John Gruden on another comeback win for the Marlies in Game 1 vs. Cleveland: "I can't explain it... All I know is that this group is resilient, and we won't go away easily"

"Well, I loved the last 25 minutes. We were a completely different team, again, and the guys know it. But credit to them: knowing that when we are not at our best, we find a way to understand what it will take. We just flipped it. We flipped the switch. But we have to start that way, especially in these five-game series. We can't allow a team any life. There were too many gifts from us to them tonight on their chances for. We have to clean some things up, but again, I love the resiliency to be down 2-0 like that on the road."

"Any time you are on the road, you will probably have a few minutes where a team will push. But I thought they dictated a lot of the pace. We weren't committed and willing to do a lot of the little things. I don't know. I can't explain it. All I know is that with this group, we're resilient, and we won't go away easily. That is the best sign you can possibly ask for as coaches: to see how our players respond to adversity. It is a great sign."

"You'll need your goalie to make some saves, and he did exactly that, but I loved our response, especially in the third period, with the way we came out. Our mindset reminded me a lot of the final game against Laval. Again, for us to continue to grow as a team and be the best version of ourselves, we will have to do it to start the game on Saturday."

"Probably pretty similar to our team, he started a little slow. We're not here to single anyone out. We do everything as a team, but once we started to go, you could see it. It is easy, almost, for us as coaches to show them the difference, and then they get rewarded with points. When you are doing things right, usually, the hockey"

Toronto won 5-2 in Game 1 of the North Division final. The team played differently over the last 25 minutes, flipping its effort and responding strongly after being down 2-0 on the road. The coach credited the group’s resilience and emphasized that teams must not be given opportunities, noting too many mistakes that created chances for Cleveland. Goaltending provided key saves, and the third-period mindset resembled a prior strong finish. The comeback was sparked by improved commitment to the small details despite Cleveland dictating pace. Bo Groulx contributed with a three-point performance, including assists and an empty-net goal, after starting slowly.

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