Marlies Beat Laval 6-2 in Game 3 and Move One Win Away
The marlies took control fast and never gave it back, beating the Laval Rocket 6-2 in Game 3 at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Toronto is now one win away from the division finals after turning a series it had trailed 1-0 into a firm hold on the matchup.
Shaw and Cowan set the tone
Logan Shaw opened the scoring 11 seconds into the first period on a power play after Lucas Condotta took a double-minor for high-sticking on the opening faceoff. Easton Cowan followed at the five-minute mark with a breakaway-style finish after Marshall Rifai intercepted a pass in the defensive zone.
Toronto kept pressing. Henry Thrun made it 3-0 inside eight minutes after Jacob Quillan forced a turnover with pressure and a hit, then Dakota Mermis set up Luke Haymes for a sequence that ended with Alex Nylander scoring the fourth goal of the opening frame at the 15-minute mark.
Akhtyamov protects the lead
Artur Akhtyamov handled the swing moments that could have slowed the start. He made key saves while Toronto killed a first-period penalty to Marc Johnstone, preserving the early cushion that put Laval on the back foot almost immediately.
The opening burst matched the message Nylander said the group carried into Game 3: stay out of the box, stay disciplined, and defend. He said, "It starts right away by us taking advantage of a power play. We set the tone with everyone, not just a few [players]. We’ve done a good job of staying out of the box, staying disciplined, and defending. All of our transition is coming from our good D-zone coverage, and we have to continue that moving forward. We were connected. It’s good that we see when we are playing like that, what the result may be."
Toronto’s series grip
The result carried extra weight because Toronto had fallen behind 1-0 in the series and even gone down 2-0 in Game 2 before recovering to win. That makes the 6-2 finish more than a single night’s score line; it leaves the Marlies in position to close out a minor upset and advance to the third round.
Nylander said the group wanted to keep building on what it did in its second game and keep the pace in its favor. After the win, he put the edge in plain terms: "Being able to play with the lead and dictate the pace of the game is definitely a recipe we want to follow. So to be able to get on them early and have the power play capitalize was huge."
