Toronto Maple Leafs: Marlies Without Regulation Loss This Season

While the Toronto Maple Leafs are struggling, the Toronto Marlies season has gone the opposite.

The Toronto Marlies are without a regulation loss this season – losing both games this weekend in overtime. Too bad the Toronto Maple Leafs can’t say the same thing!

With no game being played until Friday, the Marlies look to get healthy as Adam Brooks is out with a concussion. They’re also still learning to play together as a hockey club.

“This is our annual trip to Syracuse to try to figure out how to be a hockey team,” says head coach Sheldon Keefe after Saturday’s loss vs. Binghamton, “Most of the game it didn’t even feel like we were in the arena but for us to have the fight to stay with it and earn ourselves a point is a really positive thing.”

Picking up two overtime losses in their first two games away isn’t a great start to their seven game royal road trip, but there’s plenty to look forward to.

Pontus Aberg is leading the team in scoring with nine points in eight games, tallying five goals and adding four assists. Aberg isn’t the only player with five goals as Egor Korshkov alongside him.

Kasimir Kaskisuo has a .936 save percentage in five games this season, picking up four wins in that span. Speaking of goaltending, Joseph Woll has also gotten some action in net playing three games, posting a .893 save percentage.

Marlies look to continue great stretch

It’s without a doubt that the Toronto Marlies are having a great season so far. They’re going to have to continue this stretch to keep the North Division race tight.

They’re currently 2nd only behind the Utica Comets, where both teams have the same number of points, but Utica leads by point percentage.

Toronto’s next five games see them facing teams all below them in the standings. Along with trying to find themselves as a team, they hope to come out of this road trip with a few more points.

While it won’t be easy, look for Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin, who have started together as of late to continue their hot starts.

Both have contributed to the teams success considerably as Liljegren leads all Marlies defensemen with six points in eight games and Sandin is right behind him with four points in five games.

But, in between Liljegren and Sandin is Jordan Schmaltz, who’s tallied five points in seven games this season.

It’s been more of a good than bad start for the Toronto Marlies. But, as they don’t play until Friday, then play four games in seven nights, it’s going to be tough to get the points needed.

With the way they’re playing so far this season, their play could get better and better and those points that are going to be tough to get, could come easier than they thought.