Chicago Wolves knock off Toronto

The Chicago Wolves welcomed Pyotr Kochetkov back to the lineup on a conditioning stint, and the veteran goaltender helped Chicago trounce the Toronto Marlies 4-1 on Saturday night at Allstate Arena.

Kochetkov, assigned to the Wolves from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday to appear in his first game of the season following an injury, made 22 saves and got offensive support from Nikita Pavlychev (goal and an assist), Evan Vierling (goal), Dominik Badinka (goal), Skyler Brind’Amour (goal) and Noel Gunler (three assists).

The Wolves snapped a two-game losing skid in the first meeting between the teams since March 20, 2022. Toronto, which was kicking off an eight-game road trip, managed a score from Henry Thrun but in the end dropped its fourth in a row.

The Wolves stormed out of the gate and took a 1-0 lead 2 minutes, 44 seconds into the contest on Vierling’s first goal in a Chicago sweater. Pavlychev chipped the puck in front where it deflected off Gunler and found Vierling in the slot where the forward kicked it to his stick before banging a shot past Toronto netminder Dennis Hildeby to the stick side. Gunler and Pavlychev recorded assists on the play.

Toronto equaled the score late in the opening period on a power-play goal by Thrun.

The score remained tied until the latter minutes of the second when Badinka found the back of the net. After a scramble behind the Toronto goal, the puck slid to Badinka along the goal line and the defenseman fired a shot that banked off Hildeby and bounced into the back of the net. Assists on Badinka’s second goal of the season were awarded to Ivan Ryabkin and Gavin Bayreuther.