Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series against Toronto 2-1 heading into Game 4 tonight at Coca-Cola Coliseum with a chance to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Monsters took full control in Game 3 with a 4-0 shutout, behind a 1-2-3 line from Owen Sillinger and a stellar 16-save performance from Zach Sawchenko, who recorded his first shutout since November 2024.
Trent Vogelhuber praised his team’s two-way play after the dominant win. “We defended well, we made good decisions, we still had offensive looks – those are the 60-minute games (you need),” the Monsters head coach said. Sawchenko has been a key factor, posting a 5-1 record with a 1.58 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in the playoffs.
Toronto has struggled to generate offense, going five consecutive games without reaching the 20-shot mark. The Marlies have totaled just 50 shots through three games against Cleveland. “We never found a way to generate anything,” said Marlies head coach John Gruden. “It’s that time of the playoffs where we’re not going to get any freebies. They’re going to make you earn it.”
Logan Shaw, Toronto’s captain, is still confident. “They’re a good team, but they haven’t seen our best game yet and that’s on us as a whole group to do the right things for 60 minutes,” he said.
Meanwhile in the Western Conference, the Colorado Eagles and Chicago Wolves will face off in the first round of the conference finals starting Thursday in Loveland, Colorado. The Wolves eliminated the Grand Rapids Griffins in four games, with goaltender Cayden Primeau making 33 saves in the clinching Game 4. Primeau, who is 6-3 with a 2.31 GAA and .924 save percentage in the playoffs, said, “To advance…is a huge confidence boost, for sure.”
The Eagles reached the conference finals for the first time in franchise history, sweeping the Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games. “We’re going to be in the final four, and there’s no bad teams,” said Eagles head coach Mark Letestu. “We’re going to have to be at our best if we want to keep this thing going.”
With the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche also in the Stanley Cup Conference Finals, this is the second straight year two NHL-AHL affiliate pairs have reached their respective leagues’ final fours.
Next up: Cleveland looks to wrap up the series in Game 4 tonight at 7 ET. If the Monsters win, they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the West, the Eagles and Wolves kick off their series Thursday at 9:05 ET.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s trade value is gaining traction in the NBA as Victor Wembanyama’s emergence forces teams to rethink roster strategies. With the Milwaukee Bucks preparing for the summer trade market, the 23-year-old Greek forward may now be a key piece in the league’s evolving power dynamics.
1 hours ago
Christian Pulisic has struggled to find consistent form this season with AC Milan, raising questions about his long-term future at the club. The American star, who was named to back-to-back Serie A All-Star teams in his first two seasons, has only managed 8 goals and 4 assists in 2024-25. This is a
3 hours ago
Auston Matthews wants the Toronto Maple Leafs to know he’s committed to the team and not shopping for a new destination this summer. Despite recent rumors suggesting otherwise, the Maple Leafs’ star forward has not indicated he’s looking to leave Toronto and remains focused on the team’s direction a
4 hours ago
The Montreal Canadiens handed the Carolina Hurricanes a 6-2 defeat in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Habs scored four goals in the first 11 minutes and 30 seconds of the game and never looked back, handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the postseason.
4 hours ago