Toronto Marlies Fall To Laval Rocket In First Half of Back-to-Back

The Toronto Marlies fell 5-3 to the Laval Rocket on Friday night. The Marlies fall to 4-2-2-0 on the season.

In the first period, the home team stuck first with a goal from Mitchell Stephens just 2:29 into the frame. Laval would carry that one goal lead into the second period.

In the middle frame, the Marlies responded. Mikko Kokkonen scored his first goal of the season at 18:26. Shortly after, newcomer Kieffer Bellows made it 2-1 for the visitors with just under a minute remaining in the frame.

In the third period, Nicholas Robertson scored at 2:28 to extend the Marlies lead to two. But, Laval scored four unanswered goals to take a 5-3 victory.

Despite the loss, Alex Steeves continued his point streak. He now has six points (4-2-6) in five consecutive games.

The Marlies return to action on Saturday for the second half of a back-to-back with the Rocket. Puck drop is at 7:00pm on AHLTV.

SCORING SUMMARY

Toronto: M. Kokkonen (1) (J. Slavin, N. Robertson), K. Bellows (1) (M. Ellis, M. Rifai), N. Robertson (4) (A. Steeves, D. Gambrell)
Goaltender: M. Jones (26/30) L

Laval: M. Stephens (2) (X. Simoneau), P. Maillet (1) (L. Mailloux, B. Gignac), J. Mysak (1) (T. Bisson, R. Kidney), P. Maillet (2) (L. Mailloux, B. Gignac), B. Gignac (3) EN (Unassisted)
Goaltender: J. Dobes (32/35) W

‍

ON THE SCORESHEET

• Mikko Kokkonen put the Marlies on the board at 18:26 of the second period. This was his first goal of the season.
• Kieffer Bellows scored at 19:12 of the second period in his first game of the season.
• Nicholas Robertson scored at 2:28 of the third period and earlier registered the secondary assist on Kokkonen’s second period goal. He has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in eight games with the Marlies this season.
• Josiah Slavin recorded the primary assist on Kokkonen’s second period goal. He has three points (1 goal, 2 assists) in seven games with the Marlies this season.
• Max Ellis picked up the primary assist on Bellows’ second period goal. He has six points (1 goal, 5 assists) in eight games this season.
• Marshall Rifai had the secondary assist on Bellows’ second period goal. He has assists (2) in consecutive games.
• Alex Steeves recorded the primary assist on Robertson’s third period goal. He has six points (4-2-6) in five consecutive games.
• Dylan Gambrell picked up the secondary assist on Robertson’s third period goal. He has assists (2) in consecutive games.
• Martin Jones stopped 26 of 30 shots he faced.

‍

TEAM NOTES

• The Marlies went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play. Toronto is 3-2-0-0 when not scoring on the power play and 1-1-0-0 when not allowing a goal on the penalty kill.
• Toronto had a 35-31 edge in shots in all situations. Joseph Blandisi led the Marlies with five shots on goal. Toronto is 4-2-2-0 when outshooting their opponent.
• The Marlies are 2-1-2-0 against North Division opponents and are 0-1-0-0 against the Rocket. Toronto was 6-2-0-0 against Laval last season, outscoring the Rocket 33-29
• Toronto is on its annual road trip during the Royal Winter Fair and will spend seven games on the road, returning to Coca-Cola Coliseum on Nov. 18.

‍

POSTGAME QUOTES

‍

HEAD COACH JOHN GRUDEN

On the team’s performance:

We’ve either been really good or really not so good, playing on our toes or playing on our heels. The consistency has been their one way or the other which is unfortunate. (Laval’s) not doing anything particular that’s giving us fits. They were just outworking us in the times that matter. We’ll fix it. We’ll watch some tape and figure how to give our guys a better chance when they’re in the situation tomorrow night.

‍

On what he liked about the team’s play:

They’re on their toes. They’re moving the pucks quick. They know where it’s going, they know how tough it is to defend when they are playing that way and when they’re not synced up and they’re not connected, it’s not the same hockey and I think everyone sees that. We just have to understand when we’re in those moments that we don’t squander these opportunities.

‍

UPCOMING GAMES:
*All times Eastern Standard Time
.
November 4 at Laval – 7:00 p.m.
November 8 at Milwaukee – 10:30 a.m. (CST)
November 10 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.
November 11 at Grand Rapids – 7:00 p.m.
November 18 vs. Manitoba – 4:00 p.m.