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“We want to play fast and get moving… We wanted to play a little quicker, and we did that. There are a few things in our neutral zone; it’s a new system, so there are a few things that we’re going through that the Leafs have changed and we are trying to implement. It’s just going to take a little while. Training camp is short for everybody, so it will take us a few more reps. It’s good we have a week of practice.”

— Steve Sullivan

I highlighted the above quote because it summed up the Toronto Marlies’ performance well in their 5-3 home-opener win over Hamilton. There was a lot to like, and still plenty to work on. It’s game two of the season, so there is plenty of slack on offer. Most importantly, the Marlies laid down an early marker against a Hamilton team they’ll face 10 times this season.

First Period

The Hammers started brightly and looked like a more cohesive unit than the Marlies in the opening minutes. It took Toronto until the six-minute mark to lift the home crowd; Ryan Tverberg’s saucer pass behind the defense teed up Henrik Rybinski for a one-time attempt that sailed narrowly wide.

Hamilton fired the next five shots without reply and should have scored on the fourth. On an odd-man rush, Artur Akhtyamov produced a stunning save on Calle Odelius.

Toronto’s captain then stepped up during four-on-four action. Logan Shaw surged forward and split the Hamilton defense before drawing a penalty as his shot hit the side of the net. The power play, which struggled in Rochester, connected immediately. Rybinski’s attempted cross-crease pass to Shaw settled in the slot, where Brendan Brisson was in position to slide the puck home.

Left out of the opening-night lineup, Noah Chadwick struck 90 seconds later. With space to maneuver, the defenseman stepped into the left circle and wired the puck into the far top corner.

The third line connected for Toronto’s third goal on a play that owed everything to hard work and second efforts. Landon Sim’s shot snuck through the Hamilton netminder after a great shift from Borya Valis and Rybinski.

It was suddenly one-way traffic as the Marlies quickly built a 4-0 lead. Shaw pulled up across the Hamilton blue line and picked out Cole McWard steaming through the offensive zone. The defenseman’s attempted backhand pass to Vinni Lettieri was cut out, but once again, the puck settled in the slot. Brisson was in the right place again to shovel home his second of the game.

Four goals in 6:04 put the Marlies firmly in control of their home opener. They did rely on two sharp blocker saves from Akhtyamov late in the frame while shorthanded to keep Hamilton off the board and preserve the 4-0 lead.

Second Period

The Marlies scored a fifth goal inside the opening minute when a quick transition started by Vinni Lettieri in the defensive zone quickly ended with the puck in the net. After a give-and-go with Brisson, Shaw sniped home from the right faceoff dot.

The party atmosphere was cooled just 52 seconds later when Pierre Engvall skated out from below the goal line to the top of the left circle, where his snapshot beat Toronto’s MVP netminder via the crossbar. The goal knocked Toronto a little off-kilter, and mistakes became more prevalent. Marshall Rifai didn’t pay the price for his turnover, as Akhtyamov rejected Matthew Highmore on a partial breakaway.

Hamilton’s second goal arrived at the nine-minute mark after Philippe Myers got in the way of Chadwick’s attempted clearance. The Marlies scrambled but couldn’t stop Ethan Bear from scoring in the slot off a feed from Liam Foudy.

Akhtyamov then halted Hamilton’s potential comeback bid, delivering key saves on Grade-A chances for Highmore, Foudy, and Alex Jeffries.

Third Period

The Marlies put themselves under pressure by taking two penalties in four minutes. The penalty kill allowed just one shot, but a Grade-A chance for Kashawn Aitcheson forced Akhtyamov into another big save.

The Marlies looked comfortable after the consecutive penalty kills until another turnover cost them; Foudy banked the puck in from an acute angle to bring Hamilton within two.

With 11 minutes remaining, the Marlies took the bull by the horns. After allowing three straight goals, there was no hint of panic in their game. Instead, they generated three high-quality chances and drew a penalty.

Hamilton’s final opportunity to salvage something arrived with three minutes remaining after a turnover down low by Dakota Mermis led to a Grade-A chance for Aitcheson. Akhtyamov stepped up with another impressive save and turned aside two more shots afterward to secure the Marlies’ first home win of the season.

Post-Game Notes The Marlies finished 1-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. As noted in the recap, it was important to get a win on the board against the AHL’s newest club. Toronto’s next two games are also against Hamilton as part of a 10-game season series. Brendan Brisson was far better in the home opener than he was against Rochester, helping himself to a three-point haul (2G/1A). The defensive issues in his game were still apparent and are something I’ll touch on in an article to be published soon. Logan Shaw (1G/2A) and Vinni Lettieri (1A) have found some early chemistry with Brisson, and Steve Sullivan may opt to keep that trio together. “They’re our veteran guys, and we expect them to lead in the room and on the ice by example,” said Sullivan. “It is great for a coach to understand you have an older line you can throw out there whenever you need momentum or to kill momentum from the other side.” Without taking any of the plaudits away from the top line, Henrik Rybinski (2A) was excellent on the third line. He again drove play alongside wingers Borya Valis and Landon Sim. The second line of Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes (2A), and Ryan Tverberg has accumulated only two points through two games. I say “only” because they’ve delivered some dominant shifts, mostly without reward. That was no different in this outing. They arguably caused Hamilton the biggest headache despite the other lines doing most of the damage on the scoresheet. Noah Chadwick knows he will have to wait for his opportunities this season, so credit to him for a solid performance on the third pair in his season debut. He was partnered with Myers, who didn’t play his best game. Chadwick has some offensive upside the Leafs need to coax out/further develop within his game, and an early goal will hopefully provide a timely confidence boost and a launchpad for his sophomore professional season. He took a penalty, but otherwise, Ben Danford handled his duties with aplomb on the first pair. It was nice to see the rookie shoot twice from the point and pinch into the play to generate a pair of shots from the right circle. It was a solid first outing of the season for Artur Akhtyamov. He’ll probably want the third goal back, but as he did last season, Akhtyamov made the big saves at the key moments. Hamilton generated enough quality looks to make the 5-3 game uncomfortable, and Akhtyamov made sure it never got away from the Marlies. Game Highlights: Marlies 5 vs. Hammers 3

Forwards Line Left Wing Centre Right Wing 1 90Brendan Brisson 11Logan Shaw 71Vinni Lettieri 2 26Jacob Quillan 37Luke Haymes 77Ryan Tverberg 3 42Landon Sim 54Henrik Rybinski 39Borya Valis 4 61Michael Pezzetta 67Sam Stevens 58Reese Johnson Defense Pair Left Defense Right Defense 1 83Marshall Rifai 38Ben Danford 2 36Dakota Mermis 82Cole McWard 3 58Noah Chadwick 51Philippe Myers Goaltenders 70Artur Akhtyamov Starter 80Ken Appleby Backup Injuries Or Other Absences