By Stan Smith
After a week in which the Toronto Marlies lost three out of four games, they hoped for a better result this past weekend. They played three games in three days. While playing three games in three days might seem challenging for anyone following the NHL, it’s pretty standard in the AHL. Many teams have rosters with close to 30 players and use substitutions generously.
In Toronto’s case, they even carried three goalies. As a result, they were able to start a fresh goalie in each game. While three-in-three can be taxing to some players, it is not as daunting as it would be for an NHL team with fewer players on their roster.
The Marlies Weekend Games Started Well
The weekend looked promising early on. Two minutes into the second period of the Marlies’ game against the Bridgeport Islanders, Toronto was up 4-1 and looked poised to cruise to an easy win over a team that had only won 14 of 64 games this season. However, the weekend had its ups and downs.
The Marlies lost their Friday game to the Laval Rocket 4-1, a much stronger team. They bounced back on Saturday with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Belleville Senators, a game in which they received a lucky break. The Senators appeared to have won the game when they scored with 12 seconds left in overtime. However, the goal was called back due to goaltender interference (more on that later).
Things were looking good in the Bridgeport game, but at the 11:30 mark of the second period, the Marlies had a contentious call go against them. Islanders’ forward Brian Pinho deflected a puck with what appeared to be a high stick into the Toronto goal. The referee signaled it a good goal, and since the AHL does not typically use video replay, the officials had no access to a clear view. Despite the FloSports replay showing the stick was definitely high, the officials decided to allow the goal to stand.
Bridgeport’s Comeback Against the Marlies
After the disputed goal, the Islanders started to gain momentum, especially forward Liam Foudy. Foudy scored a beautiful goal three minutes later, blowing past Marlies defenseman William Villeneuve before tucking the puck up and over Toronto goalie Artur Akhtyamov to make it 4-3. Shortly after, Andy Beckman scored a one-timer to tie the game at 4-4. Foudy then made another highlight-reel play early in the third period, taking the puck from behind the Marlies’ net, skating between Villeneuve and Logan Shaw, and passing it between his legs to a wide-open Cam Thiesing, who scored the go-ahead goal. The Marlies mounted little resistance for the remainder of the game, and Bridgeport completed the comeback with a 5-4 win.
Marlies’ Struggles and Missed Opportunities
A weekend that started promisingly with a chance for the Marlies to win two out of three games ended with just the one shootout victory. Getting back to the disallowed goal in the Belleville game, it was ruled that Toronto goalie Matt Murray had been pushed into the net before the puck crossed the line. However, replays showed the puck had gone in before Murray was pushed. Had the referees had access to the video, the goal would likely have counted, and the Marlies would have come away with just one point from the weekend’s three games.
Despite losing five of their last seven games, the Marlies remain in third place in the Atlantic Division. They are two points ahead of the Cleveland Monsters, with the same number of games remaining, and three points up on the Syracuse Crunch with one more game played. They are six points up on the Belleville Senators, who have a game in hand.
Playoff Outlook
With the way they’re playing right now, it’s hard to envision the Marlies going very deep into the playoffs. After looking like one of the best teams in the AHL for the first two months of the season, they now resemble one of the worst.
The Marlies Individual Highlights
The Marlies are struggling to score goals. They managed four goals in the first 22 minutes of the Bridgeport game but only managed two more goals over the next 163 minutes of play. Joe Blandisi was the only Marlie to score twice over the weekend, adding an assist to give him three points. William Villeneuve also had three points, all assists, but was victimized by two nice plays from Liam Foudy in the Bridgeport game. Jacob Quillan continued to contribute, notching a goal and an assist, while Nick Abruzzese had two assists.
There were a couple of bright spots, though. Collegiate player Luke Haymes, who recently signed with the Maple Leafs, scored a nice goal in his second game with the Marlies on Sunday. Haymes intercepted a cross-ice pass in the Toronto zone, split the defense, and skated in alone on Bridgeport goalie Miska Hunter. Showing great patience, Haymes outwaited Hunter and put the puck behind him for the goal. Haymes also added an assist on Blandisi’s goal, giving him two points in the game.
Matt Murray Was a Bright Spot for the Marlies
Another bright spot was Matt Murray. He stopped 36 of 37 shots against Belleville and was perfect in the shootout, stopping five of six shooters to give the Marlies their only win. Neither Akhtyamov nor Hildeby looked great in the two losses, but it appears that if something were to happen to Joseph Woll or Anthony Stolarz, Murray is ready to step up.
Upcoming Marlies Games
The Marlies play the last-place Utica Comets in a school day game on Wednesday before facing the crucial home-and-home series against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday and Saturday. Winning both of those games would put the Marlies seven points ahead of Syracuse with five games left in the regular season. However, losing both would allow the Crunch to jump one point ahead of Toronto.
The Marlies’ playoff hopes are still alive, but they need to find some consistency and regain their earlier form if they want to go deep into the postseason.
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