Jacob Markstrom moved closer to American Hockey League history with his third consecutive shutout on Saturday night, making 27 saves to lead the Utica Comets to a 4-0 win over the Toronto Marlies.
Markstrom has now gone 232 minutes and 13 seconds without allowing a goal, less than two periods shy of the all-time AHL record. Barry Brust (268:17) set the mark in November 2012, bettering a 55-year-old standard that had been held by Johnny Bower.
All of the offense in Saturday’s game came in the second period, with Alexandre Grenier scoring twice and Dustin Jeffrey and Cal O’Reilly scoring once each during the frame.
Markstrom (4-0-0) has made four starts for the Comets this season and has stopped 108 of 109 shots overall, good for a 0.25 goals-against average and a .991 save percentage. The three shutouts this season already match a personal career high for the fifth-year AHL netminder.
Markstrom allowed a goal to Toronto’s Trevor Smith in the first period of a 2-1 Comets win on Oct. 11, then shut out San Antonio on Oct. 17 and Adirondack on Oct. 22 before blanking the Marlies on Saturday.
Utica returns to action on Wednesday in Binghamton.
