Logan Shaw played the overtime hero and the Toronto Marlies managed to sneak away with a game two victory and head home up 2-0 in the Calder Cup Final.
The Toronto Marlies had a chance to head home up 2-0 against the Chicago Wolves in the Calder Cup Final on Sunday and managed to do so off the back of Logan Shaw and Benoit-Olivier Groulx who had two goals each. Artur Akhtyamov was brilliant though survived a last-second heartbreaker to pull it out in the extra frame.
Marlies survive a back and forth thriller to take 2-0 series lead in the Calder Cup Final
Sunday's matinee was a back and forth contest that really felt like it was anyone's game and there was no real definitive leader. After Charles Legault scored two minutes into the game, it was Groulx who tied it up just over 11 minutes into the first:
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Unfortunately the Wolves got one back thanks to a power-play marker from Noah Philp. But in the second period it was Alex Nylander who was the one to tie things up and did so in spectacular fashion as he scored it with a slick move on a penalty shot:
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Then it was Logan Shaw, the captain, who put the team ahead 3-2 with just under five minutes to go in the second:
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Juuso Valimaki once again brought things even, but it was Groulx who put the team ahead - up until Valimaki scored with just seconds left to go in the game:
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Then it was Shaw who played the hero in the extra frame after slamming the puck up and over goaltender Cayden Primeau after Vinni Lettieri left the puck up against the post:
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Shaw and Groulx finished with two goals apiece meanwhile Vinni Lettieri and William Villeneuve both added three assists. That moves Lettieri to 23 points in 20 games (leading the AHL) and Villeneuve got his AHL-leading 17th assist as he continues to impress offensively this postseason.
Artur Akhtyamov made 28 saves and pushed his record to 13-6-0 with a 2.21 GAA and .924SV% as he continues his torrid pace this playoff stretch. He's become as legitimate as can be and has given the Maple Leafs a lot to think about regarding their goaltending situation going forward.
Game 3 takes place on Tuesday night in Toronto and if the Marlies are able to get a victory it would move them only one win away from sweeping the Final - a feat that hasn't happened since 2015 when the Lake Erie Monsters took down the Hershey Bears 4-0.
Toronto is going to need to keep their foot on the gas and can't keep letting Akhtyamov get them off the hook and need to tighten things up a little bit, but they seem to have found some clutch factor that frankly, has carried them since the start.
But sometimes as much as it's lucky to be good, sometimes it's good to be lucky. And the Toronto Marlies are finding their St. Pats roots well, with them finding a few four-leaf clovers to help them along the way,
Will the Toronto Marlies win the Calder Cup?
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