Logan Shaw had a hat trick as the Toronto Marlies scored five times in the third period to beat Laval.

“I think we got our most consistent effort today from all four lines and six linebackers. We followed the process and were rewarded for it in the third period.”

– Jon Gruden

The All-Star break came at a great time for the Toronto Marlies. With time to recover after more than two weeks on the road, Toronto turned in one of its best performances of the season on home ice.

The captain grabs the headlines for his scoring contributions, but it was a complete team effort that provided the extra points that provided the key element to the result.

The first stage

Toronto got off to a great start, scoring on a power play four minutes in. After Joseph Blandisi flew over the hash marks, Clifford battled hard in front for the rebound, tying his man in the process and allowing Shaw to come in and bury the loose puck.

Marley's lead lasted 14 seconds. It was a moment to forget for Dennis Hildeby, who misplayed a forward pass under the goal line. Mitchell Stevens hit a free kick to tie the game at 1-1.

As I mentioned before, Hildeby is a level character and didn't let an early mistake define her performance. At the seven-minute mark, Jared Davidson cut through Toronto's defense and Hildeby Laval made a sharp shoulder save to deny the striker.

Logan Maillu's huge hit on Ryan Tverberg drew the ire of the home crowd as well as Blandisi, who responded by dropping the gloves with the Laval defender.

Marley's charge kill went to work for the first time when Blandisi was rated 2 + 10 for provoking. It was excellent effort that limited the Rocket to just one shot from the top of the right circle.

After the kill, Toronto created two shorthanded scoring chances. Josiah Slavin was sent off and as the penalty was about to expire, Kiefer Bellows shot down the right to Robert Mastrosminone, who was also stopped by Jakub Dobesch.

Alex Steeves had the next chance, giving Toronto the lead in the final period. After taking a long pass from Tommy Miller, Steeves beat a defender and opted to pass instead of shoot from the center of the slot. The channel for Tverberg is broken.

Despite being awarded a penalty on the play, Toronto failed to score on the man advantage for the second time and went into halftime tied at 1-1.

The second stage

Toronto started strong in the middle circle, creating two excellent scoring chances in a four-minute span. Neither Steeves nor Mastrosimon could put away, and the Marys soon killed off a penalty.

The Marlies were vindicated in the second period when they felt the umpire was difficult to work with. They were called for two minor penalties, and the Rockets went unpunished despite at least a few clear violations.

In five-of-5, Toronto created three more great chances but failed to capitalize. The first fell to Slavin after great work from Mastrosimone, but the centre-back couldn't finish off a pair of shots.

With six minutes remaining, the Marys finally looked like they would make their breakthrough. Roni Hirvonen came up on a 3v1 and slipped the puck to Steeves on the left, but the winger's goal kept him in the game. Steeves' low shot just didn't hit the right field of the Rocket's net.

Hildeby made a huge save on a penalty kill late in the period that denied Laval the lead. Davidson again got behind the Toronto defense in the dying seconds of the Marlies' power play, but Hildeby made another timely stop.

The third stage

Had Laval capitalized on one of his two A-grade chances early in the final frame, the game might have taken a different turn. Hildeby Davidson and Gabriel Borke were denied, and Toronto also destroyed some good looks in the first eight minutes.

Mastrosimone fired from the left circle, Clifford was in the gap in the empty net, and Tverberg made the rebound.

The Marlies finally and deservedly broke the game open with three goals in less than three minutes.

The fourth line continued its impressive form and produced the game winner. Slavin won a puck battle along the wall in the defensive zone and sent Zach Solow to the left wing to create a 2v2. Mastrosimon made a strong run to the net to grab another Laval defender, allowing Solow to pick out William Villeneuve as the trailer on the play. The defender's finish was convincing – unlike any player to have scored once so far this season.

The fourth line also scored a third goal after winning a faceoff in the neutral zone. Mastrosimone fired a shot from the right rim, but Slavin kept the game going along the boards and fed the puck to Marshall Rifai. As the defender positioned himself to shoot, Solow and Mastrosimon both created a screen that distracted Dobesh, and Rifai's shot beat the unsighted Rocket goalie.

With the ice now firmly tilted, the Marlies' first layup made it a 4-1 game. Nick Abruzzese appeared to make a partial break, but he found Logan Shaw at the far post as he stood in the left circle and measured an inch-perfect cross that cut through three Laval defenders. The captain made no mistake in scoring the second goal of the game.

Blandisi secured the two points with his 12th goal of the campaign after Laval opted to pull their keeper early.

The sixth and final goal for Toronto featured a perfectly weighted stretch pass from Mikko Kokkonen on a four-on-four effort. That left Shaw alone and he was never going to miss the opportunity to complete his first hat-trick of the season.

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Post-game notes

– Logan Shaw Scored his second career hat trick in Toronto, the first coming against Laval last season. The time off seemed to have served its purpose, which is a good sign for the team.

“(Shaw's) game is getting better,” Gruden said. “He does a great job of being a really good leader. A lot is required of him: strong play, penalty killing and five-on-five minutes against top players. I'm glad he was rewarded with a few points.”

– It was the 800th game of his AHL career Cameron Gonz, who set it up with an assist, his fourth for Toronto. After the game, Gaunce noted that he enjoyed the experience and talked about how well he was treated during his PTO with the Marlies.

“What (Gaunce) brings to the locker room, what he brings to the young players, how he embraces them and helps them, he really engages his teammates,” Gruden said. “I see how he played 800 games. I told him there were 800 more.'

– 31-saved performance Dennis Hildeby included a good display of resilience after an early error to lead his team. The Swedish netminder has won his last three starts, posting a .980 SV% in the process.

“(Hildeby) was great,” Gruden said. “He looked comfortable and (the opening goal) didn't rattle him. I like his game: he doesn't shake too much.''

– Josiah Slavin continues to be rewarded for winning battles and making simple but effective high-percentage plays. A pair of assists extended his point streak to four games (2G/4A).

“We started (the Mastrosimon-Slavin-Solow line) for a reason,” Gruden said. “We're not coming out of this road trip with the record we did without that streak. It's not like the other lines didn't do their job, but they deserved this opportunity. They keep getting better and better. They bring energy and it's contagious for the bench.”

– Friday's lineup against Laval:

Forwards
Hirvonen – Shaw – Abruzzi
Clifford – Gambrell – Steeves
Bellows – Tverberg – Blandisi
Mastrosimon – Slavin – Solow

Defenders
Kokkonen – Villeneuve
Rifai – Nimelya
Gaunce – Miller

Goalkeepers
Hildeby
Petrucelli

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Postgame media availability: Gaunce & Gruden

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Highlights of the game: Marlies 6 and Rocket 1