Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - With the Toronto Blue Jays punching their ticket to the World Series for the first time since 1993, the National Hockey League has made a couple of changes to this weekend's scheduled home-and-home series with the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs.
With Games 1 and 2 of the World Series set to be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto this Friday and Saturday, the NHL has announced earlier start times for both Sabres-Maple Leafs matchups on the same days.
Rather than puck drop taking place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night at KeyBank Center in Downtown Buffalo, the Sabres and Maple Leafs will square off starting at 7 p.m.
Then on Saturday, with the matchup heading to Toronto, the league has moved up faceoff between the Sabres and Maple Leafs by two hours, now scheduled at 5 p.m.
First pitch for both games of the World Series in Toronto will take place just after 8 p.m.
The last time the Blue Jays were in the World Series, they managed to win their second-straight title with a six-game series win over the Philadelphia Phillies. That series was capped off by Joe Carter's iconic walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6.
The Blue Jays return to the World Series following an epic seven-game series with the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series. After falling behind 3-2 in the series, Toronto managed to battle back with wins in Games 6 and 7.
In the bottom of the seventh inning of Monday night's Game 7 at Rogers Centre, designated hitter George Springer gave the Blue Jays the go-ahead hit with a three-run home run over the left-center field wall to put Toronto in the lead, 4-3. It was a lead they would not relinquish, as the Blue Jays put the Mariners away and secured their spot in the "Fall Classic".
Toronto will be in for a challenge in this year's World Series, as they will host the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the best-of-seven series.
Despite finishing the season as a Wild Card team in the National League, the Dodgers have made pretty easy work of their opponents, sweeping the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Round, beating the Phillies in four games in the Divisional Series, and recently sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in four games in the NLCS.
Coverage of Sabres hockey on WGR starts one hour before each contest with the pregame show.