Toronto Marlies lose Game 2 to Rochester, winner take all set for Sunday

The Rochester Americans staved off elimination on Friday, defeating the Toronto Marlies 4-0 in Game 2 of the North Division first round to tie the series at one game apiece.

Konsta Helenius registered goal and an assist in the win, including the game-winning goal coming on the power play at 13:20 in the first period. The 19-year-old forward tied for the team lead this season with 62 points in 63 games and also impressed over his brief nine-game NHL stint, recording one goal and three assists. Helenius is the Buffalo Sabres’ 2024 first-round pick and is a rising star within the organization.

The Marlies were shut out for only the third time all season, with Americans goaltender Devon Levi turning aside 29 shots. Levi bounced back from allowing five goals in Game 1. The 24-year-old did not appear in a NHL game this season but put together a strong year in Rochester, posting a record of 23-20-9, 2.83 goals-against average, and .904 save percentage.

Artur Akhtyamov made his third straight start for the Marlies, dating back to the Marlies’ final game of the regular season, and allowed three goals on 23 shots. The 24-year-old stopped all 16 shots he faced on Thursday, his second AHL shutout of the year. The Maple Leafs’ 2020 fourth-round draft pick made his NHL debut this season, appearing in three games, going 0-2-0 with a 4.76 GAA and .877 save percentage. Akhtyamov was named an AHL All-Star for the first time in his career, going 21-12-4 with a 2.88 GAA and .904 save percentage.

Carson Meyer, Vsevolod Komarov, and Ryan Johnson (EN) also all scored in the win, picking up their first points of the playoffs for the Americans. The Marlies went 3-2-1 against the Americans in the season series, outscoring them 21-18, and finished with 10 more points in the regular-season standings.

Marlies defenceman Dakota Mermis, spoke about the changes he thought the Americans made between games 1 and 2.

“I think they [Rochester] were really consistent with their play. Obviously, we’ll have to look at it, but they made adjustments we couldn’t quite answer for a large part of the game,” Mermis said post-game. “Obviously, they got really good goaltending, he [Levi] played really well, and we’ll have to look at it to figure out what adjustments we need to make.”

The Marlies took the first game of the series 5-0 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Vinni Lettieri picked up a hat-trick and an assist in the win, while Michael Pezzetta and Bo Groulx also chipped in goals. The latter two players both had stints with the Maple Leafs this season, with Pezzetta appearing in nine games and Groulx appearing in 13 games, picking up three goals and two assists.

Game 3 returns to Coca-Cola Coliseum on Sunday night with puck drop set for 4 PM. The winner will move on to the Division semifinals to take on the Laval Rocket.

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