The Toronto Marlies are one win away from a 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 made 24 saves and Easton Cowan scored the only goal of the game 2:47 into the second period as the Marlies pulled out a 1-0 win on Tuesday to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. 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), whose 14 points are tied with Colorado’s T.J. Hughes for the most by a rookie in these playoffs.
Akhtyamov (14-6, 2.10, .928) made his 18th consecutive start in net for the Marlies and won for the ninth time in the 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’ve done a really good job of putting ourselves in this position and we know what’s at stake, but we’re not going to get ahead ourselves,” Toronto head coach John Gruden said after Game 3. “We know how we need to play… We just have to make sure we simplify things. The rest will take care of itself.”
Chicago outshot Toronto 13-5 in the first period but the game remained scoreless. The Marlies flipped the script and outshot the Wolves 23-11 the rest of the way, and improved to 6-1 in one-goal games this postseason.
Vinni Lettieri (10-14-24) recorded an assist on Cowan’s goal, his seventh point of the Finals.
After allowing 11 goals over his previous two starts, Cayden Primeau (8-8, 2.63, .916), stopped 27 of 28 shots for Chicago in Game 3.
“Preems is a great professional with a great pedigree,” Wolves head coach Spiros Anastas said of Primeau, who began the 2025-26 regular season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “He’s been paramount to our success, and we trust that he can win Game 4.”
The Wolves won twice on the road when facing elimination in the Western Conference Finals, beating Colorado in Games 6 and 7 to advance.
“Now might be an advantage for us. Now we’ve got nothing to lose,” Anastas said. “Max pressure, 60 minutes. You’re either going to win or lose, that’s it. Everyone’s counting us out so maybe that lets us play a little more freely.”
Quick Hits:
- Felix Unger Sörum (3-6-9) was back in action for Chicago on Tuesday after missing the previous 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 in a best-of-seven and two in a best-of-five). The most recent was Lake Erie’s victory over Hershey in 2016.
- Game 3 was the 18th shutout of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs, the most ever in a single postseason. There were 17 shutouts 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 over 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 successfully completed the sweep in each of the previous four.
- Chicago and Carolina are the fourth pair of affiliates in the last 30 years to make their respective 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 bidding to become just the sixth team in AHL history to capture the Calder Cup after winning as many as four elimination games, after the 2002 Chicago Wolves (four), the 2000 Hartford Wolf Pack (five), the 1997 Hershey Bears (five), the 1989 Adirondack Red Wings (four) and the 1949 Providence Reds (four).
C2-Chicago Wolves vs. N4-Toronto Marlies
Game 4 – Tonight, 7 ET
STREAMING:
TV: Sportsnet 360, NHL Network
RADIO: SiriusXM NHL Network Radio
(Toronto leads series, 3-0)
Game 1 – Toronto 4, CHICAGO 2 | Recap | Highlights
Game 2 – Toronto 5, CHICAGO 4 (OT) | Recap | Highlights
Game 3 – TORONTO 1, Chicago 0 | Recap | Highlights
Game 4 – Thu., June 18 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:00
*Game 5 – Fri., June 19 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sun., June 21 – Toronto at Chicago, 4:00
*Game 7 – Tue., June 23 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
2023 AHL All-Star Brandon Bussi made 22 saves as Carolina shut out Vegas, 3-0, to secure the 2026 Stanley Cup championship on Sunday night… Jalen Chatfield and Pyotr Kochetkov became the 134th and 135 players all-time to win both the Stanley Cup and the Calder Cup in their careers; both were members of the Chicago Wolves’ title team in 2022.
