The Toronto Marlies came from behind to defeat the Chicago Wolves 4-2 in Game 1 of the 2026 Calder Cup Finals on Friday night at Allstate Arena.
Vinni Lettieri led the Marlies offense with two goals and an assist, including the game-tying goal with 8:28 left in regulation. The 20-year-old rookie leads the AHL playoffs with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 14 games. Cédric Paré and Ben Danford also stood out, with Paré tying the game late in the second period and Danford scoring his first professional goal in the first period.
Goaltender Artur Akhtyamov (12-6, 2.12 GAA, .927 SV%) made 26 saves to secure the win, extending his streak of allowing two goals or fewer in 12 of his last 16 playoff starts. His work on the ice helped Toronto extend its road winning streak in the postseason to five games, a familiar trend for a team that has pulled off five-game road winning streaks in 2012, 2014, 2018, and 2019.
Chicago’s Bradly Nadeau (6-9-15) and Skyler Brind’Amour (2-2-4) accounted for the Wolves’ scoring. Head coach Spiros Anastas praised his team’s effort but acknowledged costly mistakes. “We made two critical errors on their second and third goals that cost us,” Anastas said. “We’ve got to learn from those mistakes. There’s no winning and losing, just winning and learning.”
Toronto’s head coach John Gruden was pleased with the team’s resilience and opportunistic scoring. “For our first game, trying to feel each other out, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Gruden said. “Our goaltender was pretty big when we needed him to be.”
The Marlies have now won seven come-from-behind games in the 2026 playoffs, and they are off to a strong start in the Finals. Historically, the team that wins Game 1 has gone on to win the Calder Cup 73.6 percent of the time.
Game 2 of the series is set for Sunday at 4:00 ET at Allstate Arena. The Wolves will look to avoid a 0-2 series deficit and continue their pursuit of their fourth Calder Cup title in franchise history.
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