For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
The Toronto Marlies once again were sluggish and outworked in Game 2 of the AHL North Division final, as the Syracuse Crunch took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with an 8-5 victory at Onondaga War Memorial Arena on Saturday night.
The Marlies seemed unprepared for the Syracuse onslaught through the entirety of the game and allowed 16 first period shots (for the second night in a row) on rookie Kasimir Kaskisuo.
Andreas Johnsson scored on Toronto’s first shot on goal at 15:15 of the first period and the Marlies managed only two shots on Crunch goalie Mike McKenna in the opening 20 minutes.
Kaskisuo could not repeat his near superhuman exploits from Friday, allowing four goals in the first and a fifth early in the second before being pulled in favor of backup Antoine Bibeau.
It was a night when former teammates and old nemeses haunted Sheldon Keefe’s squad. Cory Conacher (a member of the Calder Cup winning Norfolk Admirals who swept the Marlies five years ago) scored a pair of short-handed goals and an assist, Byron Froese added two assists and defenseman Jake Dotchin continued his penchant for injuring Toronto players with a questionable hit on Frederik Gauthier.
Frederik Gauthier is seriously injured after a late hit from Syracuse defenceman Jake Dotchin, who was ejected from the game. pic.twitter.com/N0mxZB1yDu
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) May 7, 2017
Dotchin knocked Gauthier off balance and he slammed awkwardly into the end boards. The big center stayed on the ice for minutes before being helped to the locker room by teammates with an apparent leg injury.
The Syracuse defenseman was given a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct and could face possible suspension from the AHL. Gauthier did not return to the game and Keefe had no update on his status after the game.
The Cambridge, ON native has already developed quite a reputation for being a borderline player with his exploits against Toronto. Dotchin knocked Kasperi Kapanen out of action for seven weeks with a low check in mid-January, punched out Marlies defenseman Andrew Nielsen in the same game and went low on Auston Matthews late in the season when he was called up by Tampa Bay.
Take another look as Kasperi Kapanen makes a great move and goes top shelf for his first of the series.#MarliesLive pic.twitter.com/HMehEMsDkt
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) May 7, 2017
“(Dotchin’s) done it once and he did it again today,… Kapanen said after the game. “but it’s also hockey and stuff happens, but it’s something to be concerned about.…
Rookie forward Carl Grundstrom had an auspicious beginning to his AHL career. The 19-year-old, who scored 14 goals in the SHL for Frolunda and impressed on Sweden's top line in the 2017 World Junior, was on the ice for three Syracuse goals early in the game, but then set up Cal O’Reilly for an easy tap in on the power play and tipped a Nielsen point shot for his first goal in North America.
“I thought when (Grundstrom) got the puck, he was one guy that the game seemed to slow down a little bit around him.… Keefe said. “We didn’t have a lot of guys playing with poise, so for him to step-in in his first game and have that type of confidence with the puck is encouraging to see.…
The Marlies return to Ricoh Coliseum for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
*******
Listen to Part II of the season-ending episode of the Blue N' White Tonight Podcast :
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.******* KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.