Very good news for the Marlies: William Nylander draws back in after sitting out ill, as well as Nikita Soshnikov, who is nursing an undisclosed injury. Antoine Bibeau takes the start in goal.
More good news for the Marlies: The Albany Devils are banged up in the middle. Centers Pavel Zacha and Jim O’Brien are not expected to play tonight.
Albany, perhaps the best defensive squad in the AHL, maintained a New Jersey Devils-themed neutral zone and were disrupting the Marlies’ attempts to play with their usual speed and tempo in game one. Keys to breaking a neutral zone trap: maintain strict discipline and avoid stretching passes out if they are getting frustrated with a lack of passing or skating lanes available; keep passes short, and be patient for your chances in transition; activate the defence as much as possible to create chaos in neutral zone coverage for Albany.