The Toronto Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, completed their 10-game, 22-day West Coast road trip by picking up three out of four points in their final two games. They completed their season’s sweep of the San Diego Gulls with a 3-1 victory on Friday night. They then scored two late goals to come from being down 2-0 against the Bakersfield Condors on Sunday night and send the contest beyond regulation but ultimately lost in a shootout.
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They finished the extended road trip with an amazing 7-2-1 record.
Game 1: Marlies 3, San Diego Gulls 1
Alex Nylander broke out of his recent scoring slump by scoring a pair of goals and Alex Steeves continued his record-setting season with his 24th goal in his 33rd game. As well, Dennis Hildeby stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced to give the Marlies the 3-1 win over the Gulls.
After a scoreless first period, Nylander and Steeves scored about 2-and-a-half minutes apart to give the Marlies a 2-0 lead. That two-goal lead lasted nine seconds before Jan Mysak got the Gulls on the scoreboard. The Marlies’ strong defensive play, backed by Hildeby, shut the San Diego offense down the rest of the way. Nylander would add a five-on-three power-play goal late in the third period to put the game away in favour of the Marlies.
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After two periods, the 2-1 score flattered the Gulls as the Marlies held them to just eight shots over the first forty minutes while directing 20 shots on the San Diego net. The Marlies took their foot off the gas, and the Gulls came on strong in the third. They looked like they might mount a comeback until they took a too-many-men and a tripping penalty 41 seconds apart with just over four minutes to go in the third period.
The win was the Marlies’ fourth over the Gulls, a team they had never met prior to 2024-25. Toronto took two home games from them back in October.
Game 2: Bakersfield Condors 3, Marlies 2 SO
While the Marlies players probably enjoyed a trip to the Californian sun in January, travelling cross-country and playing every second day for three weeks must take its toll on them. They looked like a tired team for the first 46 minutes of this game. Once again, the first period was scoreless, but…
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