The Marlies' veteran trio of Shaw (two goals), Groulx, and Lettieri combined for four points in the 4-2 win over Rochester.
For the first time since 2023, the Toronto Marlies will play in the North Division Semifinals of the Calder Cup playoffs.
Ryan Tverberg opened the scoring early in the first period on the Marlies' first shot of the game against the Rochester Americans. Logan Shaw added a pair of goals, and William Villeneuve scored the empty-netter to push the Marlies over the Amerks 4-2 and into the next round.
While Rochester pushed back and cut the Marlies' lead to one goal twice, Toronto was defensively strong and protected the lead, especially with a late push from Rochester.
"We don't quit. We never quit," said Shaw after Sunday's win. "We stuck with it the whole way through. We didn't get away from our game at all. It was a good team over there. They didn't quit either."
Two days prior, the Marlies had the chance to close out the series in Rochester. Instead, they couldn't find the back of the net, and Rochester scored four unanswered goals to force a do-or-die Game 3 in Toronto.
It was Artur Akhtyamov in the net for that game after shutting out Rochester in Game 1. He allowed three goals on 23 shots in Game 2, which ultimately led the Marlies to go to Dennis Hildeby for Game 3.
Hildeby stopped 29 of 31 shots for his second-career Calder Cup playoff win.
"It's kind of like, your net, you get it, and then if you don't, the next guy goes," said Gruden post-game on why he went to Hildeby in Game 3.
"It's something that we'll have to look at, but now (the Laval Rocket) plays a different style, a little heavier, so we'll make that decision (on a starting goaltender) on Wednesday. But I feel the same way; you can't go wrong either way (with Hildeby or Akhtyamov)."
"Felt great to come out with a win," added Hildeby. "I thought we played an incredible game. They made it as easy as possible for me out there."
Vinni Lettieri assisted on Shaw's first goal of the game, tying him for the AHL scoring lead in the playoffs. Lettieri had four points — including a hat trick — in the opening game of the series on Wednesday.
Toronto's top line of Lettieri, Shaw, and Bo Groulx combined for 10 points against Rochester in the three games.
"I always let those guys know they mean so much to our group," Gruden said of the trio. "They can play a 200-foot game. They're good in all zones. And I told them, you just don't have to put all that pressure on yourselves, just do the right things, and the points will take care of itself.
"You can see how effective they were on both sides of the puck today. I thought they were outstanding."
Tverberg has been with the AHL club for three seasons, yet this is his first playoffs since turning pro. His goal in the first period was his first-ever postseason point as a pro.
"It's awesome [playing playoff hockey]," Tverberg said after the series win over Rochester. "It's a little bit stronger, a little bit more intense. And it just means a little bit more."
With the series win, the Marlies move on to the North Division Semifinals against Laval, who were the division's top team. It'll be a best-of-five series with the winner advancing to the North Division finals, which will also be a best-of-five series.
Players like Easton Cowan, Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, and Noah Chadwick will continue to gain more experience in the playoffs as pros if the Marlies continue to win and go on a long run.
Toronto's first game will be in Laval on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Below is the schedule for the entire series:
Game 1: Apr. 29 in Laval at 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 2: May 1 in Laval at 7:00 p.m. ET
Game 3: May 3 in Toronto at 4:00 p.m. ET
*Game 4: May 5 in Toronto at 7:00 p.m. ET
*Game 5: May 8 in Laval at 7:00 p.m. ET
*if necessary
"I think we have a lot of respect for (Laval). We know how good they are and it's just two great organizations going at it, a good rivalry," said Lettieri. "We've had some good battles against them, and they're a great team.
"They're coached great. Their players play really hard. We just have to stick with what we did in this series, play with our structure, and let the rest take care of itself."