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Toronto’s latest winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Manitoba Moose — more specifically the catching glove of Michael Hutchinson.

First Period

Back inside the friendly confines of Ricoh Coliseum, Toronto totally controlled the opening ten minutes, running up an 8-0 shot advantage.

Only a penalty kill halted the flow as Manitoba finally mustered their first effort on net. Toronto needed to kill back-to-back penalties before heading to a power play opportunity of their own.

There were plenty of good looks for the Marlies, none better than Frederik Gauthier’s in some space in the slot. Hutchinson pulled off his best save of the period to ensure the deadlock remained intact after the opening 20 minutes.

Second Period

The beginning of the middle frame was no doubt frustrating for Sheldon Keefe. After the Marlies lost a series of battles along the boards inside their own zone, Peter Stoykewych had tonnes of time at the point to measure a shot that found a seam through traffic and beat Garret Sparks just 70 seconds in.

A long-range effort from Calle Rosen almost tied up proceedings just a minute later, but Hutchinson had his post to thank for preserving the Moose lead.

A power play for Manitoba three minutes into the middle frame would have seen the visitors double their advantage if not for a magnificent save from Sparks.

Toronto was struggling to find their rhythm and didn’t really start to press Manitoba until the final six minutes of the second period. Kerby Rychel arguably had the best opportunity on a breakaway but chose to release an early slap shot to no avail rather than attempt a move around Hutchinson.

A flurry of subsequent shot attempts were either blocked or turned aside by Hutchinson as Toronto remained behind by one through 40 minutes.

Third Period

A combination of score effects and improved play from Toronto ensured the third period was pretty much one-way traffic. The Marlies did need Sparks to bail them out just 15 seconds into the final frame after Jack Roslovic split the Toronto defense.

The Marlies certainly weren’t getting the bounces in this game, especially obvious in a couple of goalmouth scrambles early in the final frame. The lucklessness continued at the six-minute mark as Dmytro Timashov rifled a shot past Hutchinson, off the underside of the crossbar, and away to safety without crossing the goal line.

The Marlies drew three power-play opportunities through the final 10 minutes but were unable to penetrate the stubborn Manitoba PK units. Sparks was pulled during the last of those power plays, although it proved to no avail.

With Manitoba back to full strength, a mix-up from Toronto inside their own zone gift-wrapped the Moose an empty-net goal, all but sealing the game at 2-0 with 1:08 remaining.

A goal from Jeremy Bracco with 20 seconds left on the clock allowed the Marlies fans in attendance to release their teddy bears and stuffed animals onto the ice, but it was no more than a consolation strike as Toronto’s winning streak ended at five.


Post Game Notes

– Despite out-shooting Manitoba 40-27, the Marlies were held to one goal for just the second time in 27 games.

“Kappy’s up [with the Leafs], Johnsson is not in the lineup, Dermott drives a lot of things for us coming out of our end,” said Keefe. “We knew offense was going to be hard to come by, so that’s kind of the case most of the game. We had a number of opportunities and 40 shots is the most we’ve had in quite some time. Their goalie is good. We got a little bit of a taste of our own medicine here today — our goaltending has been a big part of why we are where we are in the standings.”

– The first- and third-ranked penalty kills were on top in this game. Toronto’s power play was denied on all five opportunities, and Manitoba’s on all four.

Garret Sparks turned aside 25 of 26 shots and deserved a better fate in his return to action.

Jeremy Bracco led all skaters with six shots and scored Toronto’s lone goal. The rookie forward is now riding a three-game point streak.

– An assist for Ben Smith extended his points streak to three games. He’s back in top form after being kept off the score sheet for six straight outings between Nov. 25 and Dec. 8.

Justin Holl has assisted in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

Martins Dzierkals made his Marlies debut on a line with Gauthier and Colin Greening. He may feel he should have done more to prevent the opening goal (failed to get in the shooting lane) but showed some promising signs offensively and recorded two shots on goal.

Andreas Johnsson and Travis Dermott (who played Friday night) were both absent. I can only assume both have sustained injuries.

Martin Marincin has been recalled to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, with Nikita Zaitsev placed on injured reserve.

– Saturday’s lines:

Forwards
Timashov-Mueller-Moore
Dupuy-Aaltonen-Smith
Dzierkals-Gauthier-Greening
Rychel-Brooks-Bracco

Defencemen
Valiev-Holl
Marincin-LoVerde
Nielsen-Rosen

Goaltenders
Sparks
Pickard


Game Highlights


Post-Game: Sheldon Keefe