Being on the road has no doubt been the weaker situation for the Toronto Marlies this sesaon, particularly after the lockout. Entering today’s game, the blue and white had only won one of seven games away from Ricoh Coliseum after the beginning of Leafs training camp. That said, it’s been a while since they’ve been away from home, and many were hoping that the 7-3-0 run of the past several weeks was more than just arena advantage, but rather the forming of team chemistry. The Lake Erie Monsters were the first test of this, and with a 5-3 win today, the Marlies are hoping this is a sign of things to come. [READ MORE] High-res

Being on the road has no doubt been the weaker situation for the Toronto Marlies this sesaon, particularly after the lockout. Entering today’s game, the blue and white had only won one of seven games away from Ricoh Coliseum after the beginning of Leafs training camp. That said, it’s been a while since they’ve been away from home, and many were hoping that the 7-3-0 run of the past several weeks was more than just arena advantage, but rather the forming of team chemistry. The Lake Erie Monsters were the first test of this, and with a 5-3 win today, the Marlies are hoping this is a sign of things to come. [READ MORE]

Leftovers - By Minute

1st Period

20:00 - Division games, stahp
17:00 - Iffy outlet pass by Marshall
15:00 - Bad one touch by Connolly
13:00 - Big open ice hit by Ross
12:00 - Colborne just casually lies on this dude behind the Marlies net, takes his time to get up
11:00 - Tim Connolly goes off for hooking
10:00 - Forehand, backhand, tuck shortie for Hammy
9:00 - Acton/Ryan/Connolly with a cool play here, Kenny probably wants a take 2
8:00 - Powerplay Marlies, Roy in the box
6:00 - Good retention by Gysbers to keep it onside. Pass a lot powerplay
1:00 - Zigomanis sprawls to get a shot in front of the net
0:00 - Ross goes backhand while falling. Scores in spite of penalty shot chances. Good takeaway.

2nd Period

20:00 - Blacker goes down after crosscheck attempt. Hard to see. Was he slashed?
19:00 - 4 on 4 hockey. Blacker and McCormick go to the box after all that.
17:00 - Good creative shift by Connolly, even gets a shot block in
16:00 - Ross gets another breakaway, but no nearly as effective thsi time
13:00 - Connolly and Yeo both go to the box. 7/12/17 on for Toronto. This is interesting.
12:00 - Acton swaps for Zigomanis. That’s trust by Dallas..
11:00 - Ranger and Hammy finish their shifts. Two minutes of a 5 on 3 killed by three and a half men..
9:00 - 7609 attendance! Good way to end the homestead
4:00 - Marlies losing control, but gain a PP
2:00 - This PP is just passes, bro
1:00 - Do you even lift (the puck towards the net for a shot)
0:00 - Scott scores. I swear I heard a whistle first though. 3-0

3rd Period

20:00 - Marlies are getting Score Effect’d right now. But not good anyway
18:00 - LEGGGGGGGGIOOOOOOO. There’s playoff fans in this crowd
15:00 - Hammy scores a floater. Leggio coulda had it, he knows it
14:00 - Good takeaway by Crescenzi, good rebound by Ryan. Leggio going super-saiyan
12:00 - Good double team of Leggio behind the net by Hamilton and Abbott
11:00 - Zigomanis gets a penalty. Rochester looks defeated
9:00 - Good PK, but really, Amerks look out of it
8:00 - Luke Adam to the box
5:00 - Powerplay incoming. Here comes a pass on pass on pass
4:00 - No shots by Rochester in six min-GOAL. Whoops
2:00 - Hat Trick Hammy. Front of net slapper
0:00 - Needed this win going forward. 6-1

Leftovers - By Player

Did this last game. People liked it. So here’s the extra notes I had on a player by player basis:

