Logan Shaw has been the ultimate captain for the Toronto Marlies in the Calder Cup playoffs, providing important faceoffs, crucial minutes, and key offence. On Sunday in Game 2 of the Calder Cup final against the Chicago Wolves, Shaw's veteran jam sent the Marlies to a 5-4 overtime victory.
Overtime Heroics
At 3:46 of the extra period, Shaw scored his second goal of the game, stuffing the puck past Wolves goalie Cayden Primeau to give the Marlies a tighter grip in the best-of-seven series. After Vinni Lettieri got the puck to the crease area, Shaw arrived, outmuscled Wolves defenceman Domenick Fensore from behind the goal line, and managed to get it past Primeau.
With two wins at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, the Marlies head home with a 2-0 lead. Games 3 and 4 are at Coca-Cola Coliseum on Tuesday and Thursday, with Game 5, if necessary, also on the Exhibition grounds on Friday.
Akhtyamov Stands Tall Again
In his 17th consecutive start, Marlies goalie Artur Akhtyamov made 28 saves as Toronto improved to 9-3 on the road in the playoffs. Primeau, a brief member of the Maple Leafs last fall, stopped 27 shots in his return to the Chicago net after missing a few games due to injury.
The Marlies were on the cusp of winning in regulation when Wolves defenceman Juuso Valimaki scored his second goal of the third period with 17 seconds remaining. With Primeau on the bench for an extra skater, Valimaki scored from a tough angle, hitting the back of the net behind a scrambling Akhtyamov after the puck came off the end boards.
Key Performances
Marlies veteran forward Bo Groulx scored his second goal of the match, his first two-goal performance in 20 playoff games this spring, putting the Marlies up 4-3 at 13:40 of the third. Groulx slammed a William Villeneuve rebound past Primeau. Valimaki had tied the game 3-3 earlier in the third at 8:33.
The Marlies led 3-2 after 40 minutes. The Wolves had trouble with the Marlies' play through the neutral zone, and Shaw scored off the rush for a go-ahead goal at 15:45 of the second period, blowing past Fensore and moving to his backhand to slip the puck past Primeau.
Nylander Joins Short List
Alex Nylander added his name to a short list of Marlies who have scored on a penalty shot in the Calder Cup playoffs when he used a nifty backhand deke to fool Primeau and tie the game 2-2. The free shot came after Fensore got his stick in Nylander's hands during a breakaway at 4:12 of the second period.
Nylander became the sixth player in Marlies history to get a penalty shot in the post-season and the fourth to score, joining Robert Mastrosimone (2025), Kyle Clifford (2023), and Dmytro Timashov (2019). Will Acton (2012) and John Pohl (2006) failed on their attempts.
Game Opening
The Wolves applied pressure off the opening faceoff and got on the board at 1:53 of the first period when defenceman Charles Alexis Legault put a shot from the point through a screen and past Akhtyamov. Groulx went short side on Primeau off the rush at 11:17, before Noah Philp restored a one-goal lead for Chicago at 15:40 on a power play.
Lettieri and Villeneuve each had three assists in the game.
