After a commanding 5-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Toronto Marlies are one win away from advancing to the Calder Cup.

Landon Sim, Bo Groulx, Easton Cowan, Logan Shaw and Marshall Rifai all scored for the Marlies in the winning effort, while Artur Akhtyamov made 32 saves. Toronto now holds a 3-2 lead over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Mikhail Ilyin opened the scoring for the Penguins in the second period, beating Akhtyamov cleanly from the faceoff circle. It was Akhtyamov’s lone blemish of the evening, where he was forced to make several high-danger saves. Akhtyamov has arguably been the star of the series, and allowed his teammates to find their footing during a pivotal Game 5.

Sim responded for the Marlies, tipping home a point shot from Ben Danford. Danford was outstanding for the Marlies, where his excellent skating and gap control were fully evident, while showing a renewed propensity to enter the rush.

Cowan was the Marlies’ best skater on Friday. The 21-year-old made a costly mistake in Game 4, turning the puck over to Rutger McGroarty for the game-winning goal. Cowan vowed that he would be better in Game 5 and he was constantly creating chances throughout the game. During the second period, Cowan tipped the puck into the offensive zone, Groulx picked it up and beat Murashov for what stood as the game-winner.

“That’s what big-time players do. He’s a gamer,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said of Cowan, post-game. “It’s not always going to go your way. That’s part of hockey. The way he bounced back and started to make little plays. Good for him. Goal scorers are confident, and when it goes in, you get a little more confidence.”

Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick wasn’t done there. Cowan scored a spectacular goal in the third period, dangling through Penguins defenceman Chase Pietila, before beating Murashow through the five-hole. He received a standing ovation, and it was exactly the type of highlight-reel play that Cowan has been able to attempt with increased frequency throughout the playoffs.

“I felt really good, I thought our third period was our best period of the playoffs,” Cowan said.

Game 6 will take place at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Sunday, where Toronto will look to advance to the Calder Cup Final for the first time since 2018.