Sheldon Keefe was far from pleased from his team’s effort, however, as the final score line frankly flattered Toronto: “We only won because our goalie was better than theirs.”
First Period
The Marlies were off the pace as Laval controlled the opening ten minutes, outshooting Toronto 8-1.
After Sparks’ eighth save — his best in the early going — a cheap penalty halted Laval’s momentum. Pierre Engvall was denied by Charlie Lindgren twice on the ensuing power play before Laval opened the scoring with 14 minutes played.
Just five seconds into the Rocket’s first power play, Adam Cracknell won the faceoff back to Matt Taormina, who shifted the puck to Chris Terry, and Terry’s shot gave a screened Sparks no chance.