  • Brad Ross: Big open ice hit / Breakaway goal while falling, would have had a penalty shot if he let it go, instead tucks backhand / Big effort game.
  • Mike Zigomanis: Crashes the net for a falling rebound, smart play / Two shifts on 5 on 3 penalty kill
  • Ryan Hamilton: Short handed goal, went backhand, forehand tuck. Kinda like Colborne’s shootout move. Beauty. / Stayed on for full 5 on 3 penalty kill / Being allowed to cherry pick on powerplay, take in outlet passes / Second goal is the definition of a “hot stick” play / Good positioning on Hat Trick goal
  • Tim Connolly: One touch passes aren’t going anywhere, needs to recognize he’s on a different pace than NHL / Nice start on tic-tac-toe / Penalty for hooking / Lots of creative plays on shift that started with shot block / Needs to watch stick, tripping call is second penalty
  • Will Acton: Nice tic-tac-toe effort / Filled in for Zigomanis during 3 on 5
  • Greg Scott: Really nice corner pick on 3-0 goal
  • Greg McKegg: Good eye to find Hamilton on the wrap around instead of going for his own scoring chance
  • Andrew Crescenzi: Solid takeaway in early third period
  • Kenny Ryan: Probably wants that corner shot back, play was too nice to not work out. / Strong placement for his goal
  • Jesse Blacker: Slow to get up / Playing at 110% after looking hurt, impressive
  • Paul Ranger: Rush to centre ice in late 1st impressive / Lone D on full penalty 5 on 3 penalty kill
  • Simon Gysbers: Generally steady, in good positions / Nice keep at the blue line to prevent offside by bringing stick parallel
  • Jake Gardiner: Nice cross-ice run, adds a few passes, big deke leads to scoring chance
  • Dylan Yeo: Outlet to Hamilton on the SHG, good eye. / Double Crossed by Girgensens at blueline / Burned by Mancari / Getting beat 1 on 1 a lot tonight
  • Drew MacIntyre: Big save late in 5 on 3. Glove on point shot / His composure is on point despite Rochester bursts / Goal against was stuffed, backhand left. Six minutes since last shot. Calling cold.
  • Mark Owuya: Legitimately looks like Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd)
     / Seriously though this man is lowkey XO gang just chilling on the bench

Kevin Marshall (first game so extra focus)

  • Played 13 of 30 even strength shifts, 13 of 39 total.
  • One shot, 1 blocked shot, 2 breakups, 4 “good plays”, 2 “bad plays”.
  • First pass was a missed outlet pass
  • Frequently in right position, closes guys in rather than using body or stick
  • If he’s a good puck mover, it’s not showing tonight
  • Giveaway to Szydlowski
  • On for 5-0 goal, has assist

glory never diesReblogged from glory never dies

beleafinthisyear:

reasons gardiner is with the marlies

  • he had a concussion and is still getting back to form
  • we have 8 defensemen on the leafs and at least 1 sits every game
  • all of those guys are 25+ years old
  • gardiner is 22
  • this image

Hi.

  • Gardiner’s concussion was nearly three months ago (December 26th). He’s been back to playing (January 19th / January 26th for the Marlies) for longer than he was out. We’re past using the concussion as a valid defence.
  • As for getting into form, that form has been there. His first “big game” where strides towards NHL readiness were made was on Feburary 24th against St. Johns. Since, he’s played eight games at his expected level (picking up nine points!).
  • His confidence behind the net, his patience in making passes, and his tendencies to shoot (aka, Jake Gardiner assets) have all been back for at least two weeks now.
  • The Leafs may have eight defencemen on the roster. That’s fine. But look at a guy like Korbinian Holzer, who I myself am a fan of, who’s played sub-NHL hockey for the past several weeks, keeps getting ice time over NHL quality players, and.. DOESN’T REQUIRE WAIVERS! He can be sent down to bring Gardiner up.
  • Even still, the Leafs are in the business of winning hockey games. “Oh no, they may lose a borderline NHLer to waivers if they can’t trade him!” you may say, but as you brought up, we’re past development age on them and you’re not going to be kicking yourself long term. More important than losing the potential trade value of Mark Fraser (lol), is icing the highest quality hockey team possible every night. Which they aren’t doing, even if you ignore Jake.
  • It doesn’t matter that Gardiner is younger than them. On a similar point to the above - his ability is what matters, not his age. And his ability is there. If you’re to believe Dallas Eakins, he’s even better now than he was at this point last year. I have a hard time believing the Leafs defence is significantly better than last year. We’re talking about a second year pro defenceman, but also one who’s got 75 NHL games under his belt.
  • If we were to use one bad play as a reasoning for a roster move, this entire league would be a complete disaster of misdirected depth charts. On that play, Gardiner was showing a good tendency but over estimated himself - which is better than the previous fear of attempting it at all. I’m assuming that was the point you were trying to get by citing that quote, because I’m not sure how “he had an okay game” was supportive of your point.

Sincerely,

The person you quoted for that last point, the person who wrote the article that said he actually wasn’t ready a few weeks ago, and who’s been watching an NHL quality player confirm his ability over the past few games.