2025-26 Marlies Thread
- Thread starter herman
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herman
Well-known member
herman
Well-known member
Henry Thrun just got heavily boarded on a relatively nothing play but got up on his own. Marlies will want to stretch their lead here as the 5 min major will span the remainder of the third period.
Edit: nope they put a condom on this PP and did everything textbook safely.
Marlies close out the shutout for a 3-0 stranglehold on the series with two more games at Coca-Cola
Edit: nope they put a condom on this PP and did everything textbook safely.
Marlies close out the shutout for a 3-0 stranglehold on the series with two more games at Coca-Cola
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BTW, well done.
They celebrated him as 1st star of the game. He deserved it.
He had some help. The Marlies limited them to 11 shots on goal during the last two periods
The Marlies got off to a slow start. Chicago really attacked and significantly outchanced them.
Akhtyamov kept them in the game. It seemed like nearly every shot on goal was a significant scoring chance throughout the game.
It wasn't like they were just hitting him. He was tracking the play and keeping himself in the right position. He moves well and maintains good position. He's not a fluke. He's a very capable goalie.
I thought I would pre-scout the team before the game - reviewing some scouting & video, develop a short checklist for some players and try to check those out. But as you say: "hard to judge". Some of it is the distraction of the game. Too much information coming in ... Things happening quickly. To do the checklist thing properly, one would need to see them about 20 games. So, I just soaked up what I could.
I made sure we went early to watch them warm up - to check out their skating and shooting some. Years ago, you would see some slugs who couldn't skate or shoot very well. For some time now, you don't see that any more. I saw no glaring skating or shooting issues with any Marlie. Considering decades gone by, when you watch how well both teams played, they all deserve a pat on the back. A bunch of these guys could probably crack the '67 Leafs Cup winning roster. Bigger, faster, stronger, smarter and better coached. That has hit me a number of times over recent years. This game in particular was very well played.
There was a time not that long ago where we saw young players take off in the NHL when they were called up. The reasoning for that was they were surrounded by players who thought the game better and executed better. Because they did not get that in the AHL, it inhibited their development. I suppose that probably still exists but it doesn't seem nearly as pronounced. These two teams moved the puck smartly and played quickly. A higher % of errant passes or errors and fumbling execution but not to a level of distraction. I think it was the best executed AHL game I ever saw - by both teams.
Game presentation was excellent. Great value for the sports entertainment dollar except the concession prices (like everywhere else) reminded me of Harold Ballard turning off the water fountains so people would buy more pop at MLG events.
Cowan fell or was hit heavily into the end boards early in the first. I think he missed a couple of shifts. I saw him come to the bench. He was hurt. So his bounce back was a little more special. He sucked it up. At the game, I think you get a better appreciation for his hockey IQ. His reads and anticipation had him intersecting the puck - almost like it was following him around sometimes. That is not something you can see as easily in a televised game. Another thing I noticed more than the TV is he finished his checks and was physical - constantly. Those efforts resulted in a number of scoring chances. Primeau was good or Cowan was a little unlucky. There has been warranted criticism of Cowan's defensive plays or gaffes during the playoffs. I did not notice any of that. He was often lined up on the left wing with Quillan and Tverberg on RW.
Quillan just returned from injury to replace Haymes on Cowan's line. Saw a nice faceoff win by Quillan and some good passes - nothing negative.
Tverberg did his thing and made a decent effort. The timing of his offensive zone entries needs some polish. I did not notice him much otherwise. Neither were on the ice for Cowan's goal.
Quillan just returned from injury to replace Haymes on Cowan's line. Saw a nice faceoff win by Quillan and some good passes - nothing negative.
Tverberg did his thing and made a decent effort. The timing of his offensive zone entries needs some polish. I did not notice him much otherwise. Neither were on the ice for Cowan's goal.
herman
Well-known member
When he was drafted, Akhtyamov was more of a reaction/athletic goalie given his size. His technicals have refined very nicely in the Marlies system under McElhinney, Sanford, and Toivonen tutelage.
Towards the end of the game, the Marlies basically nailed it down to the platonic ideal of team defense and Akhtyamov mopped up just about everything that got behind them extremely easily.
The very annoying thing about the Marlies success is that they are playing a very slightly modified Berube system lol; the main differences to the Leafs is far less scoring talent up front, much better puck movers in the back, a goalie who is not shellshocked, and far fewer empty calorie skaters.
It is easy to say when the guy is leading the AHL in playoff scoring but aside from Akhtyamov, the player who impressed me most was Lettieri. He's feisty and smart. He plays bigger than he is - finishes his checks. He's very competitive. He's quick. Defensively responsible. I don't know if there would ever be a spot for him with the Leafs. I doubt it would bother me if he got some spot 3rd line duty.
The bad news is he was part of a group of Marlies (Benning, Shaw, Groulx & Mermis) who got 10 minute misconducts for scrapping (Continuing altercation) after the game was over. There may be some suspensions coming ...
The bad news is he was part of a group of Marlies (Benning, Shaw, Groulx & Mermis) who got 10 minute misconducts for scrapping (Continuing altercation) after the game was over. There may be some suspensions coming ...
"much better puck movers"
That is a key part of their success. They had a few blunders but generally, they made good decisions backed by good execution. There was not much hesitation. They identified their targets and moved it quickly. I would go a little further. Their forwards made themselves easy targets. They were coming back to get passes and help defensively. Credit the coaching getting them playing as 5 skater units.
Maybe it is a good thing but I didn't notice Danford much. I could have been distracted by something else in the game. Thrun, Benning, Mermis and Rifai seemed steady and solid - nothing stuck out. I tried to pay attention to Villeneuve. He was used a lot. I saw some nice play with him skating the puck out of trouble. He seemed very comfortable doing that under pressure. There was one sequence when he went from right of the net out towards the point and then across to the other side of the ice and then down to the left side of the net - all while Chicago was pressing. I don't think a NHL coach would go along with that. I don't know what he was thinking. It was a one off thing.
This Chicago team did not get to the finals by accident. They're a good hockey team. For the Marlies to hold them to 11 shots over the final two periods is a credit to the whole team. All 11 of those shots were probably scoring chances but overall, the Marlies took over the game after the first and never let up.
Final notes
I've always liked Shaw. He didn't disappoint. He competes.
Groulx went up and down his wing but nothing much stood out that I recall beyond winning a couple of puck battles.
The Pare-Haymes-Nylander line generated a few chances. Nylander plays defense like his brother which dampens my enthusiasm. If he would just play defense, he could be in the NHL.
The 4th line of Sim-Johnstone-Pezzetta generated their own scoring chances. Johnstone got in alone on Primeau twice but couldn't put it past him. They were good pests.
EDIT: I did see Valis and Chadwick dressed and skating during the warmup but they did not play.
I've always liked Shaw. He didn't disappoint. He competes.
Groulx went up and down his wing but nothing much stood out that I recall beyond winning a couple of puck battles.
The Pare-Haymes-Nylander line generated a few chances. Nylander plays defense like his brother which dampens my enthusiasm. If he would just play defense, he could be in the NHL.
The 4th line of Sim-Johnstone-Pezzetta generated their own scoring chances. Johnstone got in alone on Primeau twice but couldn't put it past him. They were good pests.
EDIT: I did see Valis and Chadwick dressed and skating during the warmup but they did not play.
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