Marlies Push Opponent To 7 Again
May 11th, 2008 by Steve
The Toronto Marlies are surprisingly playing a game 7 at Ricoh Coliseum for the second time in this year’s Calder Cup playoffs. After a hard fought come from behind 4-3 OT victory over the Syracuse Crunch in game 5, the team eked out another win by scoring 3 goals in the 3rd period on Friday night to force the 7th and deciding match up with Syracuse on home ice Monday night. The Marlies have shown a fairly high level of fortitude, going 3-0 so far in games where they are facing elimination this post season. Unfortunately it’s a bit scary that they have already played 3 elimination games and they aren’t out of the 2nd round yet.
On the prospects front, Justin Pogge hasn’t seen any game action since coming on in relief of Scott Clemmensen in a 6-3 first round loss to San Antonio. Jiri Tlusty has contributed 7 points in 13 games, with only 2 goals to show for his work. The worst stat line for Tlusty has to be his far from stellar +/- ratings and it’s reflection of his sizable defensive short comings at this stage of his career. On a team where the other top 8 scorers are all plus players, with Bates Battaglia leading the charge at +9, and another 6 players at +4 or +6, Tlusty’s ZERO rating, while not alarmingly bad, shows he might not be doing enough to keep the puck out of his end when he’s on the ice.
David Ling and Kris Newbury are leading the offensive attack, with Ling having picked up 9 points in the 6 game series with Syracuse. John Mitchell is leading the team in goals with 7. I think it should be noted that while Clemmensen’s play has not been alarmingly bad, it has also not been as stellar as some corners might suggest. He is currently 16th in the AHL playoffs for GAA at 2.79, and 12th in SV% at .911 - In fact his numbers are quite similar to his regular season stats. The main reason the Marlies have improved of late is their ability to score has returned, with 19 goals in their past 4 games getting them back into the series as they went 3-0-1 over that stretch and the lone OT loss being 5-4. Figuring out Syracuse’s goaltending was a major hurdle, but now that it has been accomplished, the Marlies have seriously disrupted the solid stretch of play the Crunch were on.
Game 7 goes tonight at the old horse barn (Ricoh Coliseum), and I expect it might also end up going to OT considering how often Syracuse seems to go there. While game 7’s typically favour the home team, if only 2,500 people show up on a Monday night to see Calder Cup hockey, the home crowd may not be a factor.
Based on everything that has transpired thus far, I’m pretty sure if there’s any hope of Pogge seeing action in net, it would be for Clemmensen to get injured, while in the process of helping the Marlies win this game. I’m not wishing injury on the guy, but I really would like to see Pogge play some meaningful games. If you’re interested tune in on Leafs TV at 7:30 pm to catch the action (that is if you get the channel, since most bars refuse to pay the ridiculous fees that MLSE are charging for them to pick it up)… this might be your last chance to see pro hockey relating to the Leafs until next season. I’m still undecided on whether or not that’s a good or bad thing.
Posted in Prospects
3 Responses to “Marlies Push Opponent To 7 Again”
By LeaferSutherland on May 11, 2008
Can someone tell me what is up with Bates? The guy is on fire it seems.
By eyebleaf on May 12, 2008
Bates is a trooper. I think he knows he’s an NHLer but he went down to the Marlies this season and handled his business like a true professional. I’ve got a lot of time for Bates Battaglia and hope he’s back in the NHL next season, whether it’s with us or with someone else.
As for the Clemmenssen/Pogge debate…I want to see Pogge in there just as much as you Steve, but it’s tough to argue against a .911 save percentage. The GAA is a tad bloated, but 3-0 in elimination games and a solid save %’age is a testament to how Clemmensen is playing right now.
I wouldn’t mind another full season of AHL development for Pogge next year, and have Clemmenssen back up Toskala up with the big club. As long as Raycroft is out of the picture, I’m a happy man. But at the end of the day, another full season in the AHL as the full-fledged #1 goalie cannot hurt Pogge.
By Steve on May 12, 2008
I’m sorry but I have to disagree on the “it’s tough to argue against a .911 save percentage” side of things.
Of the 8 goaltenders who made the 2nd round of the playoffs, only 2 of them had Save Percentages the same or lower than Clemmensen. One of those, Tuukka Rask of the AHL regular season champion Providence Bruins, has been eliminated already taking his .908 SV% with him.
John Curry of Wilkes-Barre Scranton is the other netminder still kicking with a .911 save percentage, and his team has the best offense thus far in these Calder Cup playoffs. Clemmensen and the Marlies aren’t blowing anyone out with any regularity.
J.S. Aubin even has a better SV% to go along with his 8-1 record for Portland… do you really want the guy in net that has a lower SV% than J.S. Aubin?
The starting goalie for Syracuse, Karl Goehring has a .922 SV% in this years playoffs. In a game where both teams might face 40-50 shots if it goes to OT, that amounts to a difference of half a goal, and both teams scoring around 3 or 4 times. The only way I’m confident in Clemmensen winning that battle is if the Marlies heavily outshoot the Crunch.