The Toronto Marlies and Cleveland Monsters secured the final two playoff spots in the North Division on Friday night, and in doing so set up a first-round match-up to kick off the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Toronto will finish in fourth place and Cleveland in fifth. Their best-of-three series will be their first postseason meeting since 2019. The winner will advance to face Laval in one division semifinal series, while Rochester will take on Syracuse in the other.
The Marlies have made the playoffs 11 times in their last 12 tries, a stretch that includes a trip to the Calder Cup Finals in 2012 and a championship in 2018. The Monsters, who won the Calder Cup in 2016, were one goal away from returning to the Finals last spring before dropping a Game 7 overtime decision to Hershey in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The AHL’s 2024-25 regular season ends April 20; for more information and daily updates on the Calder Cup Playoff races, check out the official AHL Playoff Primer.
