The Toronto Marlies moved within one victory of securing the Calder Cup after defeating the Chicago Wolves 1-0 in Game 3 of the American Hockey League championship series on Tuesday at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Goaltender Artur Akhtyamov stopped all 24 shots he faced to record a 60-minute shutout, while forward Easton Cowan scored the lone goal 2:47 into the second period to give Toronto a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Marlies outshot the Wolves 28-24 overall, though Toronto went 0-for-4 on the power play and Chicago finished 0-for-3 with the man advantage, following the Marlies' previous road victories of 4-2 and 5-4 in overtime.
Akhtyamov Shines in Net
Akhtyamov made his 18th consecutive postseason start on the same day the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies' NHL affiliate, traded goaltender Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers after Woll led the club in games played over the last two seasons.
"He just looks pretty calm in that net, makes the big saves if he has to, and I think that might have been his best," said Marlies head coach John Gruden.
The six-foot-two Russian netminder, who posted a 2.88 goals-against average in the regular season and made three NHL appearances this year, improved his playoff statistics after entering the night with a 2.21 GAA and .
924 save percentage.
"He really, really looks sharp," said Gruden.
The Marlies struggled early with only five shots in the opening frame, but the home crowd of 8,211 fans rallied behind the team and chanted "MVP!"
for Akhtyamov, who was backed up by Dennis Hildeby.
"Start of the second period, we really just took a hold of the game, we were playing really good, and then obviously Artie made a lot of huge saves for us, so that was good, but I felt like the second and third period, we had two really good periods," said forward Easton Cowan.
Cowan, a Maple Leafs first-round draft pick, scored his eighth goal of the playoffs off assists from Dakota Mermis and Vinni Lettieri, with Lettieri tying the franchise single-playoff record of 24 points.
"I didn't hear, to be honest, but that's great," said Akhtyamov.
The opposing netminder Cayden Primeau, who was claimed on waivers by the Carolina Hurricanes in November and played for five different teams this season, made 27 saves on 28 shots to earn third-star honors.
"I love our fans. It was so noisy tonight (and has been) especially in these playoffs.
So thank you," said Akhtyamov.
Wolves Coach Surprised by Matchup
Chicago Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas expressed surprise at the matchup given where both teams stood earlier in the year.
"If we were here at the end of February, beginning of March (when these two teams met in the regular season) and you told me the Wolves and the Marlies would face each other in the Calder Cup, I probably would've chuckled and I wouldn't put any money down on it.
(Secondly), if you told me that (Akhtyamov) was going to be the goalie leading the way, I probably wouldn't have believed you," said Anastas.
Anastas noted that his team had previously faced Hildeby during the regular season.
"We faced Hildeby that weekend; he was outstanding. They're both great goaltenders, but (Akhtyamov's) on an incredible run right now, so you gotta respect him.
But because of that, you gotta really test him, and we didn't do enough of that today," said Anastas.
Following Cowan's decisive second-period marker, Gruden praised the young forward's overall performance and development.
"You can see the confidence and the growth after he scored that goal," said Gruden.
Cowan earned second-star honors for his performance behind Akhtyamov.
"How much better he played detail-wise, 200-foot game, he was making all the right plays, he was skating, he was creating, and that's when he's at his best," said Gruden.
Cowan acknowledged that finding his rhythm took some time during the opening games of the final series.
"First couple of games I couldn’t really find my groove, and then (in the) second period got a bounce there, and just kind of gets the juices flowing.
So just looking to keep that going Thursday (for Game 4)," Cowan said.
The game ended with physical drama when Chicago forward Nikita Pavlychev received a five-minute major and game misconduct for a high hit on Toronto defenseman Henry Thrun, who left the ice with assistance, though Gruden had no immediate medical update.
The Toronto Marlies will attempt to complete a series sweep on home ice during Game 4 on Thursday, with Game 5 scheduled for Friday if necessary.
