Three Maple Leafs Prospects Who Must Step Up For Do-Or-Die Game 5 In Calder Cup Playoffs

The Toronto Marlies pulled through in Game 4 of the North Division final against the Cleveland Monsters with a much-needed 5-2 victory.

That win forced the series to go the distance for a do-or-die Game 5 on Sunday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.

Players such as Ryan Tverberg, Jacob Quillan and Logan Shaw stood out in that outing, all finishing the game with multi-point performances. Goaltender Artur Akhtyamov also deserves his flowers for posting a .947 save percentage after stopping 36 of 38 shots against Cleveland in Game 4.

But Game 5 is now what really matters for the Marlies, and they'll need more contributions throughout the lineup to get past the Monsters.

Here are three Marlies that must step up for Sunday's elimination game, in an effort to advance to the Eastern Conference final.

In the grand scheme of these Calder Cup playoffs, Easton Cowan has had a respectable campaign, recording three goals and seven points in the AHL post-season.

However, in this series against Cleveland, Cowan has registered just one point, which was a power-play goal in Toronto's Game 1 win on the road. The 21-year-old is also tied for the worst plus-minus rating on the Marlies in the playoffs at a minus-six.

After a great start to this post-season, there is certainly room for improvement for the former first-round pick, and the Marlies will need him at his best to continue their quest for the Calder Cup.

Alex Nylander has spent the majority of this post-season as Toronto's third-line right winger. But while he might not be getting as much ice time as some of his other teammates, he should still be producing slightly more than he has in these playoffs so far.

Nylander has just three goals in the AHL post-season, despite appearing in 12 contests for the Marlies. However, it's worth noting that the 28-year-old Swede scored an important goal in the second period of Game 4, to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Nonetheless, the Marlies will need him to get on a little scoring streak, and he certainly has the talent to bring out a critical performance in Game 5. 

There hasn't been much to flag negatively about Akhtyamov's game so far in the playoffs. He's actually been very impressive between the pipes for the Marlies, averaging a .922 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average.

But because of how critical the goaltending position is in hockey, let alone during the post-season, Toronto will need Akhtyamov to keep the run of strong performances going.

Not only will his continued excellence in the crease help the Marlies on a Calder Cup run, but the Toronto Maple Leafs and GM John Chayka will really have to consider giving Akhtyamov regular opportunities in the NHL next season.

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