Golden Knights lose Game 3, 3-2, in OT to Panthers
Golden Knights lose Game 3, 3-2, in OT to Panthers
The Florida Panthers cut the Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup Final series lead in half by winning Game 3, 3-2, in overtime.
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1. Golden Knights lose Game 3, 3-2, in OT to Panthers
The Florida Panthers cut the Vegas Golden Knights' Stanley Cup Final series lead in half by winning Game 3, 3-2, in overtime, writes The Sporting Tribune’s W.G. Ramirez.
Death. Taxes. The Florida Panthers in overtime.
Florida improved to 7-0 in overtime during the NHL Playoffs after Carter Verhaeghe scored the game-winner 4:27 into the extra frame to lift the Panthers past the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2, and back into the Stanley Cup Final.
The Panthers fell into an 0-2 series deficit after getting thumped 5-2 in Game 1 and hammered 7-2 in Game 2, both in Las Vegas.
But Florida didn't come out looking like the team that left Las Vegas, but rather the team that seemingly breezed through the first three rounds with wins over three of the top four Eastern Conference seeds.
They trailed the Boston Bruins 3-1 before winning three straight to win the first round. They knocked off a high-scoring Toronto team in the second round, holding the Maple Leafs to two goals in each of the five games in the series. Then, they swept the East's preseason favorite Carolina Hurricane
2. Dodgers cruise to 6-0 victory in series finale against Reds
Clayton Kershaw delivered another gem as the Dodgers avoided a series sweep, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jake Dicker.
Clayton Kershaw has been the ace of the Dodgers' rotation for over a decade. Over that span he has made nine all-star appearances, including making his first start last year at Dodger Stadium. As long as he doesn't land on the injured list, he should make it an even ten career all-star appearances this season. Kershaw was phenomenal once again, striking out nine hitters over seven scoreless innings. His ERA is back below 3.00 (2.95) and he continues to strike out batters at a career-high rate.
After not allowing a runner to pass second base through the first five innings, Kershaw found himself in a 6th inning jam. Reds rookie and UCLA product Matt McLain led off the inning with a single, Jonathan India followed with one of his own. Down 6-0, the Reds had runners on the corners with no outs.
It would take only nine pitches for Kershaw to work out of the jam, one of which was an automatic ball. Kershaw fell behind Elly De La Cruz before responding with three straight strikes for out number one. Spencer Steer popped up the first pitch he saw, and Kershaw struck out Tyler Stephenson on three pitches to escape the inning unscathed. Vintage 22.
The Dodgers' well documented rotation issues make Kershaw's performance that much more important. Losers of four straight, the Dodgers came into today's game desperately needing a win. Their ace delivered. Send him to Seattle!
3. Jo Adell homers as Angels beat Cubs
With Hunter Renfroe on the paternity list, the Los Angeles Angels called up outfielder Jo Adell from AAA Salt Lake to take his place in right field, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Joey Linn.
With Hunter Renfroe on the paternity list, the Los Angeles Angels called up outfielder Jo Adell from AAA Salt Lake to take his place in right field. Wasting no time making an impact at the big league level, Adell crushed the second pitch he saw on Thursday night, sending a 451-foot blast into the left field seats to give the Angels their first run of the game, which tied things at 1-1.
Adell, who leads the Pacific Coast League in home runs, finished his first MLB game of the season 1-3 with a walk and that second inning blast. Speaking with reporters after the game, Adell said, "It felt good. I stuck to an approach, got a pitch to handle, and I was able to do something with it. More importantly, I think us jumping out early in that situation kinda kept the momentum through the game, so that was a big positive."
While Adell may not be up longer than Renfroe's absence, the 24-year-old outfielder made an immediate impact in his first opportunity at the big league level this season. Having struggled to replicate any of his AAA production in the big leagues so far in his career, this was a big swing for Adell. According to Statcast, Adell's homer on Thursday night, which exited the bat at 117.2 MPH, is the hardest hit ball any Angels player has had this season.
4. Sun hand Aces first loss this season
DeWanna Bonner scores a career-high 41 points to hand Aces first loss of the season, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jared Feldman.
The Aces drop to 7-1 after falling 94-77 to the Connecticut Sun in the second of two road games.
Kelsey Plum led the way for the Aces with 16 points, while A’ja Wilson scored 13, Chelsea Gray had 12, and Jackie Young added 10.
The Sun were led by a career-high 41 points from DeWanna Bonner on 16-23 shooting, while Brionna Jones scored 12 points, Tiffany Hayes had 12 points.
The first quarter was the polar opposite of the last game between these two teams, with Connecticut coming out on fire. Connecticut finished the quarter shooting 11-17 (64%) while holding the Aces to 4-13 (30%) shooting. DeWanna Bonner, who the Aces limited to 5 points on 2-9 shooting in the previous game, would score 14 points on 6-7 shooting in the first quarter. After the first quarter, the Aces trailed by 11, 26-15.
5. USC’s big recruiting weekend leads to commitment flurry
USC's 2024 recruiting class rose to No. 14 in the country, according to On3's rankings, according to The Sporting Tribune’s Adam Bradford.
USC recruiting has been on a role of late. After hosting a large group of high-profile visitors on campus this past weekend, the Trojans have landed five new commitments within the past few days.
The first to commit was three-star offensive lineman Hayden Treter. The Englewood, Colorado native announced his pledge to the Trojans on Sunday, shortly following his USC official visit.
Next up, it was three-star safety Jarvis Boatwright Jr. Hailing from Clearwater, Florida, Boatwright is currently the number 428 overall player in the class of 2024 On3 Consensus Rankings.
Not long after Boatwright committed, USC's secondary got another addition in the form of four-star cornerback Dakota Fields. A product of nearby Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, On3 Consensus ranks Fields as a top-100 overall player in the 2024 class.
6. Soto and Sanchez power San Diego past Seattle, 10-3
After an offensive outage on Tuesday, the Padres bounce back with 17 hits on Wednesday afternoon to split the series with Seattle, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Gabriel Santiago.
The Padres (29-33) have alternated wins and losses every game since May 27. On Wednesday against the Mariners (30-31), that trend continued in front of a rowdy daytime crowd at Petco Park as the Padres trounced the Mariners by a score of 10-3.
Notably, Juan Soto and Gary Sanchez led the way–the former went 5-5 with four RBI. All in all, the Padres produced their 10 runs on Wednesday behind 17 hits. Additionally, the pitching for San Diego was sharp all afternoon with the exception of reliever Drew Carlton who gave up all three Mariner runs.
Ultimately, Padre starter Michael Wacha improved to a club-best 6-2 record in 2023 behind six innings and seven strikeouts, surrendering only two hits in the midweek contest. Yet, in Jekyll & Hyde fashion, San Diego still remains fourth in the NL West–eight games behind first-place Arizona.
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.
6:30 p.m. – Mariners at Angels – $10
7:00 p.m. - Sky at Sparks - $4
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.
4:00 p.m. – Dodgers at Phillies – SportsNet LA
5:00 p.m. – San Diego Wave at Racing Louisville – Paramount+
5:40 p.m. – Padres at Rockies – Bally Sports San Diego
6:30 p.m. – Mariners at Angels – Apple TV+
7:00 p.m. – Sky at Sparks – Ion
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deutsch to talk about the Dodgers' bullpen issues and if the team can address their problems and still win the division. They also talk about the Angels, the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals and USC's stellar recruiting class.
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.
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