Toronto Marlies: Playoff Preview Round One
Toronto Marlies: Playoff Preview Round One
Sep 24, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Christopher Gibson (35) goes to stop an Ottawa Senators shot at the Air Canada Centre. Ottawa defeated Toronto 4-3 in an overtime shoot-out. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Looking at the conference standings back in November, there was not much talk about the Toronto Marlies making a run to the postseason. The team was going through a major transition with younger players taking the reigns, but a 33-15-7 record since December moved the team from the bottom of the conference to eighth place. They will now face the reigning Calder Cup Champion Grand Rapid Griffins in the first round, starting Saturday in Toronto.
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A major reason for the team’s turnaround has to be the stellar play of younger prospects like Connor Brown, William Nylander, Brendan Leipsic, Sam Carrick, Greg McKegg, and Matt Frattin. The Marlies struggled to find offence early in the season, but luckily they had goaltenders Christopher Gibson, Antoine Bibeau, and at times Garret Sparks. Brown has been one of the most impressive Leafs prospects, after leading the OHL in points last season. He not only leads the Marlies in scoring but he took the rookie scoring title, which has helped squash the criticism that his production came from playing with Connor McDavid.
Matt Frattin ends regular season on nine-game point streak. Six goals, 16 points in the process.
— Kyle Cicerella (@KyleCicerella) April 20, 2015
Here are the Marlies stats from the regular season:
[table id=34 /]
Stats provided by hockeydb.com
Sep 24, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Phillips (4) defends against Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (62) at the Air Canada Centre. Ottawa defeated Toronto 4-3 in an overtime shoot-out. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The additions of Nylander, Frattin and Leipsic brought a much needed offensive boost and a major change in philosophy, where the youngsters have taken over as the Marlies best players. Nylander has shown that the adjustment from Sweden to North American style of hockey has not been a major challenge for him. Bringing back T.J. Brennan was another key move for the Marlies, because of the injuries and lack of offensive production coming from the blueline.
William Nylander put up 15 points in final 11 games of season to finish with 14 goals and 32 points in 37 games
— Kyle Cicerella (@KyleCicerella) April 20, 2015
The Griffins went 3-1 against the Marlies this season, with two games ending in lopsided victories. Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill has been linked to many coaching jobs in the NHL. However, he is also seen as a possible replacement for Mike Babcock, should the Detroit Red Wings be unable to bring him back.
The Marlies will also have to deal with a couple of injuries to veteran players.
Captain Troy Bodie won't be ready to return for start of playoffs because of hand injury, says Dineen
— Kyle Cicerella (@KyleCicerella) April 22, 2015
Dineen says defenceman Kevin Marshall is done for the year after season-ending surgery.
— Kyle Cicerella (@KyleCicerella) April 22, 2015
The Marlies have not enjoyed much success in the playoffs against the Griffins, who are 5-1 in the playoffs at the Ricoh Coliseum and won the last two playoff series against Toronto. It will be a tough matchup against the defending champions, but the Marlies best chance for a victory rides on the strength of their goaltending with Gibson and Bibeau. It will also be a big test to see if the young players will be ready for a challenge like this.