Toronto Marlies Split Back-To-Back In St. John’s

The Toronto Marlies continued their road trip with a stop in St. John’s, Newfoundland (home of giant dogs, giant fjords and the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League affiliate) over the weekend, winning one game and dropping another.

Toronto Marlies @ St. John’s IceCaps: 3-2 IceCaps (OT)

[Highlights]

The Toronto Marlies suffered their first loss in six games on Friday night in St. John’s as Christian Thomas, son of former Toronto Maple Leaf Steve Thomas, buried the overtime winner.

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The Marlies battled back from a two-goal third-period deficit with goals from Casey Bailey and Mark Arcobello, the latter being scored on the power play.

But IceCaps goaltender Zachary Fucale’s outlet pass sprang Thomas on a two-on-one in the extra frame, and his shot beat Garret Sparks short-side, a shot that Sparks would love to have back.

Fucale, the Habs’ second-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, stymied the high-powered Toronto Marlies attack with 36 saves.

Toronto Marlies @ St. John’s IceCaps: 9-8 Marlies (OT)

For the second day in a row, the Marlies and IceCaps played to a regulation tie, but that’s where the similarities between the two games end.

While Friday night’s game featured a goaltending battle between Sparks and Fucale, the netminders were mere spectators in this one, allowing 17 goals as the Marlies fought from four goals behind in the third period to tie it up and eventually win in overtime thanks to a William Nylander snipe.

Both starting goalies, Fucale and Antoine Bibeau, were chased from this game as Sparks earned the win for the Marlies and Eddie Pasquale the overtime loss. The four goalies combined to face 76 shots in this one, which has to be some kind of record.

The Toronto Marlies, for their part, outshot the IceCaps 15-6 in the third period as they overcame the four-goal deficit. Josh Leivo and Nylander both finished the game with four points, while Zach Hyman, Stuart Percy, Sam Carrick and Arcobello each picked up a pair of points.

Three Stars of the Week

3. Josh Leivo (2 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 6 SOG)

Leivo is benefitting from playing on a line with Nylander, as three of the final four Marlies goals that completed their comeback came as a result of their chemistry. Leivo’s performance over the weekend put him in second in Marlies scoring, behind, you guessed it, Nylander. The 22-year-old triggerman’s performance should put the Leafs’ front office on high alert as they look for scoring wingers who can be a part of the eventual youth movement with the big club.

2. Mark Arcobello (2 GP, 3 G, 1 A, 7 SOG)

I’ve said Arcobello reminds me of a forward version of T.J. Brennan, in that he’s a veteran player who excels in the AHL but might never be able to stick at the NHL level. As much as I think Arcobello’s demotion was a mistake (albeit a minor one), there’s no denying his impact on the Marlies with six goals and 10 points in only six games. His 27.3 shooting percentage will surely start falling back to earth soon, but his possession skills and creativity are clearly AHL-elite.

1. William Nylander (2 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 10 SOG)

Nylander now sits second in AHL scoring with another five-point weekend. Perhaps just as impressive is his shot generation, which is a sign he’s dominating possession and clearly tilting the ice in the Toronto Marlies’ favour. The 19-year-old is on pace to be the first 100-point AHL scorer since Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux in 2009-10, and they were 13 and 11 years older, respectively, when they accomplished the feat. We’re witnessing history here, folks.

Next: Reimdemption: Reimer's Big Rebound

Looking Ahead

The Marlies complete their seven-game road trip as they face the Rochester Americans on Wednesday before hosting the Americans in Toronto on Saturday. They close out the weekend with a Sunday matinee versus the Binghamton Senators at Ricoh Coliseum.

For Your Reading Pleasure 

• Toronto Marlies general manager Kyle Dubas is pleasantly surprised with his team’s hot start, and credits the coaching staff led by Sheldon Keefe with getting the young squad to buy in early to their system, as Jonas Siegel of TSN reports.

• James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail has more on how Dubas and Keefe’s developmental philosophy from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds is flourishing in the AHL.

• As always, Kyle Cicerella has a ton of great Marlies content on his blog, including this piece on Leivo’s move to the top line and how his hard-nosed style complements linemates Nylander and Richard Panik, which could be one of the best lines in the AHL.