Tired but elated after a triple-overtime win, the Toronto Marlies look poised for another deep playoff run.

Defenceman Justin Holl scored on a wrist shot at 6:53 of the third overtime — the Marlies’ 60th shot on Mackenzie Blackwood — to beat the Albany Devils 2-1 Friday night at Ricoh Coliseum, winning their best-of-five opening-round Calder Cup playoff series in Game 4.

“Long game, obviously,” said Holl. “Everyone in the locker room is happy to win that game and get out of there. Didn’t matter who scored.”

The Marlies will play the Syracuse Crunch, who eliminated St. John’s, starting Friday in Syracuse.

Travis Dermott scored in the first period for the Marlies. Kasimir Kaskisuo faced 31 shots in the Toronto net.

“The feeling in that pile after the overtime goal is like no other,” said Dermott. “When the whole team comes together after such a hard night, everyone is just exhausted. We didn’t even have enough energy to party that hard on the ice, to celebrate.

“But it’s a great feeling.”

The Marlies, however, lost forward Kasperi Kapanen, injured by an elbow to the head in the first period. He will be re-evaluated Saturday.

The Marlies made it to the Eastern Conference final last year, bowing out to Hershey. They seemed loaded then, with William Nylander leading the way.

This year, after Nylander and others stuck with the NHL club, the team took a very different path.

“We’re resilient. We’ve gone through a lot,” said Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe. “There was a time this year we were sitting in last place in our division, and the playoffs were the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. Nothing would go our way.

“We found our way back from that. We’ve got increased confidence. If anything, I think we can handle adversity a little bit better compared to last year’s team. That team coasted its way through the regular season into first overall. This team had to earn its way into the playoffs.

“We had to earn our way into this series after losing Game 1. Because of that, we can handle situations a little bit better. We need to continue to do that. Playoffs are filled with adversity. Given what we’ve gone through in the regular season, we feel better equipped to handle it.”

Veteran centre Colin Greening was part of a Calder Cup champion with the Binghamton Senators in 2010-11 and believes the Leafs’ prospects will only benefit if they can get the far.

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“It develops your mental tenacity,” said Greening. “The playoffs are a whole different being. When you go through situations where you lose a game in overtime, or you win, you have to be able to play in a couple of days’ time, or the next day. Those are tough lessons, especially when you’re young. Those are things that I had to learn, and am still learning.

“As you go on, there’s a saying: We’re all just a sum of all of our experiences. I think that really helps playing in the playoffs, helps you grow as a person and a player.”

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