Cleveland takes a 2-1 series lead into Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum tonight (7 ET, 
) with a chance to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“(We had a) really good start. You don’t want to rush games,” the Monsters coach Trent Vogelhuber he said this after a 4-0 victory, which made his team score the first two goals in the third game in a row. “We defended well, we made good decisions, we had some offensive looks – those are the 60-minute games (you need).”
Owen Sillinger (1-2-3) opened the scoring against Cleveland at 4:57 in Game 3, becoming the 13th different Monsters skater to score this postseason. The defense did the rest, with Zach Sawchenko (5-1, 1.58, .932) needed just 16 saves to record his first shutout since Nov. 29, 2024 – again against Toronto.
“They’re a good team, they’re fast and they’re creative offensively,” Vogelhuber said of the Marlies. “They’re going to get scoring opportunities, and our guys are doing a great job of stopping those high-risk ones. Those are the chances Sawzy was creating for us that changed the game. That’s what our team needed and he was doing it.”
Toronto has been limited to 50 shots on goal in the first three games of the series, and has gone five games in a row without breaking the 20 mark.
“We never found a way to produce anything,” head coach Marlies John Gruden said. “It’s that time in the playoffs when we’re not going to get free money. They’re going to make you get it. We’ve got to find a way to dig in…and we’ve all got to deliver.”
“They’re a good team, but they haven’t seen our best game and that’s up to us as a whole team to do the right things for 60 minutes,” Marlies captain. Logan Shaw said.
The Western Conference Finals are set, with Colorado and Chicago facing off for the right to play for the Calder Cup.
The best-of-seven series begins next week at Blue Federal Credit Union Arena in Loveland, Colorado (Game 1: Thursday, 9:05 ET, ).
The Wolves will be making their seventh conference final appearance since joining the AHL in 2001-02. They have won five of the last six, advancing to the Calder Cup Finals in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2019 and 2022.
Chicago advanced with a 3-2 victory over Grand Rapids last night, eliminating the Central Division regular season champions three games to one. The loss to the Griffins makes this the second season in four years without a division winner advancing to the conference finals.
“There’s a reason they (the Griffins) were there during the year,” said the Wolves goalkeeper. Cayden Primeau (6-3, 2.31, .924) following his 33-save effort in last night’s Game 4 clinic. “Moving forward … it’s a big confidence boost, for sure.”
The Eagles reached the Calder Cup conference finals for the first time; ended a four-game winning streak against Coachella Valley on Wednesday.
“We will enter the final stage, there are no bad teams,” said the Eagles coach Mark Lettstu. “We’re going to have to do everything we can if we want to keep this thing going.”
With the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche also competing in the Stanley Cup conference finals, this is the second year in a row to see two sets of NHL-AHL affiliates both make their respective league finalists, following Charlotte/Florida and Texas/Dallas last season.
