TORONTO — The Toronto Marlies are just one win away from securing the Calder Cup, and Artur Akhtyamov has played a major role in getting them there.
The goaltender made 24 saves in a shutout Tuesday night as the Marlies beat the Chicago Wolves 1-0 in Game 3 of the American Hockey League’s best-of-seven championship series.
His standout performance came on the same day the Marlies’ NHL affiliate, the Toronto Maple Leafs, made a significant change to their goaltending depth chart, trading Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers after he led the club in games played over the past two seasons.
Game 3 marked Akhtyamov’s 18th straight start this post-season. He entered the contest with a 2.21 goals-against average and .924 save percentage over 19 playoff appearances, then only improved those numbers with his 60-minute shutout. It marked his second clean sheet of the playoffs, the other coming in Game 1 of the Marlies’ first-round series against the Rochester Americans when he made 16 saves in a 5-0 win.
“He just looks pretty calm in that net, makes the big saves if he has to, and I think that might have been his best,” said Marlies head coach John Gruden. “He really, really looks sharp.”
The Marlies struggled to open the game, recording just five shots in the first period. But Akhtyamov kept the Marlies in the game and was better supported in the second period, when Toronto came out with the needed energy, and then again in the final frame.
“Start of the second period, we really just took a hold of the game, we were playing really good, and then obviously Artie made a lot of huge saves for us, so that was good, but I felt like the second and third period, we had two really good periods,” said forward and Maple Leafs first-round pick Easton Cowan when asked what the turning point was in Game 3.
When Akhtyamov made several big stops throughout the game, the enthusiastic fans at Coca-Cola Coliseum showered him with praise, chanting “Let’s go Artie!” and, even more frequently, “MVP!”
“I didn’t hear, to be honest, but that’s great,” said Akhtyamov of the crowd’s praise. “I love our fans. It was so noisy tonight (and has been) especially in these playoffs. So thank you.”
During the regular season, the six-foot-two Russian posted a 2.88 GAA and .904 save percentage over 37 games, along with one shutout, and was named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic roster.
He also made his NHL debut with three appearances for the Maple Leafs in a season that saw the NHL club lean on five different netminders, including Tuesday night’s opposing goaltender, Cayden Primeau, who was picked up on waivers by the Wolves’ NHL affiliate, the Carolina Hurricanes, in November.
Akhtyamov has been backed up by Dennis Hildeby for most of the Marlies’ playoff run. Hildeby played 20 games for the Maple Leafs this past season and another 23 for the Marlies. He’s made just three playoff starts, and it’s highly unlikely he’ll get another opportunity to take the net with how hot Akhtyamov has been.
“If we were here at the end of February, beginning of March (when these two teams met in the regular season) and you told me the Wolves and the Marlies would face each other in the Calder Cup, I probably would’ve chuckled and I wouldn’t put any money down on it. (Secondly), if you told me that (Akhtyamov) was going to be the goalie leading the way, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” said Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas.
“We faced Hildeby that weekend; he was outstanding. They’re both great goaltenders, but (Akhtyamov’s) on an incredible run right now, so you gotta respect him. But because of that, you gotta really test him, and we didn’t do enough of that today.”
If the Maple Leafs plan to turn to Hildeby as Woll’s primary replacement alongside Anthony Stolarz next season, Akhtyamov could step into the Marlies’ No. 1 role, and his play suggests he’s more than ready. But he’s also showing he deserves a crack at an NHL spot.
The lone goal of Tuesday’s contest came off the stick of Cowan, who scored his eighth of the playoffs with assists from Dakota Mermis and Vinni Lettieri, prompting “East-on Cow-an” chants from the 8,211 in attendance. With the secondary assist on Cowan’s second-period goal, Lettieri tied the Marlies’ single-playoff record with 24 points.
“You can see the confidence and the growth after he scored that goal,” said Gruden. “How much better he played detail-wise, 200-foot game, he was making all the right plays, he was skating, he was creating, and that’s when he’s at his best.”
While Akhtyamov was named the Marlies’ first star of the night, Cowan earned second-star honours, with the third going to Primeau for stopping 27 of 28 shots.
“First couple of games I couldn’t really find my groove, and then (in the) second period got a bounce there, and just kind of gets the juices flowing. So just looking to keep that going Thursday (for Game 4),” Cowan said.
In the closing minutes of the third period, Marlies defenceman Henry Thrun was on the receiving end of a high hit from Wolves forward Nikita Pavlychev and had to leave the ice with the assistance of a team trainer. Gruden didn’t have an update on him after the game.
Pavlychev received a five-minute major and game misconduct as a result, giving the Marlies a power play for the remainder of regulation. The Wolves pulled Primeau with just over 30 seconds remaining to restore five-on-five play, but the Marlies held on for the win.
The Marlies have the chance to complete the sweep Thursday at home. If they don’t, they’ll get another opportunity to close out the series in Game 5 on Friday.