum swings throughout for both teams. Obviously, they got the one at the end to tie it up with 15 seconds to go, but hey, our guys have been through this all playoffs long. No quit. Next-man-up mentality.”
– John Gruden
It was far from a perfect road performance in Game 2, but the Toronto Marlies found yet another way to win despite blowing a pair of third-period leads. The veterans brought the goods on offense, and it was fitting that the captain came up clutch with the game-winner. They may be 21 games deep in this playoff run, but this Marlies team shows no signs of slowing down.
First Period
The opening of this game was exactly how the Chicago coaching staff drew it up. Down 1-0 in the series and on home ice, the Wolves came flying out of the gate. The Marlies spent the first 70 seconds swimming in the defensive zone.
When they finally earned a whistle, the second shift of the game was more of the same. Charles-Alexis Legault’s point shot found the net via the inside of the post through traffic, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead inside two minutes.
I’ve lost count this season of the number of times I’ve written “bend, but don’t break.” It perfectly sums up Toronto’s playoff run. The Marlies recovered from the early shock; Artur Akhtyamov made a key save on Juuso Välimäki at the four-minute mark, and from there, Toronto began to take control and dictate the pace.
The “energy” fourth line generated a chance for Michael Pezzetta, who stumbled with the puck on his stick alone in the right circle and was unable to get off the shot he wanted. The top line built on it with a big shift of its own, as Bo Groulx teed up Logan Shaw for two Grade-A chances.
The irrepressible Ryan Tverberg was next up with a dominant shift. He worked several give-and-goes in the offensive zone and was the conduit in finding seams through the Wolves’ defense. Tverberg’s shot produced a rebound that Easton Cowan was frustrated not to bury.
Landon Sim then did what he does best: draw a penalty as Legault lost the plot and punched the rookie in the head. Toronto’s power play generated a bevy of quality scoring chances but buried none, and they were a little fortunate not to concede a shorthanded tally when Josiah Slavin whiffed on a Grade-A opportunity during a 2-on-1 break.
When the Marlies tied the game, it was nothing less than they deserved. They quickly transitioned defense into offense, with Vinni Lettieri lugging the puck as the Marlies pushed forward four wide across the blue line. Lettieri dished off to Bo Groulx to his right, who did incredibly well to corral a bouncing puck before producing a deft shortside finish past Cayden Primeau.
The momentum of the period turned on a questionable interference penalty on Henry Thrun. In isolation, I had no issue with the call, but consistency is the bare minimum anyone asks of the officials.
The penalty kill got seamed through the low slot and went into scramble mode as Noah Philp finished off a rebound with Akhtyamov down and out.
Toronto drew a penalty in response, but Tverberg negated that advantage with a penalty of his own as Chicago took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Second Period
After four-on-four play for 45 seconds to begin the period, the Marlies faced a penalty kill for just under a minute. Akhtyamov produced a quality save on Slavin from the slot and prevented Chicago from scoring a second straight power-play goal.
The Marlies tied the game at the four-minute mark with a goal that made the Chicago commentary team go viral. A heads-up play by Thrun started the rush and sent Alex Nylander on a breakaway. As the Swedish forward was about to pull the trigger, Domenick Fensore’s outstretched stick clipped Nylander’s hands (it apparently was a horrible call, and the officials should never be allowed to call another game in these finals…).
On a backhand deke similar to one of his older brother’s trademark moves, Alex Nylander comfortably beat Primeau to tie the game at 2-2.
Luke Haymes and Marc Johnstone had Grade-A chances to give Toronto the lead, but penalty trouble was holding the Marlies back. Cédric Paré and William Villeneuve could have little complaint about the high-sticking and interference penalties called on them, respectively, but the defenseman understandably complained to the officials about the lack of a consistent standard.
The Marlies killed off both penalties with relative ease, if not for one bone-headed moment from Marshall Rifai. His giveaway in the slot to Skyler Brind’Amour went unpunished as Akhtyamov pulled off his best save of the game.
On the back of the second penalty kill, Toronto scored the go-ahead goal just 13 seconds later. Matt Benning won a battle down low, freeing the puck for Villeneuve. Toronto’s assists leader immediately got his head up and sent Shaw away down the right wing. With a good head of steam, the Marlies captain shrugged off the attention of Fensore, cut across the crease, and finished on the backhand at the far post.
The Marlies needed to withstand a late push from Chicago to retain their lead heading into the second intermission, relying on big saves from Akhtyamov on Legault and Ronan Seeley.
Third Period
Toronto’s details with and without the puck weren’t up to scratch in the final frame of regulation, and it almost cost them dearly. The Marlies gave up an odd-man rush just 90 seconds in but caught a break when Ivan Ryabkin bobbled a centering feed from Josiah Slavin, giving Akhtyamov enough time to slide to his left to make another excellent save.
