Golden Knights are loose heading into decisive Game 5
Golden Knights are loose heading into decisive Game 5
Vegas, which owns a 3-1 series lead over Florida, can clinch its first Stanley Cup with a win at home Tuesday night.
Good morning and welcome to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. Please subscribe if you haven’t done so already. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. OK, let’s get to it!
1. Golden Knights are loose heading into decisive Game 5
Vegas, which owns a 3-1 series lead over Florida, can clinch its first Stanley Cup with a win at home Tuesday night, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
On Tuesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights are going to have the opportunity to do something many were hoping but few were expecting back in September.
They’ll be playing for the Stanley Cup.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Five years removed from their inaugural season of 2017-18 which saw them set records for an expansion team and make the Stanley Cup Final only to fall to the Washington Capitals in five games, the Golden Knights need just one more win and the Cup will be theirs.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Three chances to win one hockey game, two of which will be played at home at T-Mobile Arena. But as any player or coach will tell you, the fourth game is always the hardest to win. And don’t think for a second the Florida Panthers, who are down 3-1 in the series, are going to concede anything. Not as long as Matthew Tkachuk can be on the ice raising all sorts of havoc while obviously performing at less than 100%.
2. A’s must show they intend to better Vegas, not take advantage of it
The biggest aspect missing from the A’s talking points last week was a more detailed community benefits plan, which, The Sporting Tribune’s Norm Clarke has learned, will be included.
Nevada legislators sent a loud and clear signal to the Oakland A’s and Major League Baseball last Friday.
For baseball to work in Las Vegas, we need more give and less take.
Let’s hope they got the message because MLB and Las Vegas could be a beautiful marriage.
The days of the one-sided sweetheart deals should be over when it comes to public subsidies.
How can they make it work? There’s a simple solution: Make the A’s show and MLB demonstrate how they intend to better our community — not take advantage of it.
Check out how the NFL showed good faith and leadership in assisting the Buffalo Bills get their new $1.54 billion stadium passed.
New York State will fund $600 million of the project.
The NFL and the Bills will invest $550 million and Erie County $250 million.
3. Angels pull out a gutsy road win against Rangers
Shohei Ohtani homers twice as the Halos claw back to steal one in Texas, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Grant Mona.
Whew, let's take a deep breath. This was the best win of the Angels’ season by far, trailing 5-1 in the 3rd and coming all the way back to tie it in the 7th. It was a rocky start for Tyler Anderson, who gave up 5 earned runs tonight to a potent Rangers lineup.
Ezequiel Duran homered in the 1st to give the Rangers the early 3-0 lead and after a Mike Trout single made it 3-1 in the 3rd, Josh Jung and Mitch Garver tacked on a few more runs for the Rangers in the bottom half of the inning. But as the Angels have done quite a bit this year, they clawed their way back, scoring 3 times in the 4th to make it a 1 run ballgame, which led to a Shohei Ohtani takeover. A 460-foot bomb to left center followed by a bat flip from Shohei evened things up at 5.
The Angels bullpen stepped up big time tonight, as Chris Devenski, Carlos Estevez, and Sam Bachman all held the Rangers cold for the rest of the game. That is exactly what the elite arms in that Angel pen are there to do, and they stepped up big time tonight. After a series of elite plays by rookie shortstop Zach Neto and Taylor Ward to keep the game tied, it was “Shohei Time” again.
He blasted an opposite-field homer to finally break the game open in the 12th, and the floodgates opened as Chad Wallach sealed the game with a 2-run opposite-field homer of his own. The energy, moxie, and passion that the Angels played with tonight are why Angel fans should be excited for the rest of the season.
4. Clark adapting to new role with Aces
Alysha Clark has adapted well to her new role as a sixth woman for the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, The Sporting Tribune’s W.G. Ramirez.
Las Vegas Aces forward Alysha Clark walked into Media Day last month and became an instant hit with everyone in the room.
Perhaps it was because of the radiant personality that accompanied her infectious smile. Maybe it was the fact she emanates 11 years of professionalism with every turn she makes.
Then again, Clark's adorable 12-year-old chihuahua, Sly, who's been to more Media Days than most of her younger teammates, was just as poised as Clark and eventually stole the show.
5. Aguirre’s equalizer gives Galaxy 1-1 draw with St. Louis
In the Galaxy’s first game since “Chicharito's” ACL injury, the team earned a 1-1 draw against Western Conference leaders, St. Louis City FC, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Anthony Bautista.
The Galaxy entered the team’s first-ever matchup against St. Louis City FC with the least number of points in the MLS and having just lost their captain Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez for the season due to a torn ACL.
Meanwhile, St. Louis, the newest team in MLS, entered Sunday’s matchup as the leaders of the Western Conference, having won three of their previous four games.
Despite this, the Galaxy traveled to St. Louis and were able to come away with a point against the conference leaders after a 1-1 draw Sunday.
“We had to grind and battle for everything that we get and tonight, the guys did it. And they stuck in it after giving up a goal. LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said after the result.
St. Louis opened up the scoring after a great touch from Nicholas Gioacchini, who sent the ball well above Bond’s outstretched arms give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
6. Sparks lose to Lynx after blowing late double-digit lead
The Sparks had an 11-point lead with 3:38 left in regulation but lost to the Minnesota Lynx, 91-86, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
The Sparks had another heartbreaker.
It felt like they had the game in hand. And then suddenly, the Lynx caught fire. The fire was never put out and they were able to steal the game from the Sparks, 91-86.
The Lynx got off to a good 18-9 start before the Sparks' veteran acquisitions Jasmine Thomas and Azurá Stevens made back-to-back buckets. They were able to cut the deficit to 22-20 after one.
Lexie Brown caught fire in the second half as she supplemented Nneka Ogwumike's inside game with her perimeter shooting. Nneka split her foul shots near the end of the half and the game ended up being tied at 43 after 20 minutes.
Jordin Canada wreaked havoc on both sides of the ball. Napheesa Collier was able to keep it close but Canada's 12 points in the third put the Sparks ahead entering the fourth, 64-62.
7. Odds and Ends presented by Circa Sports
Here are some odds at Circa Sports if you’re thinking about placing a wager today:
8. Ticket Time presented by TickPick
Here are the “get in” prices for tickets if you’re thinking about going to a game today.
5:00 p.m. – Panthers at Golden Knights – $1,400
6:40 p.m. – Guardians at Padres – $15
7:00 p.m. – White Sox at Dodgers – $37
9. On the Air presented by The D Las Vegas
Here are the game times and television channels for professional teams in the region today.
5:00 p.m. – Angels at Rangers – Bally Sports West
5:00 p.m. – Panthers at Golden Knights – TNT, TBS, TruTV
6:40 p.m. – Guardians at Padres – Bally Sports San Diego
7:00 p.m. – White Sox at Dodgers – SportsNet LA
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deutsch and Ji Hae Wiley to talk about the Denver Nuggets looking to close out the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and the Vegas Golden Knights looking to close out the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. Both teams have dominated their respective finals. Could we see two gentleman's sweeps in two days?
Listen to The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune on The Mightier 1090 ESPN Radio in Southern California, 98.5 The Bet in Las Vegas and the Hawaii Sports Radio Network 95.1 FM and 760 AM in Hawaii. You can also listen to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Stitcher.
Thank you for reading. Please click below to subscribe to The Morning Column presented by The Sporting Tribune. It’s free and will be delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
That’s it for today. Talk to you tomorrow!