Cleveland hosts the Toronto Raptors tonight in Game 2 of the Northern Conference Finals (7 p.m. ET, 
) in Thursday’s opener, the Monsters blew a 2-0 lead en route to a 5-2 win over the Marlies.
Toronto scored five goals in the final 22 minutes and 08 seconds of Game 1, including easton cowan and Marshall Rifai Scored the equalizer before the second intermission Alex Nylander, Ryan Twilberg and Bo Glucks The Marlies hit three of their five field goals in the third quarter.
Groulx was held scoreless in Toronto’s five-game conference semifinal series with Laval before finishing Thursday with a goal and two assists.
‘I loved the last 25 minutes,’ Maris coach John Gruden Said after the first game. “We’re a completely different team. But to their credit, they know that when we’re not at our best, we’re going to find a way to figure out what’s going to happen next. We flip the switch. But we have to start that way, especially in this five-game series. We can’t let a team have any life.”
In addition to a 2-0 lead, Cleveland held a 23-8 advantage in shots on goal before Toronto began to close the deficit.
“Up until the 35th minute of the game, from my vantage point, it felt like a pretty dominant effort,” Monsters head coach Trent Vogelhuber explain. “They have a lot of high skills … and they take advantage of opportunities. It’s an unfortunate outcome, but (there are) a lot of good things to build on.”
Ben DanfordA 2024 first-round draft pick of the Maple Leafs, he made the Marlies’ Game 1 lineup and made his professional debut.
“He skates really well, he’s smart, he’s strong, he’s physical,” Gruden said of the 20-year-old defender. “I think he’s going to get stronger as the games go on. It’s going to take some time, but it’s pretty impressive to play his first AHL game like that.”
The Central Division finals continue tonight in Grand Rapids (7 p.m. ET, ) Chicago looks to build on a 2-1 win in Game 1 on Thursday.
captain of wolves Josiah Slavin Chicago tied the score at 1-1 with 6:48 left in the third period and helped Chicago win Game 1. Kayden Primo (4-2, 2.07, .924) turned down 23 shots and allowed just one goal for the fourth time in his six postseason starts.
“Our team is ready to play,” Slavin said. “We started off really strong and they couldn’t handle our pressure. When we kept that going, we overwhelmed them. I was really happy with our team’s effort.”
“We gave up so many opportunities to get them in the game and make them feel good about themselves,” Griffin defenseman William Lageson explain. “We have to step up on that and recalibrate and focus on the next one.”
Michal Postava (3-2, 1.41, .943) made 30 saves for Grand Rapids. In his first start since the loss of the season, Postava posted a 7-0 record with a 1.29 GAA, .947 save percentage and three shutouts.
“He just made the call,” Griffins head coach Dan Watson explain. “You’re talking about the mental side of the game, and that’s what it’s like when you’re ready to play.”