A giveaway by Paré went unpunished as Bradley Nadeau fired high from the slot, but Chicago finally made Toronto pay for one too many mistakes at the eight-minute mark.
An errant offensive-zone pass by Groulx led to a Chicago attack in transition, and the Marlies seemed to be out of trouble when Benning outraced the streaking Nadeau. The puck fell to Henry Thrun, who tried to quickly clear it on the turn but sent the puck straight to Justin Robidas, who found Ryan Suzuki in the left circle. Akhtyamov tried to poke Suzuki’s attempted pass but missed, and Juuso Välimäki pounced on the loose change to tie the game at 3-3.
Again, the Marlies bounced back to retake the lead less than five minutes later. After a good pinch by Dakota Mermis kept the cycle alive, the puck worked its way back to Lettieri, who picked out Villeneuve, pinching into the right circle. The defenseman ripped a one-timer, producing a rebound for Groulx to finish off.
The Marlies would have made things easier on themselves if they converted on a good chance shortly after retaking the lead. Tverberg chased down a long pass to prevent an icing call and did well to find Haymes as the trailer. The latter rounded Primeau but lost the handle with the goal at his mercy.
From then on, it was one-way traffic toward the Marlies’ net. Chicago poured forward, and Toronto gradually retreated.
A huge double save by Akhtyamov to stonewall Nikita Pavlychev and Seeley looked like it might have been the dagger through the Wolves’ heart. It wasn’t. With the extra attacker on, Chicago hemmed the Marlies in their zone, as Toronto repeatedly iced the puck. On one occasion, Tverberg appeared to beat out an icing but didn’t get the call from the officials.
With 17 seconds remaining, Chicago tied the game at 4-4. On a rising shot from Philp, the bounce off the glass fell kindly to Välimäki, who scored from the side of the net.
Overtime
Allowing a pair of third-period leads to slip away, one inside the dying seconds of regulation, might have been a backbreaker for many teams. Not these Marlies, apparently.
“No quit.”
Two pieces of inspired hockey propelled Toronto to yet another overtime victory in these playoffs. The Marlies lost a down-low battle, eventually leading to a Grade-A chance for Nadeau. Akhtyamov did not bite, making an athletic, sprawling stick save as Nadeau tried to walk around him at the far post.
30 seconds later, Toronto won the game inside the fourth minute of overtime. With the top line on the ice, a stretch pass by Villeneuve sent Lettieri away down the left wing. The veteran forward held off Välimäki and centered a pass for Shaw. The pass didn’t connect, but with the puck lying by the side of the net, Shaw somehow snuck it behind the right pad of Primeau from a tight angle.
The Toronto Marlies fly home with a 2-0 series lead and host Game 3 on Tuesday evening at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Post Game Notes
– The Marlies’ veterans were undeniable, with two goals apiece from Bo Groulx and Logan Shaw. Quite how healthy Cayden Primeau was coming back from injury is up for debate, but Toronto gave him no respite. They crashed the net, got inside the dots regularly, and often shot for rebounds. Between their best players/veteran leaders coming through in key moments, the greasy playoff-style goals, and the offensive contributions off the backend, the Marlies are doing everything the big club has struggled to do in the springtime.
– Vinni Lettieri (3A) has tormented Chicago through two games, even while unable to find the twine himself. Two of his helpers were primary assists, including a key play on the game-winner. His playoff points total now sits at 23 (10G/13A) through 20 games.
– Alex Nylander’s penalty-shot goal was the sixth occasion the Marlies have been awarded a penalty shot in a postseason game. Remarkably, they’ve now scored on four consecutive penalty shots in the playoffs.
– With the primary assist on Shaw’s second-period goal, William Villeneuve recorded his 15th assist of the postseason, setting a new franchise record for most assists by a Marlies player in a single playoff run. Villeneuve ended the night with three assists, taking his impressive playoff total to 19 points in 21 games (2G/17A).
– It wasn’t the perfect outing for Artur Akhtyamov, who will feel he could’ve come up with one or two more saves. But he still produced some key saves, no bigger than the one moments before Shaw’s game-winner. It’s a great sign that the Marlies can still find ways to win, even on the rare occasion when Akhtyamov gives up four.
– This was the Marlies’ 21st playoff game of the season. It sets a new franchise record, surpassing the previous mark of 20 games during the 2018 playoffs.
– Game 2 lineup:
Forwards
Groulx – Shaw – Lettieri
Cowan – Haymes – Tverberg
Valis – Paré – Nylander
Sim – Johnstone – Pezzetta
Defensemen
Thrun – Benning
Mermis – Villeneuve
Rifai – Danford
Goalies
Akhtyamov
Hildeby
