Canucks, Raptors, Canadian tennis stars all in the spotlight on busy sports day

It’s a busy sports day for Canada on Thursday, with the Vancouver Canucks, Toronto Raptors and four tennis players taking centre stage.

The Canucks face elimination for the second time in a row when they meet the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal on Thursday night in Edmonton. Vancouver is the last remaining Canadian team in the NHL playoffs, and the Canucks need a win to prevent the country’s Stanley Cup drought from officially hitting 27 years.

The reigning NBA champion Raptors are in all but a must-win situation, trailing 2-0 against the Boston Celtics heading into Game 3 of their Eastern Conference semifinal in Florida. After a blowout loss in Game 1, the Raptors fell 102-99 in Game 2 on Tuesday.

The basketball game is part of a Boston-Toronto twin bill on Thursday. The Blue Jays and Red Sox also open a five-game series at Boston’s Fenway Park.

Meanwhile, four Canadian tennis players will take part in three intriguing second-round showdowns at the U.S. Open in New York.

An all-Canadian matchup features a pair of veterans as No. 25 seed Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., squares off against Vancouver’s Vasek Pospisil. Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, the No. 15 seed, takes on three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray of Great Britain. And 17-year-old Leylah Annie Fernandez of Laval, Que., faces No. 2 seed Sofia Kenin of the United States.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on September 3, 2020.