Vinny Lettieri had a four-point night, which included a hat trick, in the Marlies' 5-0 win over Rochester.
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden's coin flip paid off.
One day before the Marlies' first game of the Calder Cup playoffs against the Rochester Americans, Gruden was asked which goaltender he'd go with to begin the series: Artur Akhtyamov or Dennis Hildeby?
"You got a coin? I can just flip it real quick," he joked.
It was a difficult decision to make as both goaltenders had phenomenal seasons in the AHL. Akhtyamov finished the regular season with 21 wins and a .904 save percentage in 37 games, while Hildeby had 10 wins and an .898 save percentage in 23 games.
Both also got games with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Marlies ultimately called on Aktyamov, who, in his playoff debut on Wednesday, stopped all 16 shots for his first playoff shutout in the Marlies' 5-0 win over Rochester.
"I feel great," a reserved Akhtyamov said after Wednesday's win. "It's my first playoff game here, and I feel great because my teammates all worked."
Gruden said he and his coaching staff mulled over the starter decision deeply. In the end, they went with Akhtyamov over Hildeby because of Rochester's strong side-to-side puck movement.
"A couple starts ago, one of the only shutouts we've had this year, he was the one that was in net," Gruden added.
"A side-to-side team [like Rochester], he's quick. A team that's more netfront heavy, Dennis sometimes is better-suited for that. We thought about it deeply. We couldn't go wrong either way. I think regardless of who's in net tonight, we win."
"He's a phenomenal teammate, a great guy," added Vinny Lettieri, who scored a hat trick in Game 1 against Rochester. "Both him and Dennis just bring it every day and do the extra work, and you could see it tonight.
"That's just a product of his hard work and just being a good teammate. Guys blocking shots for him. He's just doing a lot of great things, and you can see when he went up (to the Leafs), just his athleticism and some of the big saves he can make. He's a great goaltender, and we're very luck to have him and Dennis."
Michael Pezzetta was the first to get the Marlies on the board on Wednesday night. Toronto was in Rochester’s zone for a minute and a half, cycling the puck around, before Pezzetta’s shot beat Devon Levi over the shoulder.
Pezzetta had played a combined 363 regular-season games in the AHL and NHL entering Wednesday’s matchup with Rochester, but none in the playoffs. He scores in his playoff debut to put the Marlies up 1-0 early.
It took Rochester nine minutes to register their first shot on goal, and they came in a flurry after, with Akhtyamov stopping four quick chances during a penalty kill.
Just over seven minutes after Pezzetta’s goal, Bo Groulx found the back of the net off a nice pass from Lettieri. Groulx, who was with the Maple Leafs for 13 games after the NHL trade deadline, was able to corral the puck with his skate before beating Levi for his first of the playoffs to put Toronto up 2-0.
It’s just his second goal ever during the playoffs at the pro level.
Rochester would continue to get into penalty troubles as the period went on, with the Marlies getting a brief 5-on-3, which included a double minor after Jacob Quillan took a high stick.
With 1:23 left on the penalty Quillan drew, Lettieri ripped a one-timer over the shoulder of Levi, putting Toronto up 3-0.
The offensive onslaught didn’t end there.
Just over halfway through the second period, Lettieri made a nice catch just inside the blue line on a Rochester clearing attempt. He then wired another slapshot by Levi for his second goal of the game, putting Toronto up 4-0.
And that’s when the “LEVI!” chants started inside Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Minutes later, Lettieri completed the hat trick while on the power play. Easton Cowan drew two Amerks players towards him and then made a no-look behind-the-back pass to Lettieri, whose shot gets through traffic and under the glove of Levi.
Cue the “LEVI!” chants again.
Lettieri’s hat trick was the Marlies’ first playoff hat trick since May 23, 2019. Former Marlie and current Utah Mammoth forward Michael Carcone had it.
While it was a strong performance by Akhtyamov, the Marlies played well defensively in front of him. All game, players were blocking shots and closing down shooting lanes, making whatever shots Akhtyamov had to face easy.
The win puts the Marlies up 1-0 in the series, and another win on Friday against the Americans will move them into the second round against the Laval Rocket.
This Toronto team has two strong goaltenders, a boatload of skill, and, of course, depth. It might be easy to get ahead of yourself in the playoffs, but this Marlies team has a chance to go on a bit of a run.
"All the years before, we were depleting in players (because of the Maple Leafs' playoff runs)," said Gruden of what makes this iteration of the Marlies different.
"We got a special group. We got some great leaders in (Dakota Mermis) and (Matt Benning), I could go down the list — and (captain Logan Shaw), obviously.
"But that's the difference."