The Marlies faced-off against the Rochester Americans in back-to-back games in Toronto this weekend.
The Marlies are still very likely to make it to the Calder Cup Playoffs, but, like the Maple Leafs, home-ice advantage is still up in the air. The Marlies are chasing the Amerks in the division standings, so two straight losses this weekend put the possibility of passing them to get the home-ice advantage a little further out of reach.
Even if you’re only travelling to Rochester from Toronto, never mind actually playing in the games, it can be quite tiring (trust me, I’ve done it,) and when you then factor in how the first round of the playoffs in the AHL is a best-of-five series, home-ice advantage can make a huge difference, but there’s still eight games to go, so it’s not at all settled yet.