Bo Groulx scores shorthanded, Marlies fall 3-1 to even series

Bo Groulx gave the Marlies the kind of spark playoff series are built on, but Cleveland had the last response. Groulx scored shorthanded with 4:28 left in the second period at Rocket Arena, pulling Toronto within 2-1 and momentarily tilting Game 2 back in the Marlies’ favor before the Monsters settled the night with a 3-1 win to even the North Division Finals at 1-1.

The goal was more than a line on the scoresheet. It was Groulx’s latest high-leverage play in a postseason run that has made him central to Toronto’s chances, with six points in 10 playoff games. In a series where power play chances, odd-man rushes and late-game details have already mattered, his short-handed finish showed how Toronto has been winning its own small battles even when the scoreboard turns.

Cleveland absorbed the swing and answered with the goal that changed the closing stretch. Luca Pinelli scored the insurance marker with 7:06 remaining in regulation, giving the Monsters breathing room and closing the door on Toronto’s push. The win kept the series from slipping further after the Marlies had opened with a statement in Game 1.

That opener, played Thursday, May 14, in Cleveland, ended 5-2 for Toronto after the Marlies erased a 2-0 deficit. Toronto scored five unanswered goals over the final 22:08, with Easton Cowan and Marshall Rifai bringing the Marlies level before the second intermission, then Alex Nylander, Ryan Tverberg and Groulx finishing the comeback. Groulx added two assists and an empty-net goal in that game, a performance that underscored how often he has been in the middle of Toronto’s biggest momentum swings.

Now the series turns to Toronto and to Coca-Cola Coliseum for Game 3 on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. With the North Division Finals tied and both teams already trading comeback scripts, the margin for error is shrinking fast in a best-of-five where one more swing could decide who keeps moving toward the Calder Cup.