Marlies advance to Calder Cup Finals after overtime victory
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Alex Nylander scores overtime winner to send Marlies to Calder Cup Finals
Marlies secure Eastern Conference title
The Toronto Marlies have advanced to the Calder Cup Finals, securing the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the American Hockey League‘s Eastern Conference champions. This marks their third appearance in the Calder Cup Finals and their first since winning the championship in 2018. The Marlies clinched the title with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday evening, winning the series 4-2.
Alex Nylander, a former Penguins player, scored the series-clinching goal at 13:44 of overtime. He took the puck from the sideboards and moved in front of the net before scoring through the five-hole of Penguins goaltender Sergei Murashov. Nylander’s goal was his sixth of the Marlies’ playoff run. He is the younger brother of Toronto Maple Leafs star William Nylander.
The Penguins opened the scoring 6:26 into the game when Aidan McDonough scored six seconds into a power play, wristing a shot past Marlies netminder Artur Akhtyamov. This was McDonough’s second goal of the series and fourth of the playoffs. The Marlies responded at 9:11 of the second period with a goal from Easton Cowan, who cleaned up a rebound from a shot by Ryan Tverberg. This was Cowan’s third goal of the series and his fourth in his last five games.
Key performances in the series
Akhtyamov made 39 saves in the victory, shutting out the Penguins for over 67 minutes. Murashov stopped 37 of 39 shots. The Marlies, who are the top development team for the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, hold a 12-7 record this postseason. They finished fourth in the North Division with a record of 36-26-5-5, accumulating 82 points.
Under third-year head coach John Gruden, the Marlies defeated Rochester (2-1), Laval (3-2), Cleveland (3-2), and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (4-2) to claim the Eastern Conference championship. The team’s .569 points percentage is the lowest for a Calder Cup finalist since Wilkes-Barre/Scranton reached the finals in 2004 with a .538 percentage.
The Marlies will now face the winner of the Western Conference Finals, which is between the Colorado Eagles and the Chicago Wolves. The Eastern Conference championship trophy, established in 1990, honours Richard F. Canning, who served the AHL for over 50 years, including a term as league president from 1958-61.
Coach Gruden on the team’s achievement
Head coach John Gruden commented on the team’s journey, noting that winning the Eastern Conference as the fourth seed in the North Division was not easy. He credited the team’s success to a mix of experienced older players providing leadership and younger players who followed their example. Gruden emphasized that the team played as a cohesive unit, with a focus on winning rather than individual performances.
Gruden specifically praised Alex Nylander’s performance, stating that he played one of his best games in the series and was outstanding. He also highlighted Easton Cowan’s response after a mistake in Game 4, noting his significant contributions in Game 5 and Game 6. The coach expressed pride in his players for their perseverance and for closing out the series in six games, avoiding a Game 7 scenario.
The Marlies will enjoy their victory and get some rest before returning to work on Tuesday.
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Source: sportsnet.ca
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