What to watch in Saturday's matches at Rock League

TORONTO — We're down to the penultimate day of Rock League's inaugural season at TMU Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Call this the Double Jeopardy round as franchises will field two teams of mixed fours for their matches, with each game now worth one point. No bonus for a sweep this time, though.

Each franchise gets the hammer in one of the two games, but the higher-seeded franchise gets to choose who plays who and which game they want to start with the hammer in as well.

The are a few ground rules during the games as well. The positions on each team must alternate man-woman-man-woman, or woman-man-woman-man at all times. Teams may utilize any sweeping order they wish.

Substitutions are allowed only at the completion of an end, before the next end starts. Only the two players from the bench can move into the games — players cannot move from one game to the other without first going to the bench. Players who are subbed out of one game, must be on the bench for at least one FULL end before they can be subbed back into either game.

The lineup order can be changed at the completion of any end by the GMs, as long as the order stays M-F-M-F or F-M-F-M. GMs and Officials need to be in contact to confirm substitutions. There are no minimum or maximum substitutions — it is at the GM’s discretion.

The top four franchises advance to Sunday's playoffs.

Here's a look ahead to the matches plus each franchise's most interesting lineup.

Shield Curling Club vs. Maple United (Noon ET)

Take two: The Canadian-based clubs face off again, after Shield Curling Club dominated in a three-game sweep over Maple United during the round-robin finale Friday evening.

Shield (first place, 3-2 record, 3.5 points) has been flying high and now its chemistry will be put to the true test with everyone shuffled. Captain Brad Jacobs will skip one of Shield's team with a Northern Ontario feel. Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, will have siblings Tracy Fleury and Jake Horgan, both originally from Sudbury. Swiss import Carole Howald rounds out the lineup.

Maple (sixth place, 1-4 record, 1 point) is entering Saturday on a three-match losing skid, however, with two points up for grabs Saturday, it isn't over yet. The franchise can win both games over Shield to stay in it, but fate also isn't in hand. Maple will also need Typhoon Curling Club (fourth place, 3-2 record, 3 points) to lose both of its games, Frontier Curling Club (fifth place, 2-3 record, 2 points) to win no more than one of its games and hold the total points tiebreaker against one or both.

The most intriguing of Maple's two lineups is the one with Ross Whyte skipping and Rachel Homan at third, plus Brett Gallant at second and Jocelyn Peterman at lead. That's a lot of firepower if they can heat up. Wait, Ross and Rachel!? Could I be more obvious that's a Friends reference?

Alpine Curling Club vs. Frontier Curling Club (3:30 p.m. ET)

Alpine (second place, 3-2 record, 3.5 points) was victorious in the round-robin match over Frontier on Tuesday, winning the men's and mixed doubles games. Frontier was denied the sweep in the women's game, as skip Tabitha Peterson planted her final draw on the pinhole for two points in the seventh end for an 8-7 win.

Frontier has looked like a different franchise since then, especially as it comes off a thrilling match victory over Northern United. Stefania Constantini shook off the jet-lag from her mid-week detour back home to lift the women's team to a shootout victory. Constantini will throw third with Grant Hardie at skip on one team. Hardie was handed the reins for the men's team Friday as he faced his tour skip Bruce Mouat and won 10-4. They are joined by Colin Hufman at second and Sarah Wilkes at lead.

Frontier will need to win at least one if not both of its games to get into the playoffs and may have to run up the scoreboard, entering the daywith a league-worst 79 total points scored, or risk losing out on a tiebreaker.

Alpine was on a roll until losing 2-1 to Typhoon on Friday. Captain Alina Pätz and her women's team did their part and the two-pointer loss to Frontier has been their only defeat this week, going 4-1 through round-robin play. Pätz and second Emma Miskew will team up again, with third Sven Michel and lead Hammy McMillan Jr.

Northern United vs. Typhoon Curling Club (7 p.m. ET)

Northern (third place, 3-2 record, 3.5 points) washed away Typhoon in a three-game sweep when they met Thursday. Captain Bruce Mouat led the men's team to a 10-4 victory, and Kristin Skaslien and Yannick Schwaller won the mixed doubles game 8-5, while Isabella Wranå edged Anna Hasselborg 7-6 after a draw-to-the-button shootout.

Schwaller will skip one team with siblings Isabella and Rasmus Wranå, the reigning Olympic gold medallists in mixed doubles, holding down third and second, respectively. Giulia Zardini Lacedelli will play lead.

Typhoon has had an up-and-down week, alternating between wins and losses. Typhoon can control its own destiny in the provisional fourth and final playoff spot but is the only three-win franchise without a sweep to its name and in danger of getting leapfrogged by Frontier or losing out to Maple on the total points scored tiebreaker should they end up tied at the end of the night. Even just one win helps.

Swedish imports Niklas Edin and Anna Hasselborg will handle skip duties for the mixed teams. The eight-time world men's champion Edin will have Min-ji Kim at third, Bobby Lammie at second and Ye-eun Seol at lead.

How to watch Rock League live

Canada: CBC Sports that will bring the league’s inaugural season to fans across Canada with more than 40 hours of live streaming coverage on CBC Sports’ digital platforms, including CBC Gem, cbcsports.ca, and the CBC Sports YouTube channel. In addition, coverage of the playoffs, semifinals, and championship matches - three games in total - will broadcast nationally on CBC TV.

United Kingdom: Playoff games on BBC iPlayer‍.

Korea: All games on CHZZK (Naver)‍.

‍USA: All games available on ESPN+.

Outside of Canada: All games available on DAZN‍.

Worldwide: Full access globally on RockChannel.com.

Catch around-the-rings coverage of every match, with live commentary, for free.

Purchase the event pass ($4.99 USD) for full access to every individual game, live or on demand. Individual games can also be purchased separately ($0.99 USD).