Bernier Gets Fan and Goal Support in 9-0 Shutout

Photo Credit: Christian Bonin / TSGPhoto.com

Jonathan Bernier’s mind, heart and soul conditioning stint continues to go exactly as planned for the Leafs organisation. The temporary Marlies starter had another very, very strong performance, that happened to coincide with one of the most dominant offensive showings that the Marlies have ever had. In front of a decently sized crowd at the Air Canada Centre, the Leafs of the future overpowered the Manitoba Moose to the tune of a 9-0 victory.

Once again, Bernier’s night wasn’t overly difficult. For the first half of the first period, the 27-year-old only faced one Manitoba shot, and in no period did he face more than eight pieces of frozen rubber. Most of the opportunities came from the perimeter, and he wasn’t often left with much risk to worry about. There were some legitimate chances, though, and he easily stopped them all.

It was a perfect scenario for Bernier. He got to play behind a team that was clearly better than their opposition, and he did it in the same rink that he hopes to succeed in once again. The fans showed their support, giving him a loud ovation at the start of the game, only topped by the “Lets Go Bernier” chants in the final minute of play and the louder cheer he received when named the game’s first star.

It was more than just him, though; his offence was firing on all cylinders. Most notable was the team’s top line of Josh Leivo, William Nylander, and Richard Panik, who combined for three goals and nine points, largely centred around passing plays that simply outwitted Manitoba’s defence and goaltender Jussi Olkinuora. The entire line near the top of the of AHL scoring race, with Nylander at the very top and both TJ Brennan and Mark Arcobello also in the top 25.

There were a few other insane moments as well, though, like Andrew Campbell’s goal setting off today’s Teddy Bear toss:

And a misplay by Olkinuora that gave Rich Clune a dramatic shorthanded goal which really got the ball rolling on the game:

Overall, it was another dominant performance from a dominant team. The win gives the Marlies a 3-for-3 sweep on the weekend and pads their stats just a little bit further. Toronto, who are second in the AHL in Win Percentage, now have twenty more goals than the best team in the east, and their goal differential of +38 is nine goals larger than any other team’s. 

The Marlies return to the ice on Friday, when they take on the Comets in Utica.