The Lead

Tavares Injury Compounds a Third Straight Leafs Loss

The Islanders' 4-1 win, with Bo Horvat scoring the winner and adding an assist, was Toronto's third straight loss and its fourth in five games. The Maple Leafs also placed John Tavares on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and he is out week-to-week. That turns a results problem into a roster problem.

The other move made the same day does little to help. Dakota Joshua, also a centre, was sent to the AHL for conditioning, which leaves two centres away from the NHL lineup at once. A week-to-week designation has no fixed end, so the Leafs have to build the lineup for the whole range of outcomes.

Scoring spread across the other bench. Simon Holmstrom scored twice, one into the empty net, and Anthony Duclair also scored. Colton Sissons had Toronto's only goal, beating Ilya Sorokin, who made 28 saves. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots at the other end.

The Rest of the Slate

MLB

Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 in ALCS Game 4 to tie the series 2-2, with Nick Martinez earning the win and Daniel Espino taking the loss. Game 5 is set for 5:00 PM ET Sunday, a day that was originally an off-day before the rain postponement, so both sides play on a compressed schedule.

WNBA Finals

Golden State beat Atlanta 68-64 in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals and leads the best-of-seven series 1-0. A four-point margin in a game that low-scoring gives Atlanta little reason to change its approach for Game 2.

Toronto FC

Toronto FC beat the New York Red Bulls 2-0, taking a 1-0 lead on a third-minute own goal by Justin Che before Dániel Sallói scored in the 82nd minute. Luka Gavran made three saves for the shutout, while the Red Bulls had 67 per cent possession and outshot Toronto 15-6.

The Number

Players the Raptors waived on Saturday: Tyson Degenhart, Jamarion Sharp, Nimari Burnett, Jalen Celestine and Tyreke Key Centre Nate Bittle's deal was converted to a two-way contract the same day, so the roster cuts and the one conversion together shape the group that opens the season. The regular season starts Wednesday against Chicago, and the minutes left by the waived players will show who the coaching staff trusts as depth.

What's On Today

            9:30 AM ET · Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars
00 PM ET · Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
00 PM ET · Tampa Bay Rays at Cleveland Guardians, ALCS Game 5
20 PM ET · Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
          

The Snap Count

The Matchup
The Baltimore Ravens visit the Cleveland Browns at 1:00 PM ET at Huntington Bank Field. Baltimore is 4-1 overall and 3-0 on the road, while Cleveland is 3-2 overall and 2-0 at home. Both teams are unbeaten in their current setting, so one of those marks has to give. The game will turn on whether the Ravens' road form travels or the Browns' home form holds.

“Depth is a theory until injured reserve starts grading it”