Logan Shaw Leads Toronto Marlies to Overtime Victory in Calder Cup Final
Toronto Marlies captain Logan Shaw delivered a heroic performance in Game 2 of the Calder Cup final, scoring the overtime winner to secure a dramatic 5-4 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Sunday. The win gives Toronto a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as the action shifts to the Coca-Cola Coliseum for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.
Shaw’s Clutch Performance Seals the Win
At 3:46 of overtime, Shaw netted his second goal of the game, sliding the puck past Wolves goaltender Cayden Primeau to clinch the victory. The sequence began when Vinni Lettieri brought the puck into the crease, and Shaw capitalized by overwhelming Wolves defenseman Domenick Fensore behind the goal line before finishing the play.
“He’s our pulse, he’s the heartbeat of this team,” Marlies coach John Gruden told the Illinois media. “I can’t say enough good things about him as a leader. He was outstanding.”
Late Regulation Drama Sets Up Overtime
The Marlies appeared poised for a regulation victory until Wolves defenseman Juuso Valimaki scored his second goal of the game with just 17 seconds remaining in the third period. With Primeau pulled for an extra skater, Valimaki fired from a tight angle past Akhtyamov, who had slipped the puck off the boards.
“We’ve been in this spot a lot this year,” Shaw said, referring to the team’s resilience. “I’m not saying we blew games, but there were times when we were ahead and other teams came back. We’ve been through pretty much everything you can imagine. We have a lot of faith and a lot of trust in our group.”
Akhtyamov Stands Tall in Net
In his 17th consecutive playoff start, Marlies goaltender Artur Akhtyamov made 28 saves as Toronto improved to 9-3 on the road in the postseason. Primeau, who briefly played for the Maple Leafs last fall, stopped 27 shots in his return to the Chicago net after missing several games due to injury.
Key Moments from the Game
Marlies veteran forward Bo Groulx recorded his first two-goal performance in 20 playoff games this spring, giving Toronto a 4-3 lead at 13:40 of the third period when he knocked a rebound from William Villeneuve past Primeau. Valimaki had earlier tied the game at 3-3 at 8:33 of the third period.
Alex Nylander joined an elite group of Marlies players by scoring on a penalty shot in the Calder Cup playoffs, using a nifty backhand deke to tie the game at 2-2. He became the sixth player in franchise postseason history to attempt a penalty shot and the fourth to score, joining Robert Mastrosimone (2025), Kyle Clifford (2023), and Dmytro Timashov (2019).
The Wolves opened the scoring at 1:53 when defenseman Charles Alexis Legault fired a screened shot from the point past Akhtyamov. Shaw responded at 15:45 of the first period, outrunning Fensore and using his backhand to beat Primeau.
Lettieri and Villeneuve each recorded three assists in the victory.
Looking Ahead
“Big win for us,” Gruden said. “There are still two games left, but a great start. We had a lot of good moments in this game.”
Game 5, if necessary, would take place on Friday at the Exhibition Grounds. The Marlies will look to maintain their momentum as they return home with a 2-0 series lead.
