Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe is grateful for the early post-season challenges his team faced now that they'll be playing for the 2018 Calder Cup.
The Marlies found themselves in a must-win situation against the Utica Comets in the first round of the American Hockey League playoffs in late April despite finishing first in the American Hockey League standings, 24 points ahead of the Vancouver Canucks' farm team.
Facing a Game 5 elimination in the best-of-five set, Keefe's squad came out determined and reminded themselves why they were the top team in the league with a 4-0 victory to extend the season.
Over a month later, they still haven't lost a game and will host the Texas Stars on Saturday in Game 1 of the Calder Cup final.
"We got better as a team through these playoffs," said Keefe. "We got tested by a very good Utica team. A team that didn't get nearly as much credit as they deserve, that's as good a team as we've faced in these playoffs.
"To play them first round and have that adversity push our team and we responded beautifully. The fact we've continued to grow through the experiences I think has been the key."
Toronto has won nine straight games including the Game 5 victory and is 11-2 in the playoffs. The Marlies swept the Syracuse Crunch and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 4-0 in Round 2 and the Eastern Conference final, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Stars enter the final 11-4 in the playoffs after finishing the regular season fifth in the Western Conference, 22 points back of the Marlies.
Both teams are relying on scouting reports to gauge their opponent. They haven't gone head-to-head since the 2014-15 regular season because of being in different conferences and teams rarely crossing over to face each other.
The last time they met in the post-season was in the 2014 Western Conference final, when Texas beat then-head coach Steve Spott's Marlies en route to winning the Calder Cup. Toronto switched to the Eastern Conference two seasons later in a realignment of divisions and haven't played them since.
"You focus all year long on your conference, the teams that you play every day. I'd be lying if I said I spent any time looking at, thinking about what's happening on the other side. Up until the last few days, it's been all in and trying to familiarize myself," said Keefe.
Andreas Johnsson, who has six goals and 15 points in nine games since returning to the Marlies after the Maple Leafs were eliminated from the NHL playoffs by the Boston Bruins, has been a force for the Marlies. But he hasn't been the only player to produce, with at least 16 skaters scoring a goal this post-season and 20 picking up at least a point.
"Four lines, six (defencemen) and a goalie going hard every game," said Johnsson. "I feel like our strength is we can produce in different areas."
Toronto forward Chris Mueller is one player familiar with Texas after winning the Calder Cup with them in 2014 and expects the Stars' veterans Curtis McKenzie, Travis Morin and Justin Dowling to lead the way.
"Those guys have been really good players for a long time," said Mueller. "There's no surprise why their team has had success because of some of those guys. They’re good leaders, good older guys. It looks like they keep putting the puck in the net since I’ve been gone."
Keefe has had his fair share of quality players come and go in his three seasons with the Marlies, but they've never been able to get to the Calder Cup final until now.
"I don't think this group is the most talented group I've had in my three years, but perhaps what comes with that is guys that recognize the need to be diligent in habits and details," said Keefe. "Everybody is on board and playing together as a group. When we do that with our depth we're hard to play against."
Kyle Cicerella, The Canadian Press
