The Toronto Marlies are one win away from the championship as they host Chicago in Game 4 of the 2026 Calder Cup Finals tonight (7 ET,
, Sportsnet 360, NHL Network, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio).
Artur Akhtyamov you do 24 save and Easton Cowan scored the game’s only goal 2:47 into the second period as the Marlies took a 3-0 lead in a 1-0 win on Tuesday. They are looking for their second title in nine seasons following their 2018 championship.
Tuesday’s goal was the second game-winner of the postseason for Cowan (8-6-14), 14 points against Colorado. TJ Hughes so much for a rookie in these playoffs.
Akhtyamov (14-6, 2.10, .928) made his 18th straight start in net for the Marlies and won his ninth in last 11 games. It was the 51st shutout in Calder Cup Finals history – the first since Hunter Shepard and Hershey defeated Coachella Valley, 1-0 in overtime, in Game 5 in 2023.
“We did a great job of putting ourselves in this position and we know what’s at stake, but we can’t go ahead,” said the Toronto coach. John Gruden said after the 3rd game. “We know how we need to play… We just have to make sure we keep things simple. The rest will take care of itself.”
Chicago outshot Toronto 13-5 in the first half but the game remained scoreless. The Marlies flipped the script and outscored the Wolves 23-11 all the way, and improved to 6-1 in one-goal games this postseason.
Vinnie Lettieri (10-14-24) recorded an assist on Cowan’s goal, his seventh point of the Finals.
After allowing 11 goals in his last two games, Cayden Primeau (8-8, 2.63, .916), stopped 27 of Chicago’s 28 shots in Game 3.
“Preems is a good professional with a good pedigree,” the Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas said of Primeau, who began the 2025-26 regular season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “He’s been key to our success, and we trust him to win Game 4.”
The Wolves won twice on the road while facing elimination from the Western Conference finals, beating Colorado in Games 6 and 7 to advance.
“Now it may be a gain for us. Now we have nothing to lose,” said Anastas. “Max pressure, 60 minutes. You’re going to win or lose, that’s all. Everyone is counting on us so maybe that allows us to play more freely.”
Quick Highlights:
- Felix Unger Sörum (3-6-9) returned to Chicago on Tuesday after missing the past seven games. Jacob Quillan (1-6-7) returned to the Marlies lineup following a five-game absence.
- There have been 19 sweeps in Calder Cup Finals history (17 of the best of seven and two of the best of five). The most recent was Lake Erie’s win over Hershey in 2016.
- Game 3 was the 18th shutout of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, the most ever in a single postseason. 17 were closed in 2004.
- Chicago is 1-for-10 on the power play in the series, while Toronto is 0-for-9. No team has gone without a power play goal in an entire Finals series since the Portland Pirates (0-for-20) against Moncton in 1994.
- This is the fifth time in franchise history that the Marlies have taken a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series. They have successfully completed the previous four sweeps.
- Chicago and Carolina are the fourth pair of affiliates in the last 30 years to make their Finals in the same season, following Charlotte and Florida in 2025, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh in 2008, and Rochester and Buffalo in 1999.
- Toronto is seeking to become just the sixth team in AHL history to capture the Calder Cup after winning four straight games, behind the Chicago Wolves (four), the 2000 Hartford Wolf Pack (five), the 1997 Hershey Bears (five), the 1989 Adirondack Red Wings (four) and the Red Wings (four).
