Young lineup opens AHL playoffs
Dallas Eakins’ roster picked clean by the Leafs, but rookie-laden squad just keeps on winning
A rookie-laden Toronto Marlies open the AHL playoffs this weekend against the Rochester Americans, hoping for another crack at the Calder Cup title that eluded them last season.
The team isn’t as offensively-talented as the group that started the season. The Maple Leafs began calling up players right after the NHL lockout ended and promoted Jake Gardiner, Joe Colborne and captain Ryan Hamilton about a month ago.
Marlies coach Dallas Eakins’ charges will be relying on grit, hard work and determination as they begin defence of their Western Conference title on Saturday in Game 1 of the best-of-five series at the Ricoh Coliseum.
Toronto didn’t have much trouble with the Americans this season, winning nine of their 10 games and 14 of their last15 matches going back to last season when they swept Rochester in the opening round of the playoffs 3-0.
“Our guys aren’t overconfident because a lot of our games were tight and won in the third period, but I’m sure the record is pasted in the Rochester dressing room and they’re using it for motivation,” Eakins said after practice at Ricoh where Game 2 will also be played on Sunday afternoon.
“Our guys have bought into our mantra. It’s about one game. We’re not in a five-game series. . . . Whether you’re up 2-0 or down 2-0 it’s always about winning the next game.”
Eakins has used 45 different players this season. Five different goalies have stopped pucks, including Drew MacIntyre, their current No. 1, who wasn’t even in the Leaf organization when the season began and actually backed-up David Leggio for Rochester in last season’s playoffs after the former AHL allstar lost his starting job. As many as 14 rookies could be in the Marlies lineup for Game 1. When the NHL lockout ended, Spencer Abbott, Greg McKegg, Brad Ross and Kenny Ryan, all forwards, were the only first-year players skating with the team. Since then, the Marlies have added forwards Tyler Biggs, David Broll, Sam Carrick, Andrew Crescenzi, Jamie Devane and Josh Leivo, along with defencemen Morgan Rielly, Andrew MacWilliam, Stuart Percy, and goalie Garret Sparks. When the NHL lockout ended, Eakins immediately lost Nazem Kadri, Mark Fraser and goalie Ben Scrivens from the team that went to the Calder Cup final last season and lost to the Norfolk Admirals, a team that also had Mike Kostka, who signed with the Leafs as a free agent and made the team from the Marlies at training camp. Ex-Marlie Matt Frattin has also been with the Leafs for much of the season. Despite the big holes, the team finished first in the North and second overall in the West, just one point back of the Texas Stars. “I’m not astonished by it (success with rookies),” Eakins said. “Our rookies have been led by the older guys. There is a standard. … “Before the lockout, if we were having an off night, we could still go out and win shifts with our skill and score and either win or tie the game. After the lockout, it’s been more of finding a way to bowl over a defenceman and driving to the net and playing grittier hockey. “We have a group of guys who aren’t afraid of playing the hard way and the nasty way and on a lot of nights it hurts. It’s a funny thing though. I think they like the pain. They enjoy going out and playing that dirty game every night.” Eakins has 30 players from which to choose his 20-player lineup. A couple of decisions still have to be made, including whether former Leaf defenceman Mike Komisarek is healthy enough for Game 1.
Incredibly, the Marlies’ record was just as good before and after they started losing players to the Leafs. Toronto had a 21-9-3 record (45 points) in 33 games before the lockout and was 22-14-7 (51 points) in the 43 games after NHL labour dispute ended.
The Marlies travel to Rochester for Game 3 on Wednesday and, if necessary, for Game 4 on Thursday. If a fifth game is needed it will be played next Saturday afternoon at Ricoh.
The Marlies won the North Division with a record of 43-23-10 and while the Americans finished second with the same number of wins but a record of 43-29-4.
Amerks coach Chadd Cassidy replaced Ron Rolston when he was promoted to the Buffalo Sabres after Lindy Ruff was fired on Feb. 20 and Rochester went 16-11-1 with Cassidy behind the bench.
Former Sabre Luke Adam will be in the lineup after being re-assigned to the team near the end of the season. Sabres rookie centre Mikhail Grigorenko is also eligible to play.