The Toronto Marlies let a playoff victory slip away in Game 3 of the Calder Cup Eastern Conference Semi-Final, as Nick Lappin scored the game tying goal with 21 seconds left in regulation and the game-winning power play goal at 18:40 of overtime to give the Albany Devils a 3-2 victory at the Times Union Center on Sunday night.
The Devils take a 2-1 series lead with the victory, thanks mostly to dominating the special teams battle. Albany went 8-for-8 killing penalties, scored twice while short-handed and the winning goal on the man advantage.
Josh Leivo and William Nylander scored for Toronto and Antoine Bibeau made 36 saves in the loss. The Marlies goaltender entered the game with a perfect 5-0 career record against Albany.
After combining for 75 shots in a 5-3 Marlies victory in Game 2, both clubs played more close to the vest and only totaled 10 shots in the opening period.
Toronto could not take advantage of two early power play chances and surrendered the opening goal midway through the first, as Mike Sislo’s pass on a short-handed two-on-one was redirected by Rod Pelley’s skate past Bibeau.
The Marlies tied the game early in the middle frame, as Leivo’s soft shot dribbled through the pads on Scott Wedgewood, but the Devils goalie made up for that will 11 saves in the second period, including a pair of breakaway stops on Connor Brown and Zach Hyman that kept the game even.
.@jleivo17 tying the game for the @TorontoMarlies #TORvsALB pic.twitter.com/UXlAeikMvM
— AHL (@TheAHL) May 8, 2016
Toronto took the lead midway through the third just after another man advantage expired, as Nylander turned and fired a wrist shot to the top corner past Wedgewood. The Marlies appeared to have the game in hand when Sislo gave Toronto their seventh man advantage with 1:34 left, but head coach Sheldon Keefe chose to put out his first power play unit out in the waning moments of regulation instead of a more defensive-minded unit.
With their goalie pulled, Lappin tied the game with 21 seconds left to send it to overtime.
William Nylander gives the @TorontoMarlies their first lead of the game #TORvsALB pic.twitter.com/Unhk7DVxd9
— AHL (@TheAHL) May 8, 2016
Toronto was unable to end the game on another power play chance in overtime, but Albany got their chance on a questionable tripping call on defenseman Connor Carrick and seized on their opportunity.
Leafs prospect Andreas Johnson saw his first action in North America on Sunday, taking the place of winger Nikita Soshnikov in the Marlies lineup. The 2013 seventh rounder finished his third SHL season with 19 goals and 25 assists in 52 games and a championship with Frolunda and played with fellow Swede William Nylander and Hyman.
Defenseman Stuart Percy was injured after being hit along the boards by the Devils Joseph Blandisi and did not return.
Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday at 7pm.
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