Toronto Marlies Split OT Shootouts with the Belleville Senators

I don’t know what it is about the Toronto Marlies and the Belleville Senators. Last season, on paper, the Marlies looked like the better team than the Sens, and watching the games, they looked like the superior team in most of their games. But they often found ways to lose to Belleville. With the AHL having an unbalanced schedule weighted heavily toward the teams with the closest proximity to each other, the Sens and the Marlies played each other ten times last season, and they play each other ten times this season.

Last season, Belleville won six of their ten meetings in the regular season and ousted the Marlies in the first round of the AHL playoffs two games to one. Of the 13 games the two teams played against each other in the 2023-24 season, five went to overtime and one to a shootout. Toronto won their only shootout, but Belleville won four of the five games decided in overtime.  

This season seems to be starting on a similar note.

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Game One: Marlies 4, Belleville Senators 3 SO

For the fifth time in six games, the Marlies gave up the first goal. They gave up the first two goals for the third game in four. It does seem to take this Marlies time to get going. After a period where neither team could create much of anything, with 13 seconds in the opening stanza of Friday’s game at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Belleville’s Angus Crookshank floated a harmless-looking wrist shot toward the Toronto goal. The seeing-eye shot went through six bodies, including Marlies’ goalie Artur Akhtyamov, to give the Sens a 1-0 lead. 

To add insult to injury, a shot by Nikolas Matinpalo at 3:14 of the second period that was going wide of the net hit Keean Washkurak and dropped to the ice at his feet. Before Akhtyamov could react, Washkurak banged the puck past him into the goal, giving the Sens a 2-0 lead. 

The Marlies Cashed In on a Power Play

The Marlies would cash in on the power play just three minutes later. A shot by Alex Steeves from the top of the faceoff circle to the left of Belleville goalie Leevi Marilainen that was about a foot off the ice was deflected down and between Marilainen’s legs into the net by Nikita Grebenkin.  

Just under three minutes after that, with Toronto killing a hooking call to Steeves, Filip Roos bobbled the puck just inside the Marlies’ blue line. Logan Shaw got his stick on it, knocking past Roos and giving Shaw a breakaway. As Shaw attempted to deke Marilainen, he lost control of the puck momentarily, but just before it slid past the post, he got his stick on it to tap it, a sprawling Matilainen, into the net to tie the game. 

Two and a half minutes later, Cedric Pare turned the puck over in front of the player’s benches, sending Oskar Pettersson alone on Akhtyamov. Pettersson went backhand to forehand and beat Akhtyamov’s glove side to put Belleville 3-2 in the third period.

The Marlies Quickly Even the Score

It took just 27 seconds of play in the third for the Marlies to get even. Marilainen stopped two point-blank shots from in tight from Alex Nylander before the second rebound went right to Nick Abruzzese. Abruzzese had a wide-open net where to deposit the puck.

Regulation ended 3-3, and the overtime settled nothing. In the shootout, after Steeves and Nylander failed to score and Akhtyamov stopped all three of Belleville’s shooters, Shaw would be the hero, beating Marilainen to give the Marlies their sixth win to start the season. That would tie a franchise record. 

Game Two: Belleville Senators  2. Marlies 1 SO

The Marlies would come close but fail to set a new franchise record of seven wins to start a season. The Senators got revenge for their shootout loss the night before by winning this contest in a shootout 2-1. This game was a real snoozer, as neither team created much offense. It was evenly played, and most shots could not become goals. 

For the sixth time in seven games, the Marlies gave up the first goal. Once again, they did it in the last minute of the first period. What was interesting about this goal was with 1:12 left in the first, the Marlies thought they had taken a 1-0 lead when Steeves deflected a high shot from the point by Mikko Kokkonen past Leevi Marilainen, who was starting his second consecutive game. Despite the original call being a goal and there being a video review after all four officials met for a discussion in front of the timekeeper’s box, the goal was waived off. The TV replay was inconclusive, but the Marlies never argued, indicating it was probably the right call. 

After the ensuing faceoff, the Sens got possession of the puck. Filip Roos’s point shot was deflected past Dennis Hildeby just 15 seconds later, with 57 seconds left in the period, giving the Sens a 1-0 lead. 

Steeves Soon Tied the Game With a One-Timer

Steeves would tie the game up 5:25 into the second period when he blasted a one-timer past Marilainen from the top of the faceoff circle to the left of Marilainen. It was Steeves’ fifth goal in seven games this season. 

The two teams would spend the rest of regulation time not creating much in the way of scoring chances, sending the game into overtime. Once again, the overtime settled nothing, but it was interesting. At the 2:25 mark, Nylander turned the puck over in the neutral zone, giving Matthew Highmore a breakaway on Hildeby. Nylander used his speed to recover and made an excellent play to get his stick on Highmore’s, preventing Highmore from getting a shot off and allowing the puck to dribble harmlessly into the corner.

I thought Nylander’s play was great to recover from the turnover and prevent a scoring chance. Unfortunately, one of the referees saw it differently. Not only did he call Nylander for hooking, but he also called a penalty shot. Hildeby stopped Highmore’s penalty shot, and the game ended up once again going to a shootout.

Highmore would have his revenge, though. After the previous five shooters failed to score, Highmore gave Belleville the win, beating Hildeby on his chance. 

Individual Player Highlights for the Marlies 

Steeves was the only Marlie with more than one point over the two games. He had a goal and an assist, giving him five goals and one assist this season. He sits third on the Marlies in points with six. Steeves’ goal was the 74th of his AHL career, and his two points gave him 160 points. Steeves is tied with Jeremy William for second place in franchise history with 74 goals. He needs 20 more to catch all-time leader Ryan Hamilton, who has 94 goals. Steeves is also third in all-time points behind Kris Newbury (168) and Hamilton (166). While Steeves might have a chance to score the 20 goals needed to become the all-time Marlies goal scorer, he will undoubtedly surpass Newbury and Hamilton for the points lead.  

Shaw scored his first goal of the season with seven assists, which gave him the team lead in eight points in seven games. Nylander is second with seven points (5G, 2A). In Friday’s game, Cade Webber registered his first point as a Marlie, an assist.  

Dennis Hildeby recovered nicely from his last effort when he gave up six goals in Columbus against the Blue Jackets earlier in the week before being assigned to the Marlies. Akhtyamov upped his record to 4-0. He has a .941 SV% and a 1.47 GAA in his four starts.

What’s Next for the Marlies?

The Marlies go on a six-game road trip as the Royal Horse Show and Fair take over the Coca-Cola Coliseum for the first ten days of November. They play just one game this Saturday in Cleveland against the 2-3-1 Monsters this weekend. Their next games are a week after that in Charlotte, North Carolina, when they play the 5-1 Checkers in back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday.

The Marlies will stop in Cleveland on their way back from Charlotte for a rare Wednesday game before returning home to take on the Senators on November 16th. 

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