Toronto Takes Game One, Lead Phantoms 1-0 in Conference Finals
The 2018 AHL Eastern Conference Finals between the Toronto Marlies and Lehigh Valley Phantoms showcased another one-goal Calder Cup Playoff game Saturday evening in Toronto as a back-and-forth battle saw the Marlies both open up a 2-0 lead and overcome a 3-2 deficit in order to secure a 4-3 win in Game One of the best-of-seven series.
Miro Aaltonen tallied a pair of goals in the first period for the Marlies to jump out to the early lead, but a late first period power play tally by Phil Myers and an opportunistic opening shift in the second period by the Phantoms produced a tying goal 35 seconds in on Tyrell Goulbourne's second of the postseason.
The Phantoms had the 3-2 lead after Chris Conner snuck behind the defense and got a pass from Myers, but the veteran's fifth of the postseason wasn't enough for Lehigh Valley as the Marlies tied it late in the period, took the lead early in the third and held on to win the opening game of the series.
GAME RECAP
The two teams certainly had a feeling out process in the opening game of the conference finals, but in the opening 12 minutes it didn't seem like the Toronto Marlies were going to show much rust from being off the past 10 days between series.
Miro Aaltonen tallied twice in the first 12:03 of play to give Toronto an early 2-0 lead, but from there the Phantoms settled in and started to finish off some of their own chances.
In fact, the Phantoms had two great chances early in the game - a Mike Vecchione to Chris Conner feed on a 2-on-1, and later a Vecchione breakaway on the shift after Toronto's first goal - but Marlies' goaltender Garret Sparks was up to the task with a pair of really strong saves.
Lehigh Valley got some momentum late in the opening period, drawing their first power play and cashing in when Colin McDonald got the puck on the right wing and into the offensive zone before pulling up and leaving one on a tee for Phil Myers. Myers' one-timer rang off the iron and in on a big shot from the right point, and Myers' 3rd of the postseason.
The Phantoms trailed 2-1 entering the middle frame, but went to work and tied up the game on the opening shift.
Travis Sanheim poke-checked a Marlies' forward in the Phantoms' defensive zone, and Corban Knight got the loose puck - going up the left wing and feeding to the middle for a quick shot by Tyrell Goulbourne past Sparks to tie it up 2-2 just 35 seconds into the 2nd period.
Lehigh Valley headed to the penalty kill after Mikhail Vorobyev was forced into slashing Chris Mueller to prevent him from getting a clean give to the net, but Oskar Lindblom was boarded by Andreas Johnsson on the ensuing Marlies' power play.
During the four-on-four, Lindblom was high-sticked by Travis Dermott and was bloodied - leaving the game and missed the rest of the period. Dermott was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking on the play, and although the Phantoms didn't cash in on the ensuing 4-on-3 power play they did convert shortly after as Phil Myers got a puck ahead to Chris Conner, who got a step on the edge and beat Sparks with a well-placed shot to give the Phantoms their first lead of the night.
Toronto tied things up at 3-3 late in the second period, methodically moving the puck out from behind their own net into a 4-on-3 entering the offensive zone. Ben Smith tipped in a shot-pass toward the net from Mueller on a series of crisp accurate passes by the Marlies.
The Marlies came out strong in the third period, taking the 4-3 lead 3:18 into the final frame on a snipe from Adam Brooks who went short side top shelf on Alex Lyon to put Toronto in front for good.
The Phantoms were largely unable to get much going offensively in the third period, which saw the Marlies in the final eight minutes creating a cycle in the Phantoms' D-zone and really stymieing Lehigh Valley from getting on the attack.
Lyon was pulled for the extra attacker with 2:20 left and the Phantoms had several great chances to tie the game and force overtime, but the Marlies hung on behind a game-saving stop from Sparks with just over 30 seconds left. Sparks twice stopped Colin McDonald, in succession, and even Sanheim thought McDonald scored on the rebound as his hands flew up into the air only to quickly react and get to the blue line to try to keep the puck in the zone.
GAME SUMMARY
1st Period
5:23: LV - (PP) Aube-Kubel, minor (slashing) 6:44: TOR - PPG Aaltonen (2) - Johnsson, Liljegren 12:03: TOR - Aaltonen (3) - Johnsson 14:21: TOR - (PP) Marchment, minor (roughing) 16:04: LV - PPG Myers (3) - McDonald, Vecchione
2nd Period
0:35: LV - Goulbourne (2) - Knight, Sanheim 9:32: LV - (PP) Vorobyev, minor (hooking) 10:24: TOR - (PP) Johnsson, minor (boarding) 11:18: TOR - (PP) Dermott, double-minor (high-sticking) 12:57: LV - PPG Conner (5) - Myers 16:24: TOR - Smith (2) - Mueller, Timashov 20:00: LV - Martel, minor (roughing) 20:00: LV - Vorobyev, minor (roughing) 20:00: TOR - Dermott, minor (roughing) 20:00: TOR - Mueller, minor (roughing)
3rd Period
3:18: TOR - Brooks (2) - Moore, Marchment
BOXSCORE
Lehigh Valley 1 - 2 - 0 = 3 Toronto 2 - 1 - 1 = 4
Shots
Lehigh Valley 9 - 12 - 8 = 29 Toronto 11 - 11 - 10 = 32
Goalies
LV - Alex Lyon (28 saves - 32 shots) TOR - Garret Sparks (28 saves - 29 shots)
Power Play
LV: 2-for-4 TOR: 1-for-2
Penalty Kill
LV: 1-for-2 TOR: 2-for-4
Attendance: 7,931
