Nazem Kadri scored the game winner in over-time to secure a 4-3 win for the Marlies. The goal was the first of the season for Kadri - who also added two assists on the night.
I haven't been able to watch the Marlies as closely as I would have liked over the past couple weeks, but today I had a chance to finally sit down and take in enough of a game to do a blog on it! Marlies are a bit banged up right now, but have a good amount of depth that have come through in recent games.
Tonight, the story was Nazem Kadri. Many fans are screaming for him to be re-called to the big club for an offensive spark and they may get their wish if tonight was any indication. He came away with 1g (the game winner in OT) and also added two assists. He probably could have had a few more goals as he seemed to be buzzing all night. He also seems to have a unique ability to draw penalties..maybe he goes down a bit too easy, but he hides it well. With the Marlies heading back home, it wouldn't shock me to see him back with the parent club at some point this week - especially if the Maple Leafs continue their offensive woes.
It was not only great to see him score, but have the goal count as the game winner in OT! This will hopefully be something he builds on now that he's finally busted the goose-egg.
As for the rest of the team, here's a few players that stood out (in one way or another):
[Greg Scott - Marcel Mueller] ... the other portion of Kadri's line, these two were very good tonight - Scott specifically. He showed great speed on the PK, and also was able to create a few scoring chances with his speed at even strength. While he didn't record any points, he did tally three shots on net. Mueller was a bull, and showed some really nice puck control all game. His goal was the first he's tallied since his injury, and like Kadri, hopefully it's something he builds on. He really played the cycle game well, and was able to control the tempo of the game.
[Mike Zigomanis - Ryan Hamilton] ... Sort of unsung heroes who get lost in the shuffle, I wouldn't be opposed to Zigomanis getting a shot with the parent club either. He's been an all-situation player with the Marlies and is just outside the top 10 in league scoring with 16 points in 15 games. Hamilton showed great power-forward ability today also. He drove to the net and created opportunities. His two goals spoke of his game. He actually scored on goal on his back! Which was pretty impressive to witness after a scramble in-front of Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid (who was awesome).
[Jussi Rynnas]... He made a few 'key' saves, including a beauty on Urbom point blank, but he wasn't tested all that much..which is unfortunate because his stats took another hit due to the Marlies dominance throughout the game. I thought he was much more composed in net then he usually is - he didn't do a ton of flopping around. The first two goals against were more a result of the poor defense in-front of him rather then his play. The first was a brutal turnover by Mikus that sent two Devil forwards in, and Bernier banged in the rebound after the Marlies defense (I believe it was Mikus) didn't tie him up in front. The second goal was off a redirection/scramble in-front and both Marlie defenders lost their man - allowing the Devils to bang home another rebound. The third goal was a shot from the point that appeared to be redirected infront, but Rynnas was also out of position on the far side...I thought he overplayed it a bit too much for a shot like that from the point where you know they are looking to get some traffic in-front of him. Had he been a bit more squared, he likely would have stopped it. But, at the end of the day he got the win, so that should count for something.
Marlies sit atop o the Western Division right now with 17 points...Keith Aulie returned from a rib injury and was a -2...Korbinian Holzer was sporting the 'A' on his jersey with Jeff Finger out of the lineup..Kenny Ryan got in his first AHL fight against former OHL'er Dan Kelly...Darryl Boyce, Luca Caputi, Joe Colborne, and Matt Lashoff are the key players who are still out with varrying degrees of injury (Lashoff being the worst of the bunch).
The Marlies are off until next Friday, when they take on the Rochester Americans. They'll have three games in three nights and may have some of their injured bodies back in the lineup.
Marlies vs. Devils game sheet HERE
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