Marlies Show Playoff Grit, Knock Off Rocket to Reach Calder Cup Third Round

The Toronto Maple Leafs‘ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, are heading to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, and they earned this one the hard way. Toronto knocked off the first-place Laval Rocket with a gritty 3-2 win in Game 5 and, in the process, may have announced that this group is becoming one of the more interesting Marlies teams in recent years.

Laval Was Ahead 2-1 Heading into the Third Period

What makes this result stand out even more is the situation Toronto faced entering the third period. Laval led 2-1 after 40 minutes, and the Rocket had not lost a single game in regulation all season when leading after two periods. Their record was an absurd 28-0-3. That’s the kind of stat that usually tells you the game is over. Apparently, nobody mentioned that to the Marlies.

The game itself followed the pattern of much of this series. Tight checking. Not a lot of room. Not much offence through the opening two periods. Toronto got its first goal from defenseman Blake Smith late in the second period, but Laval still carried the lead into the third and seemed positioned to close things out on home ice.

The Marlies Flipped the Game in the Third Period

Then the Marlies completely flipped the game. Reese Johnson tied it just under five minutes into the third period, and suddenly, the energy changed. Toronto started skating with confidence, Laval looked tense, and the Marlies kept pushing.

Just over five minutes later, Vinni Lettieri scored what turned out to be the winner at 10:22 of the period. From there, Toronto absolutely suffocated the Rocket defensively, allowing Laval only three shots on goal in the third period. That’s probably the most impressive part of the win.

The Marlies Looked Confident Even When They Were Behind

Young teams often panic protecting leads late in playoff games. The Marlies did the opposite. They looked calm, structured, and disciplined. Artur Akhtyamov once again gave them steady goaltending, stopping 20 of 22 shots.

He has become one of the biggest stories of the postseason for Toronto. Through six playoff games, Akhtyamov is now 4-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. Dennis Hildeby has also been solid when needed, giving the Marlies one of the better goaltending tandems remaining in the playoffs.

The Marlies Offence Has Been Spread Out

Another thing standing out about this team is how spread out the offence has become. Nine different Marlies recorded a point in Game 5. That kind of balance matters in playoff hockey because opponents can’t simply key on one line or one player.

Lettieri continues to lead the way offensively with five goals and nine points in the playoffs, while William Villeneuve has put together an excellent postseason from the blue line with eight points. Easton Cowan has shown flashes of his talent, too. Still, he hasn’t fully taken over games the way some fans expected. There’s something encouraging about Toronto winning without needing one superstar to carry the entire load.

The Marlies Meet the Cleveland Monsters in Round Three

Now comes another difficult test. The Marlies will meet the Cleveland Monsters in the third round beginning May 14 in Cleveland. The Monsters finished second in the regular season and won the season series 5-3, though Toronto did take the final two meetings by scores of 7-4 and 4-2. Interestingly, the last time the Marlies reached the third round back in 2019, Cleveland was the opponent then, too. Toronto swept that series before eventually losing in the Eastern Final.

This Marlies team probably isn’t supposed to be here yet. But sometimes playoff hockey creates its own momentum. Right now, the Marlies are starting to look like a team nobody will enjoy playing against.

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]