Detroit's AHL Griffins Complete Road Sweep Of Toronto, Surge To 19 Wins in First 21 Games

The Grand Rapids Griffins pushed their record-setting start even further on Sunday with a 4–2 victory over the Toronto Marlies, completing a road sweep and improving to 19-1-0-1 on the season. The win also preserved their franchise best 9-0-0-1 road record.

Grand Rapids earned the result with a significantly altered lineup as the team was without starting goaltender Sebastian Cossa, whose standout season has fueled calls for an NHL promotion, as well as top scorer John Leonard. Despite the absences, the Griffins controlled much of the game and closed out a dominant 4-0 sweep of their season series against Toronto.

The afternoon belonged to captain Dominik Shine, who appeared in his 500th career game and became only the third player in franchise history to reach that milestone. Shine added to the moment by scoring his 11th goal of the season, drawing an extended celebration from his teammates.

Veteran goaltender Dustin Tokarski earned the start and delivered a strong 25 save performance. Tokarski, known for his memorable postseason run with the Montreal Canadiens, held Toronto off the board until late in the second period. A string of penalties against Grand Rapids opened the door for the Marlies, who scored twice to end Tokarski’s shutout bid.

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Several Griffins continued their recent hot streaks with forward Ondrej Becher extending his point streak to three games with an assist while Eduards Tralmaks recorded his 12th goal of the season. Red Wings blue chip prospect Michael Brandsegg-Nygard generated multiple chances but did not record a point. The Norwegian winger has been highly productive in recent weeks with four goals and eight assists for 12 points in his last 11 games.

Grand Rapids now returns home for a Wednesday matchup against the Milwaukee Admirals, who enter with a 12-6-2-0 record. It will be the first meeting of the season between the two Central Division rivals, setting the stage for one of the most anticipated games of the early AHL campaign.

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