Easton Cowan opened the scoring during the second period, leading the Toronto Marlies to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago Wolves on Tuesday. Toronto now holds a commanding 3-0 series lead over Chicago, and will look to close the series out on Thursday.

Cowan scored his eighth goal of the playoffs, beating Cayden Primeau with a wrist shot that trickled through his pads, two minutes and 47 seconds into the second frame. The 21-year-old was in excellent form and was clearly the best skater on the ice. He generated Toronto’s first shot of the contest by racing onto a loose puck, and didn’t look back from there onwards. Cowan created several high-danger looks, and almost scored a highlight-reel goal to end the second period, but lost his balance after drifting through Chicago’s defence.

“I thought we were outstanding coming out for the second,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said of Cowan post-game. “You could see the confidence grow after he scored that goal, how much better he played detail-wise, 200-foot game. He was making all the right plays, he was skating, he was creating.”

“In the second period, we really just took hold of the game. We were playing really good, and then (Artur Akhtyamov) made a lot of huge saves for us,” Cowan said.

Artur Akhtyamov remained in outstanding form for the Marlies, making 24 saves in the winning effort. Akhtyamov’s tremendous playoff run has certainly caught the attention of the organization. Maple Leafs GM John Chayka spoke about the importance of having Akhtyamov and Dennis Hildeby, after trading Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit to the Philadelphia Flyers, in exchange for Emil Andrae, Samuel Ersson and a 2026 third-round pick.

“I think it’s good in any good situation where you have organizational depth, you want the young players to force your hand a bit, and certainly the way that they played Dennis at the NHL level, even with AA (Artur Akhtyamov) with what he’s doing with the Marlies right now as a manager, definitely causes you to take notice and make plans,” Chayka said.

“We don’t have enough time for me to get into how great he’s been for our group. He just looks calm in that net, and he makes big saves when he has to. I think that was his best,” Gruden said of Akhtyamov, post-game.

Jacob Quillan returned to the Marlies’ lineup after a five-game absence. Quillan last suited up for the Marlies on June 1. He worked well in space off Cowan throughout the game, generating two shots on goal.

The game eventually turned into a chippy affair and Chicago’s Nikita Pavlychev was issued a five-minute major for charging, after a hit on Marlies defenceman Henry Thrun. Thrun stayed down for a minute, before leaving the ice with the assistance of a trainer.

Game 4 will take place Thursday at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, where the Calder Cup will be in the building, as the Marlies look to win their first AHL championship since 2018.

“All year I’ve really enjoyed playing in Toronto. It’s so much fun playing here, everyone’s so passionate,” Cowan said.