The Toronto Marlies are heading to the 2026 Calder Cup Finals after capturing the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the American Hockey League’s Eastern Conference champions with a 2-1 overtime victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday evening.
With a 4-2 series win, the Marlies have advanced to their third Calder Cup Finals, and their first since winning the championship in 2018.
Former Penguin Alex Nylander scored the series-clinching goal at 13:44 of overtime, snapping a shot from between the circles that got through Sergei Murashov.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton opened the scoring 6:26 into the game when Aidan McDonough converted six seconds into a Pens power play, wristing a shot from the left-wing dot past Artur Akhtyamov for his second goal of the series and fourth of the playoffs.
The Marlies answered at 9:11 of the second period when Easton Cowan cleaned up a rebound of a close-in attempt by Ryan Tverberg. It was Cowan’s third goal of the series and his fourth in his last five games played.
Akhtyamov (11-6) made 39 saves on the night, shutting out the Penguins over the final 67-plus minutes. Murashov (8-7) stopped 37 of 39 shots.
The Marlies, the top development team of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, are 12-7 this postseason after finishing fourth in the North Division with a record of 36-26-5-5 (82 points). Their .569 points percentage is the lowest by an eventual Calder Cup finalist since Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (.538) reached the Finals in 2004.
Led by third-year head coach John Gruden, Toronto has defeated Rochester (2-1), Laval (3-2), Cleveland (3-2) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (4-2) to win the Eastern Conference championship. They will face the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Colorado Eagles and the Chicago Wolves.
Established in 1990, the AHL’s Eastern Conference championship trophy honors Richard F. Canning, who served the AHL for more than 50 years during his career including a term as league president from 1958-61. Mr. Canning is recognized as the author of the AHL’s constitution, by-laws and regulations.
(Toronto wins series, 4-2)
Game 1 – Wed., May 27 – Toronto 4, W-B/SCRANTON 2
Game 2 – Fri., May 29 – Toronto 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 (OT)
Game 3 – Mon., June 1 – W-B/Scranton 5, TORONTO 3
Game 4 – Wed., June 3 – W-B/Scranton 4, TORONTO 3
Game 5 – Fri., June 5 – TORONTO 5, W-B/Scranton 1
Game 6 – Sun., June 7 – Toronto 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 (OT)
