Tagged: holzer

I miss the Chicago Wolves. Sort of. Not that the Marlies ever really played them that often in the first place, but when you consider the affiliate change, and how many times the Manitoba Moose came to town on a yearly basis, seeing this bunch of guys almost became a point of familiarity. Yes, its a double standard considering my complaints about the schedule, but at the same time, I used to pay attention to the Moose as well, as someone who likes to pay attention to the Canucks. So in a sense, I was particularly excited for this matchup. After all, instead of the usually 8 to 10 games these guys played against each other in previous years, this year has a home and home as its scheduled result.

Call it a personal bias, and a double standard, and you’re totally right. So lets just skip to the main point, and that’s the game at hand. Today saw Craig MacTavish’s visiting squad, laden with veterans in typical Chicago fashion, taking on a surging Marlies, lead by a scorching Ben Scrivens. Well, at least for a little bit. The game didn’t go exactly as planned for Ben, or the team, as the Marlies lost the final game of a trio this weekend, 3-2.

The first period opened with the last kind of action Toronto needed – a quick goal. Bill Sweatt, who was a Leafs prospect and a potential Marlies forward for about a blink, opened the scoring for Chicago just a minute and twenty seven seconds in.Then came the powerplay trade- first, the Marlies failed to succeed on an attempt. Then it was Chicago with the extra man, twice in three minutes, both times with Korbinian Holzer in the box. At the fifteen minute mark, the Marlies had a chance to strike thanks to a too many men call, but it actually came back to haunt them, as a shorthanded blast sailed by Scrivens.  A toe drag and a goal from Michael Davies wouldn’t immediately spell the end of Scrivens’ night, but sure enough, Jussi Rynnas started the second period.

That second period saw the momentum shift towards Toronto’s favour, but nobody really made the most of it until the final minutes. Nazem Kadri, coming off a dominant performance yesterday, showed some of his moves, fired a wrist shot, and had the puck tip off the shaft of Nicolas Deschamps’s stick and in.

In the third, the Marlies earned a powerplay right off the bat, and this one would be converted. Philippe Dupuis trickled the puck past Eddie Lack with plenty of time to spare in the frame, giving the Marlies a new lease on life for today. They ultimately weren’t able to tie the game up, though, and closed out the weekend 2-1-0.

Other Notes

The idea of playing three games in 44 hours amazes me. Who made that schedule and decided “yeah, this looks like a good idea”?

Ben Scrivens finally had a weak game after an incredible stretch of stretch of starts, stopping just eight of eleven shots.

Jussi Rynnas wasn’t tested particularly hard, but its worth noting that he stopped all 12 of his shots.

Nazem Kadri looked dominant again today. His goal may have been switched to Deschamps, but it was all Nazem’s effort. Other than that, the nifty mittens were out there just as much as they were yesterday.

Philippe Dupuis had an awesome celebration on his goal. He also had a pretty solid game. The goal gives him ten on the season.

Korbinian Holzer with two penalties in two shifts. I’m sure he’d like a do-over on his firs period, though it didn’t lead to any powerplay goals.

The powerplay succeeded once on six opportunities, though that in my opinion only sort of makes up for the fact that they allowed a shorthanded tally. The penalty kill stayed impeccable at seven for seven. Too many penalties to take, but it didn’t come back to haunt them directly. Who knows, though – maybe the minutes spent killing could’ve had the equalizer if even strength?

The Marlies next game is on Wednesday. Come back here tomorrow for an article on an expected signing!