Special teams and prospects show up big to flip the script on Round 2 series
This is a FanPost written by Buffalo-Oblivious.
The 3rd-seeded Rochester Americans went up to Toronto and skated away with a 4-3 victory against the top-seeded Marlies in Thursday‘s opening game of the Calder Cup North Division Finals. Special teams proved to be the difference.
Kohen Olischefski tied the game 1-1 with a shorthanded goal at 9:00 in the 1st, then Isak Rosen and Jiri Kulich scored two power play goals in just over three minutes on either side of the 2nd intermission to put the Amerks up 4-1 early in the 3rd period.
Brett Murray also scored a late-period dagger at the end of the 1st.
The Amerks penalty kill stonewalled the Marlies, who went 0-4 on the power play. Malcolm Subban stopped 20 of 23 shots, hanging on for the victory despite giving up up 2 goals in the 3rd as the Marlies outshot the Amerks 12-6 down the stretch.
Nick Abruzzese opened the scoring at 3:04 of the 1st, but Toronto was then blanked until Joseph Blandisi (7:56) and Kyle Clifford (16:19) tried in vain to mount a late comeback. Clifford’s goal came just seconds after the Marlies pulled goalie Erik Källgren, but despite again playing the final 2:49 at 6-on-5 they couldn’t force the would-be equalizer past Subban.
Game 2 is Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto.
Editor’s Note: This was the Amerks’ first-ever playoff victory against the Marlies. First. EVER. The Amerks were also playing a man short for the final 40 minutes, as Brendan Warren was deemed ineligible toward the end of the first period. Warren wasn’t listed on the team’s official lineup sheet that was submitted.