After defeating the second-place Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins at Ricoh Coliseum on Friday night, the Marlies hosted the Portland Pirates for a Saturday afternoon game at the Air Canada Centre (ACC).
The Pirates, coming off a day’s rest, took advantage of the Marlies quick turnover on the schedule, outshooting the first-place Toronto team 8-2 early before heading to a powerplay.
But it was Brendan Leipsic’s night.
After the Pirates failed to convert on the ensuing Leipsic hooking penalty, they continued to test Garret Sparks, who made 14 saves in the first period.
Late in the period, after Leipsic drew a hooking penalty of his own, the Marlies began to apply pressure.
Unable to score, the Marlies were outshot 14-7 in the period, with 51 seconds remaining on their man-advantage.
Early in the second period, after the powerplay expired, the Pirates' dominant play paid off after a Brent Regner point shot found its way through to open the scoring.
Without defensemen Scott Harrington (out for the rest of the season with what the team is calling an upper-body injury) and Viktor Loov (recalled by the Leafs), Marlies defensemen Stuart Percy, T.J. Brennan, Andrew Campbell, David Kolomatis, Justin Holl, and Rinat Valiev found themselves frequently hemmed in.
Late in the period, with the Marlies trailing by a 2-to-1 margin in shots (22-11), it was a pair of 20-year-olds who beat Pirates goaltender Sam Brittain.
Newly acquired prospect Tobias Lindberg, in off the right wing, found former first round pick Frederik Gauthier for the game-tying goal.
The assist, Lindberg’s second in four games since joining the Marlies as a central piece in the Dion Phaneuf trade, helped his fellow AHL rookie pick up his fourth professional goal.
And moments later, the skill that had propelled the Marlies to an AHL-leading 39-9-4 record turned the game around, as defensemen Rinat Valiev found Leipsic cross-ice at the tail end of extended zone time to make the game 2-1.
The goal extended the diminutive Leipsic’s February point streak to four games – five with a goal in his lone game as a call-up with the Leafs. Playing on a line with Brett Findlay and Connor Brown, Leipsic wasn’t done there.
On his next shift, the streaking winger stepped around two defenders in the neutral zone to find Brown for a chance on the opposite wing.
It was only a matter of time until he did something else.
And he did, putting a backhand under the crossbar after receiving a breakaway pass from Findlay to give the Marlies a 3-1 lead.
"It was just kind of a controlled breakout and Brown made a nice play to Findlay who made a nice saucer pass and I was just lucky enough to make a move to my backhand," Leipsic said following the game.
After a David Kolomatis delay of game penalty with 1:28 left put the Marlies down 6-on-4, Garret Sparks was challenged for two final shots before picking up a 37-save win.
With the two-goal night, including the game-winner, Leipsic demonstrated he’s one of the best Marlies forwards.
"Leipsic was real good yesterday, and again today," head coach Sheldon Keefe said following the win, adding that he’s grown to be more competitive as the season has progressed, especially away from the puck.
"His defensive assignments, his tracking, and then just picking his spots a little bit better," Keefe said of Leipsic’s progression.
But there’s still room for him to be even better.
"At times he can over do it with the puck," Keefe said. "At times he’ll force the issue and there’s been some turnover problems but he’s sorted that out pretty well and we’ve been happy with him."
At his best, Keefe thinks Leipsic is dominant.
"He’s a real tough player for the opposition to handle when he’s skating and protecting the puck and doing the things that he can," he said.
Leipsic is happy with the way his game has progressed this season, and thankful for his time with the Leafs.
"I was just trying to be a sponge, soak it all in," Leipsic, the first star of the game, said. "It’s such a controlled game up there, might be a little scrambled down here (in the AHL), and playing without the puck is a such a huge thing."
After scoring in his first NHL game, Leipsic said he left his brief NHL stint with more confidence that he has what it takes to become a fulltime NHL player.
"Each shift I felt more comfortable holding onto the puck a little bit more and making plays like I do down here," he said.
For now, he’s focused on the Marlies.
"I’m just trying to get better and help this team now," Leipsic said. "We expect to win every game, and we expect to win convincingly too."
And they don’t lose often. With the win, the Marlies improved to 40-9-4 on the season.
