In Calder Cup Playoff history, when the best-of-seven series is tied at two games apiece, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to take the series 119 of 144 times (82.6 percent). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Chicago will try to end that streak as both conference finals resume in Game 6 tonight.
The Penguins host Toronto in Game 6 today (6:05 ET, 
), but the Marlies are one win away from capturing the Richard F. Canning Trophy after a 5-1 victory on Friday.
Bo Groulx (5-4-9), Easton Cowan (6-6-12) and Marshall Rifai (2-3-5) all had a goal and an assist for Toronto in Game 5 of the season Artur Akhtyamov (10-6, 2.23, .923) stopped 32 of 33 shots.
The Marlies scored five unanswered after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the scoring on a power-play goal. Mikhail Ilyin (2-7-9) 6:22 in the second period. The team that batted first lost four of the first five games in the series.
Landon Sim (1-1-2) got back on track with a goal 49 seconds later as the Marlies trailed.
“He was breathing well,” the head coach John Gruden said the 21-year-old boyfriend. “He comes with a lot of jam, a lot of energy, and he makes plays and he does his job.”
Leading by one goal in the third period, the Marlies opened it with goals at 1:16 divided by Cowan and 1:16. Logan Shaw (7-8-15).
“Our guys understand what’s at stake,” Gruden said after Game 5. “We let off the gas a few times and it stuck. They weren’t going to be denied tonight. They did a good job of sticking to the game plan and taking care of business.”
The Penguins will be looking to snap a six game losing streak against the Marlies at home. Unbeaten against Toronto at Mohegan Arena since January 22, 2022; the current Marlie Alex Nylander pennies in overtime that night.
“We knew coming here (Toronto), we needed to get two,” the Penguins forward Tanner Howe told Kelsey Surmacz of Hockey News. “We did that. We’re coming home, and there’s no other place we’d want to play these last two games.”
Quick Highlights:
- And the defenders Finn Harding, Alex Alexeyev, Sebastian Aho and the captain Phil Kemp all out of the list, Emil Pieniniemi again David Breazeale made their Calder Cup Playoff debut against the Penguins in Game 5.
- In Toronto William Villeneuve (2-14-16) has a seven-game hitting streak entering Game 6, and his 16 playoff points are the most by a defender in the Calder Cup Playoffs since the Coachella Valley. Ryker Evans posted 26 points in 26 games in 2023.
- The Marlies are 5-for-13 (38.5 percent) on the power play in the series after the Penguins made 22 of 25 shots in their first two games against Hershey and Springfield.
In the Western Conference, Colorado returns home with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to win its first Robert W. Clarke Trophy tonight (8:05 ET, ).
The Eagles erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits Friday and won 7-3 — their biggest margin since a 7-4 win over Calgary on opening night in October.
Tristen Nielsen (10-5-15) scored twice for Colorado to take the AHL lead with 10 goals this postseason. Matt DiMarsico (2-2-4), Taylor Makar (2-3-5) and Chase Bradley (5-4-9) scored at 2:58 early in the second period to give the Eagles the lead.
Makar’s goal was Colorado’s first shutout of the tournament.
TJ Tynan (2-12-14) and TJ Hughes (4-8-12) each recorded two assists in Game 5 once Trent Miner (11-4, 1.64, .932) made 26 saves as the Eagles picked up their fifth postseason win.
Skyler Brind’Amour (1-2-3), Justin Robidas (6-5-11) and Bradley Nadeau (4-9-13) scored against Chicago, which was without a regular season scoring leader Felix Unger Sörum for the third time in a row.
Cayden Primeau (8-6, 2.58, .919), making his 14th consecutive postseason start and 15th straight overall, finished the night with 20 stops on 26 shots; Amir Miftakhov (0 GA, 4 saves) will make his first postseason appearance in free agency. The Eagles’ seven goals were the most ever allowed by the Wolves in a Calder Cup Playoff game.
“Everybody, physically, goes through it a little bit,” the Wolves defenceman Ronan Seeley said. “It’s the play-offs. It’s fun… Emotions are high. There’s pressure, but that’s why we play.”
Quick Highlights:
- Colorado has shut out its opponents in 13 of 14 games this postseason, including all five of the conference finals.
- Tristen Nielsen The Eagles have seven high-scoring games in the tournament.
- Skyler Brind’Amour ended a 17-game drought with his goal against Wolves on Friday. It was his first tally since April 1 at Iowa.
- The protector Wyatt Aamodt he was the only one of the Eagles’ 18 hitters in the series.
