\u201cIt was one of our better games, I thought. Over 60 minutes, we did a lot of good things. We were better tonight than we were in Game 1. We have to bottle up a lot of what we did there and use it. We have to realize that, at the end of the day, it will still be a grind. We don\u2019t expect anything else. We know how good this team is. But I think we did a lot of good things that we can show regarding how we had success tonight. That will be important.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u2013 John Gruden<\/p>\n
Game 2 was a truly captivating, low-scoring playoff game. Both the Toronto Marlies<\/a> and Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton generated periods of control but were frustrated by the brilliance of the two young Russian goaltenders, who combined for 70 saves. Overall, the Marlies<\/a> produced arguably their best performance of the playoffs to date and once more found a way to win.<\/p>\n First Period <\/p>\n In a game of small margins, the Marlies<\/a> dodged an early bullet. C\u00e9dric Par\u00e9 turned the puck over in the slot and took a hooking penalty, but a fantastic shift from Ryan Tverberg nullified the power play, drawing a penalty as he looked set to create a 2v1.\u00a0On Toronto\u2019s shortened power play, Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton almost scored shorthanded; Joona Koppanen forced Artur Akhtyamov into a top-drawer save to keep the game scoreless.<\/p>\n The new-look third line, Sim \u2013 Haymes \u2013 Tverberg, found chemistry in the opening frame, generating a pair of chances that Tverberg was unable to bury.<\/p>\n Par\u00e9 should have done better with time and space in the high slot, sending a shot into the chest of Sergei Murashov, who continued to frustrate Toronto. Alex Nylander and Jacob Quillan combined to nearly tee up Bo Groulx from point-blank range, but a fantastic poke-check took the chance away.<\/p>\n The Marlies<\/a> broke through first with a beautifully worked power-play goal involving some good movement on and off the puck to open up a seam. Noah Chadwick and Nylander exchanged passes at the blue line, and then Nylander found Luke Haymes in the left circle before switching the zone. Haymes\u2019 return pass to Nylander on the give-and-go was a thing of beauty, and Nylander buried it at the far post.<\/p>\n The Marlies<\/a> finished the period strongly and might have cushioned the lead with some better finishing. It capped off one of the Marlies\u2019 better first-period showings in this playoff run.<\/p>\n Second Period <\/p>\n Sublime goaltending at both ends kept the middle frame scoreless.<\/p>\n Ben Danford set the tone for Toronto with a piece of individual brilliance. The rookie defenseman beat two defenders at the blue line before driving low in the left circle, but he couldn\u2019t solve Murashov. The Marlies threatened again through Nylander and Groulx, but neither could beat the Penguins\u2019 netminder.<\/p>\n The ice was tilted in the Marlies\u2019 favour for the first eight minutes, but WBS reversed the game\u2019s flow and generated five high-danger scoring chances afterward. Akhtyamov stepped up as he has consistently done throughout the postseason, making particularly good saves on Ville Koivunen, Atley Calvert, and Aidan McDonough.<\/p>\n After surviving the barrage, the Marlies finished the period strongly and could easily have led by two or three heading into the intermission. More outstanding work from Danford set up Tverberg, but he never fully got the puck under control in behind the defense. Landon Sim was stopped from the slot, as was Tverberg on a strong drive to the net, as the new third line continued to cause havoc.<\/p>\n Third Period <\/p>\n Some stout defense from the Marlies generated a breakaway for Tverberg five minutes into the third period, but Murashov prevailed again with a stellar save. WBS tied the game up three minutes later.<\/p>\n A wild shot rang off the boards, allowing WBS to attack in transition, and the Marlies were never able to reset, caught chasing the puck in the defensive zone. Chase Pietila\u2019s shot generated a rebound that Tanner Howe seized and spun on, sending the puck low through traffic in the crease and into the net.<\/p>\n Akhtyamov kept the game tied with four saves of note, denying Howe a second goal on three occasions. The Marlies generated the higher-danger scoring chances late in regulation, though. Murashov rejected both Reese Johnson (partial breakaway) and Tverberg (breakaway).\u00a0<\/p>\n Overtime <\/p>\n The Penguins brought their A game in the extra frame, taking the game by the scruff of the neck as the Marlies hung on by a thread. Akhtyamov simply took his game to a new level. After a sharp save on Avery Hayes less than a minute in, the Russian netminder pulled off a world-class double stop to rob Koivunen from point-blank range. In between times, Danford made an incredible sweeping defensive play to break up a potential 2v1.<\/p>\n The Marlies\u2019 pushback started with their top line. Logan Shaw recovered possession on the forecheck and teed up Vinni Lettieri, who whiffed on his customary one-timer, but he got enough of the puck to turn it into a pass back to Shaw, who couldn\u2019t bury from close range.<\/p>\n After several other good looks, the Marlies won the game on a controversial goal that has divided opinion in the aftermath. An odd lofted pass\/shot by Michael Pezzetta toward Marc Johnstone at the net front somehow found its way into the net. Initially waved off by the officials, a lengthy video review process ensued.<\/p>\n Sergei Murashov made a strange decision to come out and take a swing at the puck with his blocker, and he had his stick way above his head during the play. It appeared as if the puck struck the goalie\u2019s blocker or paddle and dropped into the net. Johnstone reached up to attempt to grab the puck, but he didn\u2019t touch it. The Toronto forward was outside the blue paint when minimal contact was made with the goalie.<\/p>\n Goaltender interference isn\u2019t reviewable in the AHL and wasn\u2019t called at the time. The purpose of the video review was to determine whether Johnstone handled the puck into the net. When it was clear he hadn\u2019t touched the puck, a good goal was the ruling, and the Marlies\u2019 bench emptied in celebration.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll let you make your own minds up as to whether it was the right call, but it looks like a good goal to me. From my vantage point, Murashev\u2019s strange decision to leap out and punch at the puck with his blocker is ultimately all WBS has to blame here.<\/p>\n All the angles of the @TorontoMarlies<\/a>‘ OT victory\ud83d\udc47#WBSvsTOR<\/a> | #CalderCup<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2896HwkkWf<\/a><\/p>\n