Binghamton Flat In Latest Loss To Toronto
3-2 final indicates a closer contest then it actually was as BSens woke up and scored two goals in the final two minutes.
Toronto Marlies (21-5-2) proved once again why they are an elite team in the AHL as they easy handled the Binghamton Senators 3-2. The Sens (6-16-2) tried to even the game up on a very late rally scoring two goals in under the final two minutes only to find themselves rejected coming up short once again.
First period of action set the pace throughout the evening as this was a yawner, as most Wednesday night games prove to be. Toronto forward Josh Leivo takes advantage of a broken play with the puck bouncing right to him from the boards and fires one from the circle by Matt O'Connor's blocker arm for the 1-0 lead, as the Marlies outshot the Sens 9-5.
The middle frame provided zero entertainment if you are a Sens fan, as Toronto scores a pair of goals that caught them napping. First defenseman T.J. Brennan's slapper from the blue line is kicked away by O'Connor right to an open Mark Arcobello as he one-times the rebound into the empty cage. Then rookie Zach Hyman attacks the net shooting off O'Connor's chest and creates an opportunity jumping on his own rebound skating across in front of the crease and tossing the biscuit into the oven putting the Marlies up by three.
Binghamton would wake up potting two goals late in the third with Max McCormick getting in the way of a shot from Michael Kostka from the point stopping it with his skate, but was able to cradle the puck and goes backhand beating goaltender Antoine Bibeau to cut the lead to two.
With 15.9 seconds left with O'Connor pulled for the extra attacker, Eric O'Dell wins the faceoff from Ryan Rupert in the offensive zone and sweeps the puck to Kostka inside the blueline and follows through with a slapper that tips the stick in the lane by Cole Schneider, for his tenth of the season capping out the scoring. Senators drop their seventh loss in the last eight games as Marlies end up on top with 32-20 advantage on the shot boards.
TONIGHT'S LINE-UP
Schneider-Paul-Puempel
McCormick-O'Dell-Dzingel
Greening-Ewanyk-Stortini
Penny-Flanagan-Robinson
Fraser-Mullen
Lepine-Kostka
Claesson-Harpur
WHO'S OUT
Michael Sdao, out. Danny Hobbs, Tobias Lindberg, Darian Dziurzynski, Nick Tuzzolino all injured. Chris Carlisle healthy.
Chris Driedger back up
POST GAME NOTES
- O'C was pretty good in the beginning but the second and third goals scored on rebounds with a player ready to pounce on for some easy goals. The third one found Kostka and Fredrik Claesson in the crease bottling up progress with no one covering Hyman.
- Zack Stortini with a dramatic hit at center ice on Casey Bailey but after looking at replays from a different angle, it appeared to be much more of a push then a hit, as he still received an elbowing minor.
- Watching warm-ups things don't appear right as no one is smiling or any kind of 'character playfulness' to loosen up the guys. They look like a really tight bunch, and I'm not talking closeness as in buddy buddy, but there's some tension. Something is wrong in that locker room, you can sense it.
- Speaking of tension, Randy Lee in attendance once again as he's been down quite a bit recently indicating he can't be happy with the way things are.
UPCOMING GAMES
Two games on tap for the weekend with the first up in Syracuse once again to take on the Crunch. Then the Phantoms of Lehigh Valley with their first appearance of the season in Binghamton on Saturday.
*Cover Pic & Insert Courtesy of Alicia Strauch.