The Toronto Marlies faced a tough defeat against the Syracuse Crunch, losing 5-0 due to a combination of slow starts and missed opportunities. The first goal against them came just 60 seconds into the game and underscored their defensive breakdown. Despite moments of offense, including missed chances to score, the Marlies struggled to recover as Syracuse increased its lead. The game illustrated the Marlies' consistent issue with early performance, putting them in a challenging position, especially against a team fighting for playoff contention.
The Toronto Marlies' Achilles heel this season has been a slow start. Against a desperate Syracuse Crunch team fighting for its playoff life, the Marlies dug themselves a three-goal hole they never looked likely to climb out of in this 5-0 loss.
Allowing a goal in 60 seconds is bad enough, but how the Marlies conceded made it much worse. Toronto lost several battles along the wall and wasted chances to clear the zone before Max Crozier scored.
It was the same story as the first goal, featuring lost battles and a breakdown in defensive coverage. Dennis Hildeby initially stopped Logan Brown, but he could do nothing to prevent Dylan Duke from finishing the rebound.
Syracuse owns the second-worst power play in the league, but it didn't matter here. One simple seam pass solved the Marlies' PK as Crozier finished a tap-in from the blue paint.
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