Blue Jays Face Elimination in ALCS Game 6 as NHL Sunday Delivers Wins for Canucks and Red Wings
The Toronto Blue Jays return to Rogers Centre on Sunday with a chance to extend the American League Championship Series to a decisive Game 7. Seattle leads the series 3–2, but Toronto hands the ball to Trey Yesavage in front of a home crowd where the Jays have won big games all year. Earlier in the day around the NHL, the Vancouver Canucks closed out a 4–3 win in Washington and Detroit made it five straight with a 4–2 win over Edmonton. Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Wranglers, are also back on the ice in Tucson after earning their first point of the season in an overtime loss on Saturday.
CALGARY — The Toronto Blue Jays return home tonight with their season on the line in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series. Down 3–2 to the Seattle Mariners, Toronto must win both Sunday and Monday at Rogers Centre to advance to the World Series. Right-hander Trey Yasavage gets the ball for the Jays opposite Seattle’s Logan Gilbert.
The National League bracket is already set. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated Milwaukee to clinch the NL pennant and will await the winner of the ALCS when the World Series opens Friday.
Around the NHL on Sunday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks held off the Washington Capitals 4–3 in D.C. Tyler Myers scored and added an assist while Thatcher Demko made 28 saves. In Detroit, Dylan Larkin recorded four points (two goals, two assists) to power the Red Wings past the Edmonton Oilers 4–2 for their fifth straight victory. Two more games close out the Sunday slate later tonight as Anaheim visits Chicago and Utah hosts Boston.
In the AHL, the Calgary Wranglers earned their first point of the season but fell 5–4 in overtime to the Tucson Roadrunners after staging a three-goal third-period comeback. Matvei Gridin scored his first AHL goal in his debut and Rory Kerins delivered back-to-back goals, including the late equalizer with 38 seconds left. Calgary returns to the ice in Tucson again tonight before their home opener at the Saddledome on October 24 against Coachella Valley.
The Calgary Flames are idle Sunday after a 6–1 loss in Vegas on Saturday night. Jonathan Huberdeau scored in his return to the lineup but the Golden Knights flexed with multi-point nights from Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and others.
A decisive week now takes shape: the Blue Jays either extend their season or exit short of the World Series, the Flames regroup after a difficult start, and the Wranglers look to convert competitive third periods into wins when they return home.
Blue Jays advance to ALCS as Flames win Battle of Alberta and Wolf dominates early season
CALGARY — It was a defining week for Canadian sports — and once again, Calgary was right in the centre of it.
The Toronto Blue Jays punched their ticket to the American League Championship Series with a convincing win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Toronto now awaits the winner of Tigers–Mariners Game 5, which will decide who they face when the ALCS opens Sunday at 6 p.m. Mountain.
Back in Alberta, the Flames delivered an early-season statement. Down 3–0 to the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary stormed back to win 4–3 in an eight-round shootout, taking the first Battle of Alberta of the season. Matvei Gridin, Connor Zary, and Blake Coleman provided the regulation goals, with Coleman capitalizing on yet another misplay by Stuart Skinner. Nazem Kadri scored the shootout winner and added an assist, while Adam Klapka and Matt Coronato also picked up helpers.
Goaltender Dustin Wolf once again proved why he’s the cornerstone of Calgary’s crease, stopping 32 of 35 shots through regulation and overtime — plus seven more in the shootout — for a .914 save percentage. Despite being the difference-maker, Wolf was curiously left off the game’s three stars list.
For Edmonton, the same narrative continues. With two of the league’s top forwards, the Oilers’ ongoing goaltending instability remains their biggest barrier to serious contention.
Calgary dropped the second half of their back-to-back the following night in Vancouver, falling 5–1 to the Canucks. Morgan Frost notched the lone goal for the Flames, assisted by Yegor Sharangovich and Joel Farabee.
The Flames return home to the Scotiabank Saddledome for their home opener Saturday at 2 p.m. against the St. Louis Blues, aiming to climb back above .500 for the second time this season. Meanwhile, the Calgary Wranglers kick off their AHL campaign with a two-game set in Colorado against the Eagles.
Between the Jays chasing a pennant and the Flames showing early-season resilience, Canada’s sports momentum is surging — and in Calgary, the fire’s only getting brighter.
Flames and Oilers clash in season’s first Battle of Alberta tonight
CALGARY -- The 2025-26 NHL season rolls into its second night with four games on the schedule, led by the year’s first Battle of Alberta as the Flames visit the Oilers at Rogers Place.
Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. MT in Edmonton, where Calgary opens its campaign on the road before heading to Vancouver tomorrow. The Flames return home Saturday for a 2 p.m. matinee against the St. Louis Blues at the Scotiabank Saddledome, marking their 2025-26 home opener.
The rivalry spotlight isn’t exclusive to Alberta tonight. In Toronto, another classic matchup kicks things off at 5:00 p.m. MT as the Maple Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena. No matter the standings, Toronto-Montreal never feels like just another game — it’s Canadian hockey’s longest-running feud.
At 5:30, the Boston Bruins meet the Washington Capitals in D.C., while the Los Angeles Kings play their second straight night after dropping a 4-1 decision to the Colorado Avalanche in their season opener. They’ll face the Vegas Golden Knights in the late game from T-Mobile Arena.
Calgary’s AHL affiliate, the Wranglers, also open their season Friday night in Colorado against the Eagles, beginning a stretch that will see Flames and Wranglers players in action across four cities in four days.
The 2025-26 season is only two nights old, but the emotion, rivalries, and storylines are already taking shape — and tonight, the spotlight belongs to Alberta.
Blackhawks sign Frank Nazar to seven-year, $46.13M contract after just 56 NHL games
CHICAGO — The Chicago Blackhawks are betting on potential rather than past production, signing forward Frank Nazar to a seven-year, $46.13 million contract despite the 21-year-old having appeared in only 56 NHL games.
Nazar, drafted 13th overall in 2022, has recorded 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points since making his debut late in the 2023–24 season. The deal carries an average annual value of $6.59 million and places him alongside Connor Bedard and Kevin Korchinski as key pillars in Chicago’s ongoing rebuild.
The signing reflects a growing league-wide trend: teams committing long-term to young players before their breakout years, aiming to secure cost certainty ahead of projected increases to the NHL salary cap.
The case for the deal centers on upside. Nazar’s speed and offensive instincts have translated at every level, from the U.S. National Team Development Program to the University of Michigan and now the NHL. If his trajectory continues, Chicago could be locking in a core forward at a price that looks modest compared to future market values.
The risk is equally clear. With less than one full season of NHL experience, Nazar remains unproven over an 82-game schedule. A long-term cap hit of nearly $6.6 million could become restrictive if his development plateaus.
For the Blackhawks, however, the move signals confidence and intent. After several years of teardown, the franchise is positioning its rebuild around Bedard, Nazar and Korchinski, establishing a young foundation they hope will return Chicago to contention.
Whether the contract proves to be a shrewd investment or an overreach will depend on Nazar’s next steps. For now, the deal cements him as a central figure in the Blackhawks’ future.