Cleveland Monsters Edge Toronto Marlies 3-2 in Shootout, Secure Third

The Cleveland Monsters survived a wild finish, beating the Toronto Marlies 3-2 in a shootout at Rocket Arena on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026, to move to 27-16-6-1 on the season. The shootout victory kept Cleveland clinging to third place in the American Hockey League’s North Division.

Regulation and overtime were tight and evenly matched, with the scoreboard locked at 2-2 before the shootout decided the night. The game unfolded as a back-and-forth, edge-of-your-seat contest at Rocket Arena, with neither club able to separate itself over 60 minutes plus the extra session before the Monsters converted the lone successful shootout attempt.

The win improved Cleveland’s point total to 61 under the AHL points system (two points per win, one point for overtime or shootout losses). The 27-16-6-1 ledger reflects 27 wins, 16 regulation losses, six overtime losses and one shootout loss for the Monsters through Feb 21, 2026, a mark that preserved their hold on third place in the North Division standings.

For Toronto, the 3-2 shootout loss at Rocket Arena left the Marlies with a narrow defeat after a game that tested both goalies and special-teams execution. The Marlies’ inability to finish in the shootout cost them two potential standings points and handed Cleveland a valuable late-February victory in a divisional matchup.

With the calendar turned toward the final weeks of the regular season, Cleveland’s shootout result on Feb 21 offers tangible standing protection: 61 points and third place in the North Division as the Monsters push toward playoff positioning. The single-game margins in late-February make results like this one meaningful for seeding and home-ice scenarios down the stretch.