TORONTO – November 20 — just an ordinary day — changed how the Toronto Marlies would play for the rest of the season. Ahead of the crisp fall day, Maple Leafs Head Coach Mike Babcock was relieved of his coaching duties of an NHL club in disarray. Then-Marlies Head Coach Sheldon Keefe would take over the role of Maple Leafs bench boss, leaving the helm for A.J. MacLean and Rob Davidson co-anchor in the meantime. Less than a month after the shakeup, the Marlies signed Greg Moore on as head coach.
So, how have the Toronto Marlies done through all of the coaching personnel changes this season? I looked back and crunched the numbers and compared the crowd (for statistical purposes, I did not include yesterday’s forfeit against Texas).
Starting the season with Keefe, the Marlies were averaging close to four goals a game. As the season moved forward, the numbers began to drop.
| Games Served | Goals Scored | Average/Game | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 15 | 59 | 3.93 |
| A.J. MacLean / Rob Davidson | 12 | 35 | 2.91 |
| Greg Moore | 8 | 20 | 2.50 |
Keefe and MacLean with Davidson kept the overall goals against average low. But, so far with Moore, the same can’t be said.
| Games Served | Goals Against | Average/Game | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 15 | 44 | 2.93 |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 12 | 34 | 2.83 |
| Greg Moore | 8 | 31 | 4.25 |
As for shots on goal, that yo-yoed up and down between the set.
| Games Served | Shots Taken | Average/Game | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 15 | 397 | 26.46 |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 12 | 266 | 22.16 |
| Greg Moore | 8 | 206 | 25.75 |
The Marlies have always been outshot by their opponents this year. With Rob Davidson taking over the defensive duties for a small period of time, the average of shots against dropped briefly.
| Games Served | Shots Against | Average/Game | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 15 | 467 | 31.13 |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 12 | 350 | 29.16 |
| Greg Moore | 8 | 289 | 36.12 |
One thing that remains consistent throughout the three coaches is the starter netminder, Kasimir Kaskisuo. But does coaching affect goaltending, even with the carousel of coaches?
| GP/Coach | SVS% | GAA | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 8 | 0.927% | 2.00 |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 5 | 0.888% | 3.00 |
| Greg Moore | 5 | 0.916 | 2.40 |
Toronto’s special teams have always stayed near the top of the league and have only moved a couple of points throughout the season. But the difference between the group? It’s minimal.
| Power Play Record | Power Play % | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 12/54 | 22.22% |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 10/49 | 20.41% |
| Greg Moore | 6/29 | 20.69% |
As a new coach, Greg Moore has been able to kill virtually everything that’s come his way on the penalty kill. With his PK units stopping 90%, he tops both coaches.
| Penalties Killed | Penalty Kill % | |
| Sheldon Keefe | 46/60 | 76.67% |
| A.J. MacLean/ Rob Davidson | 30/39 | 76.92% |
| Greg Moore | 30/33 | 90.9% |
All in all, the back of the Marlies bench has looked different throughout the season, but the on-ice performance remains the same. Whether the numbers remain the same throughout the season has yet to be seen.
Toronto’s next game comes in Cedar Park against the Texas Stars tonight. The game will be broadcast live on AHL TV at 8:00 pm EST.
WHAT’S COOL ON TWITTER
“I’m proud of the team sticking together with our decision, today’s a big game for us and the boys are excited to play.”
Greg Moore and Kenny Agostino speak following today’s morning skate in Texas.#ForeverStartsHere pic.twitter.com/TrnEJ2eUwr
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) January 11, 2020
Follow Zack on Twitter for live, in-game coverage plus news & notes on the Toronto Marlies! Don’t forget to also follow The Sin Bin on Twitter and Facebook for all additional AHL, ECHL, and SPHL minor league hockey news coverage!
