Jays Advance

Major League baseball like all the Major Sports leagues joining the NBA,NHL in playing under the bubble after a shortened season 60 game schedule and expanded number of teams participating totaling 16 .

Only eight teams from each league to decide who is going to win this year’s title the post season will be played in four  stages: wild card, league division, league championship and the world series.

This year’s Division champions in the American League West was won by Oakland, the Central had Minnesota up by a game on the Chicago White Sox heading into the weekend, and in the east won by Tampa Bay and the wild card teams were Toronto and Cleveland.

In the National League Chicago took the Central followed Atlanta in the Central and the LA Dodgers in the west the wild card teams are San Diego, and the final team will be announced as Florida, St. Louis and Philadelphia are in the running for the last playoff spot.

The match ups have the number 1 through 8 facing each other that will see 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6 and lastly 4 vs 5 in both the National and American League play amid the COVID-19 postseason play.

The league will then proceed with the first game of the AL wild card playoffs beginning September 29th 

For a complete look the teams as the regular season winds down got to their website at https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/ or https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/ for a complete schedule of the action in the excitement of October and to see who takes this years championship.

This will be first time for the Toronto Blue Jays appearing in the major playoffs in years since 2016 go to https://www.bing.com/news/search?q=Blue+Jays+Run+In+2016&qpvt=Blue+Jays+run+in+2016&FORM=EWRE for a recap of their last playoff run.

Hockey

The Tampa Bay Lightning got a game winning goal by Kevin Shattenkirk at the 7 minute mark of the first overtime that  proved to be the difference in a 5-4 Lightning win pushing them on brink of eliminating the Dallas Stars in this year’s Stanley Cup. 

They currently hold a a 3-1 series, but his contest saw Dallas lead 2-1 after the opening period on goals by Klingberg 7 minutes in. 

He continued to lead the Lightning in a highly entertaining game that saw him build on momentum as Pavelski extended their lead scoring with under two minutes remaining for a Stars 2-0 lead.

But Tampa Bay got back into the game on a marker by Brayden Point to cut the lead to 2-1 in the final minute as the teams went to the intermission.

Brayden Point scored his second of the game for the Lightning 2 minutes in to tie the game at 2-2 as the teams were on even terms.

But Corey Perry put Dallas ahead 3-2 at the 8 minute mark and it appeared that momentum had switched in favour of  the Stars but back came again the Lightning and they evened the score again knotting the game at 3-3 on a goal by Gourde and the resilient Tampa Bay squad with under two minutes left in the period.

As the teams went to second intermission in a tight contest between these two rivals as it was anyone’s game.

Tampa took the lead early in the third on a goal by Killorn to give the Lightning a 4-3 lead over the Stars who again came back facing elimination this years final and tied the game on a goal by Joe Pavelski  with 8 and half minutes left in regulation time and we were back on even terms at 4-4.

The game remained deadlocked at 4 goals apiece and both teams had chances to break the tie but neither could find the back of the net as both goalies were outstanding and after regulation time went to overtime with the intermission and teams headed to the dressing rooms for a break.

Both teams had chances early in the first overtime as both goalies remained sharp between the pipes and the Lightning scored the game winner on a Brayden Point slap shot from the point that eluded the Stars keeper at 6:34 of O/T.

To give Tampa Bay the victory 5-4 moving them on the verge of their second Stanley Cup title and first since 2004.

Game five goes on Saturday night in Edmonton as the teams hit the ice with the Dallas Stars looking to extend the series, thus postponing their reservations for the golf course the following day.

Tampa on the other hand have the chance to bring home the title to  their starving fans for only the second time in the history of their storied career.

For post game interviews go to https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/event?event_id=143009 or https://www.nhl.com/ for story lines and interviews with players and coaches.