Marlies lone Canadian team out of four to reach AHL playoffs
TORONTO — A Canadian presence in the American Hockey League playoffs will only last as long as the Toronto Marlies do.
The defending Calder Cup champions are the lone Canadian team to qualify for the 2018-19 AHL post-season, with the three others coming up short.
The Belleville Senators, Ottawa’s AHL affiliate, lost 4-2 against the Rochester Americans on the final day of the regular season Sunday and were eliminated from contention when the Cleveland Monsters beat the Marlies hours later. The Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens’ affiliate) and Manitoba Moose (Winnipeg Jets) were already out of the running.
The Marlies enter as the No. 3 seed in the North Division and begin their best-of-five first-round series against No. 2 Rochester on Friday, giving head coach Sheldon Keefe four full days of practice to prepare his club for a potential repeat.