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Toronto Marlies punch ticket to Calder Cup Finals after Game 6 win

The Toronto Marlies win the 2026 AHL Eastern Conference Championship after a 2-1 overtime victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
ByJoseph Groves|
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Oct 3, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Alex Nylander (92) skates with the puck defended by Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Alex Nylander (92) skates with the puck defended by Detroit Red Wings right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) in the third period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Marlies are heading back to the Calder Cup Final for the first time since 2018.

They earned it the hard way, picking up a 2-1 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday night in Game 6 on the road at Mohegan Arena. With the victory, the Marlies closed out the series 4-2 and officially captured the Richard F. Canning Trophy as AHL Eastern Conference champions, punching their ticket to the final round.

Marlies come through in nail-biter to win Game 6

The Penguins opened the scoring in the first period on a power-play goal from Aidan McDonough, giving the home crowd something to lean on early and putting Toronto in a spot where it just had to stay patient.

The Marlies eventually found their way back in the second period. Easton Cowan continued what’s been a really strong postseason for him, jumping on a rebound and burying his sixth goal of the playoffs to even things up.

From there, it turned into a straight goaltending battle. Artur Akhtyamov was the difference for Toronto, stopping 39 of 40 shots and shutting things down for long stretches when the Penguins were pressing. On the other side, Sergei Murashov was just as sharp, matching him save for save and keeping the game locked through the third period.

Neither team could break it in regulation, which felt fitting for how tight everything was. Eventually, it had to go to overtime, and that’s where it finally opened up.

At 13:44 of the first overtime period, Alex Nylander stepped into a little pocket of space between the circles and didn’t miss punching the Marlies ticket to the 2026 Calder Cup Final

Marlies await Calder Cup Finals opponent

Now they move on to the final stage of the season. Toronto will wait for the winner of the Western Conference Final between the Colorado Eagles and Chicago Wolves before finding out who stands in their way next. There’s a short break coming, but not much time to sit back and enjoy it.

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