The Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, finished the 2024 portion of the 2024-25 season with the best winning percentage in the AHL at .722% (a 17-5-5 record). The team is not having a happy New Year, however, starting 2025 with three regulation losses in a row. They scored just three goals over the three games while giving up nine (two were empty-netters).
In this post, Stan Smith and I will take a look at what’s happened in those games.
Game One: Syracuse Crunch 2, Marlies 0
The Marlies were shut out for just the second time this season by the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse goalie Brandon Halverson stopped all 28 shots he faced in the game. The Crunch got goals from Milo Roelens and Jack Finley.
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The Marlies played lifeless, uninspired hockey for most of the game. However, with the score still 1-0 late in the third period, they were starting to push for the equalizer. Goalie Matt Murray’s misplayed puck ended their hopes. Murray played a soft dump-in in the corner to his right. With Jesse Ylönen bearing down on him, Murray fired the puck toward the boards from about 10 feet outside his crease. Unfortunately, the puck bounced off the boards and came right back to Ylönen, who immediately fired it at the net. Murray made the save standing just outside his crease and then attempted to clear the puck into the corner to his left. But this attempt bounced off Marlie defenseman Cade Webber’s skate right to Jack Finley. Finley had a wide-open net to deposit the puck, and it was game over.
The only good part of this game was the Marlies’ penalty kill. For unknown reasons, Toronto only showed much life when they were down a man. They generated better scoring chances when they were shorthanded than they did at five on five or on the power play. The Marlies took six penalties in the game and killed them all.
Game Two: Cleveland Monsters 3, Marlies 1
The Cleveland Monsters are a team the Marlies just cannot beat. Going into this game, they lost 14 straight matches versus the Monsters dating back November 2022.
The Marlies were just as flat in this game as they were for most of the game against the Syracuse Crunch. The best word to describe it is “unmotivated.” They were going through the motions, but their actions had no intensity. The Marlies are…
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