Weekend need to know: Leafs vs. Panthers, Jays home games; TTC/road closures

It’s a big weekend for sports fans in the city as the Toronto Maple Leafs are back at home for Game 5 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Meantime, the Toronto Blue Jays are playing against the Atlanta Braves at Rogers Centre all weekend.

Other events include a musical ensemble concert to honour Asian Heritage Month, and a walk to raise funds for paediatric brain tumour research.

There is a single day closure scheduled for part of Line 1 on the TTC subway line. Ongoing road closures also continue throughout the city.

Here’s what’s happening this weekend:

Top events

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers

Leafs Nation is ready to cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs when they come home to play at Scotiabank Arena for Game 5 on Friday against the Florida Panthers.

The Leafs won Game 4 on Wednesday after a losing the first three games of the second round of playoffs.

Toronto is looking to become just the fifth team in NHL playoff history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Game 5 is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. in Toronto.

Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews and winger Mitch Marner. Photo: GETTY IMAGES.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves

The Toronto Blue Jays are up against the Atlanta Braves all weekend in Toronto.

The Jays lost both games against the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this week, 8-4 on Tuesday, and a 2-1 loss on Wednesday.

Fans can head to Rogers Centre stadium from Friday to Sunday to cheer the Jays on again as they take on the Braves.

Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Photo: Flickr.

Asian Heritage Month – Traditional Chinese Music Ensemble Concert

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada.

To celebrate, the Toronto Public Library is hosting a traditional Chinese music ensemble concert on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The concert is taking place at the Agincourt Toronto Public Library location.

The show will feature solos, duets, and trios, and have a wide range of music from different regions and genres.

Instruments in the ensemble include the Dizi (Chinese bamboo flute), Erhu (Chinese fiddle) and Yangqin (Chinese dulcimer).

Organizers say the event is for ages six and older and space is limited.

Meagan’s HUG

The Meagan Bebenek Foundation is hosting their annual “Signature Walk and HUG” event taking place this Mother’s Day weekend on Saturday, May 13.

Meagan’s HUG 2023 begins at the Fort York National Historic Site where participants will walk 5 kilometres to SickKids hospital to raise awareness and funds for paediatric brain tumour research.

Gates open at Fort York at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with celebrations and activities.

The walk will officially begin at 10:30 a.m.

Families, groups and organizations are invited to create teams to fundraise and participate in honour of loved ones impacted by brain tumours.

TTC closures

Line 1 single day closure

On Saturday there will be no subway service on Line 1 between Bloor-Yonge and York Mills stations. Line 1 shuttle buses will operate, stopping at all subway stations along the route.

Road closures

Closures for Sporting Life 10k on Sunday

• Yonge Street between Eglinton Avenue and Davisville Avenue – 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West (westbound lanes), from the west side of Bathurst Street to the east side of British Columbia Road – 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West (eastbound lanes), from the east side of British Columbia Road to the west side of Remembrance Drive (at HMSC York) – 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Yonge Street between Davisville Avenue and Wellington Street – 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Wellington Street between Yonge Street and Bay Street – 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Bay Street from Wellington Street to Lake Shore Boulevard West – 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West from Bay Street to New Brunswick Way (westbound lanes) – 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

TTC routes will be diverted in these areas. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and consider alternate routes.

Other events

• St. George Street, from Harbord Street to College Street, and Ursula Franklin Street, from Huron Street to St. George Street, will be closed from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday for the University of Toronto Science Rendezvous.
• Gould Street near Victoria Street will be closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday for the Toronto Metropolitan University Science Rendezvous.
• Crawford Street, from College Street to Branca Gomes Lane, will be closed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday for the Portuguese Walk of Fame.
• Elm Street, from University Avenue to Elizabeth Street, will be closed from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday for Meagan’s Hug.

Weekend construction

• The westbound lanes of Pottery Road, from Broadview Avenue to Bayview Avenue, will be closed from 8 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. for bridge work.
• Markham Road at Highway 401 will be closed on from 10 p.m. on Saturday until 10 a.m. on Sunday for the removal of a portion of the highway’s bridge deck. During the closure, southbound traffic planning to access the 401 eastbound collectors will be detoured to Markham Road’s northbound on-ramp via Progress Avenue. Northbound traffic planning to access the 401 westbound collectors will be detoured to Markham Road’s southbound on-ramp via Progress.
• Peter Street, from Richmond Street West to Queen Street West, will be closed from 7 a.m. on Saturday until 7 on Sunday to dismantle a tower crane.
• Bloor Street West near Dovercourt Road will have reduced lanes on from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday for a crane hoist.

Ongoing closures

• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last for at least four and-a-half years, until 2027.
• Eastbound 401 east of Bayview in the express, the right lane is closed, and the transfer to the collectors are down to a single lane until 5 a.m. Monday.
• Westbound 401 at Brimley, the transfer to collectors is closed for construction until 5 a.m. Monday.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Rees Street to Spadina Avenue, is reduced to two lanes until May 31, 2024, for Enwave construction.
• Bathurst Street is down to a single lane each way at Laurelcrest Avenue for construction until the middle of August.
• Military Trail is closed from Ellesmere Road to Highcastle Road for road rehabilitation and slope stabilization. The project completion date has been delayed to the summer.
• Keele Street is reduced to a single lane about 100 metres north of Langstaff in Vaughan. Construction work is scheduled to finish this spring.
• Eastbound Queen Street, east of Bay street, has the right lane blocked for construction until September.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• Bloor Street is impacted by long-term construction, which is behind schedule, between Parliament and Sherbourne streets.

With files from Jordan Kerr and Kyle Hocking of CityNews