Akhtyamov shutout – Artur Akhtyamov made 24 saves as the Toronto Marlies beat the Chicago Wolves 1-0 in Game 3 to move within a win of the Calder Cup. Easton Cowan scored the lone goal, while Akhtyamov extended his post-season run with his second playoff shutout.
TORONTO — Artur Akhtyamov didn’t just steal Game 3. He controlled it.
The Toronto Marlies goaltender turned away 24 shots in a shutout as Toronto defeated the Chicago Wolves 1-0 on Tuesday night, stretching the American Hockey League championship series to the kind of position that feels inevitable—one win away from the Calder Cup.
Akhtyamov’s night began with pressure and ended with a familiar calm that has become the backbone of this run. His shutout was his 18th straight post-season start. and it came after he entered Game 3 with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage across 19 playoff appearances. Those numbers improved further in the 60-minute clean sheet.
It was also his second shutout of the playoffs. The first came in Game 1 of Toronto’s first-round series against the Rochester Americans, when he made 16 saves in a 5-0 win.
“Just looks pretty calm in that net, makes the big saves if he has to, and I think that might have been his best,” Marlies head coach John Gruden said. “He really, really looks sharp.”
Toronto didn’t start well offensively, managing only five shots in the first period. But Akhtyamov kept the Marlies within striking distance. The mood shifted in the second period, when Toronto found energy and began to play with the right weight. That push continued into the final frame. with Akhtyamov backing it up at the exact moments the Wolves tried to turn the game.
Easton Cowan, a forward and a Maple Leafs first-round pick, described that turning point plainly. “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.”.
The Coca-Cola Coliseum made sure Akhtyamov heard what he already knew. Fans chanted “Let’s go Artie!” and, even more frequently, “MVP!”
“I didn’t hear, to be honest, but that’s great,” Akhtyamov said. “I love our fans. It was so noisy tonight (and has been) especially in these playoffs. So thank you.”
The lone goal came from Cowan, his eighth of the playoffs. He scored with assists from Dakota Mermis and Vinni Lettieri, prompting “East-on Cow-an” chants from the 8,211 fans in attendance. Lettieri then added another landmark moments later. because with the secondary assist on Cowan’s second-period goal. he tied the Marlies’ single-playoff record with 24 points.
Gruden pointed to more than just the goal. “You can see the confidence and the growth after he scored that goal,” he said. “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.”
Akhtyamov’s shutout also landed on a day that featured a major Maple Leafs move at the NHL level. Toronto traded Joseph Woll to the Philadelphia Flyers after Woll led the club in games played over the past two seasons.
That’s an important detail because it underlines how directly the Marlies’ spotlight is linked to Toronto’s bigger goaltending picture. Akhtyamov has been the Marlies’ stabilizing force for most of the playoffs, while Dennis Hildeby has provided the backup role. Hildeby played 20 games for the Maple Leafs this past season and another 23 for the Marlies. and he has made just three playoff starts. With Akhtyamov on an incredible run, it’s highly unlikely Hildeby gets another opportunity to take the net.
During the regular season, the six-foot-two Russian posted a 2.88 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage over 37 games, including one shutout. He was also named to the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic roster.
Akhtyamov has also been tested at the NHL level, making his NHL debut with three appearances for the Maple Leafs. That season saw the NHL club lean on five different netminders, including Tuesday night’s opposing goaltender, Cayden Primeau.
Primeau’s path to this matchup carried its own twist: he was picked up on waivers by the Wolves’ NHL affiliate, the Carolina Hurricanes, in November.
Cowan, meanwhile, framed his own recent turnaround in the series. “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),” he said.
Primeau didn’t go down easily. He finished with 27 saves on 28 shots, earning third-star honours behind Akhtyamov, who was named the Marlies’ first star of the night, and Cowan, who received second-star honours.
There was also a late moment of tension that could have flipped the game. In the closing minutes of the third period. Marlies defenceman Henry Thrun was hit high by 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 Toronto held on.
For Chicago, the frustration wasn’t hidden by polite words. Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas spoke about how difficult it was to match Akhtyamov when the chances mattered most.
“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. ” Anastas said.
“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.”
Now the Calder Cup hinges on what happens next. The Marlies can complete the sweep on Thursday at home in Game 4. If they don’t, they’ll have another chance to close out the series in Game 5 on Friday.
There’s one more storyline still hanging in the air: what comes after this. 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 based on what he’s shown in this postseason. the question won’t be whether he can handle pressure—it’s whether the NHL will give him the chance to prove he belongs there. too.
MISRYOUM Toronto Marlies Chicago Wolves Calder Cup Artur Akhtyamov Easton Cowan Joseph Woll Dennis Hildeby Cayden Primeau AHL playoffs Game 3