Knights’ dressing room helped foster Stanley Cup run
Knights’ dressing room helped foster Stanley Cup run
A dressing room where everyone gets along and likes and respects each other has helped the Vegas Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final.
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1. Knights’ dressing room helped foster Stanley Cup run
A dressing room where everyone gets along and likes and respects each other has helped the Vegas Golden Knights reach the Stanley Cup Final, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
The brief but spirited practice in front of a packed house of maybe 800 or so at City National Arena had ended and as the Vegas Golden Knights filed into their dressing room, you could see the smiles and the glint in their eyes beyond the scruffy beards they have been growing since mid-April.
When you’re one of the last two teams remaining vying for the Stanley Cup, you’ve earned the right to laugh, chirp a little and feel good about things. I’m guessing the Florida Panthers, the last team standing in the Knights’ way, feels exactly the same, maybe even more so given they were the last team to qualify for the playoffs and needed some unexpected help to get there.
But Vegas also had more than its share of bumps along the way to playing for the Cup. Yet, they managed to find a path to overcome any calamitous moments. I mean, how mean teams used five goaltenders and lived to tell about it?
How did the Knights manage to do it?
2. Five Golden Knights stand out to win Conn Smythe
The Sporting Tribune's W.G. Ramirez outlines the five Golden Knights who stand out as Conn Smythe choices as they head into the Stanley Cup Final.
The Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers are set for the Stanley Cup Final, which gets underway Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
All eyes are on specific standout players who have helped both teams get to this point, especially the impressive run by the eighth-seeded Panthers, who got past the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.
But our focus is on the Golden Knights, who beat the Winnipeg Jets in five games, and both the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars in six games. In the first round Vegas was favored, but the top-seeded Knights actually caught underdog prices in the second and third rounds.
So, who's been most valuable to Vegas getting into the Stanley Cup Final, and who will be the guy who continues to shine against Florida to lead the Knights to the Cup?
3. Detmers’ struggles continue as Angels fall to Astros, 5-2
Reid Detmers couldn't get past 5 innings yet again as the Angels fell to their division rival Houston Astros, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch.
Coveted young southpaw Reid Detmers threw a no-hitter against the Rays in May of last year and put together an impressive season finishing with a 3.77 ERA and a 122-46 K/BB ratio in 129 innings pitched. Detmers was supposed to step up this year and take another leap, considering he was one of the most touted pitching prospects in baseball just a few years back, but he has gotten much worse.
This season Detmers owns an ERA of 5.15, a K/BB ratio of 60-21, and has already given up 57 hits in just 50.2 innings pitched. One of Detmers biggest problems so far this season is his inability to get through the 5th inning as he has struggled getting past the third time through the opposing teams’ lineup immensely, indicative of him only going 6+ innings pitched just once thus far this year. For the Angels to be a serious playoff contender, they need their talented young southpaw to find some of his magic from last year at the very least.
4. Angel City signs Amandine Henry
Angel City bolsters their midfield by adding French star Amandine Henry, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
More reinforcements are coming for Angel City. After they signed forward Scarlett Camberos and midfielder Julie Ertz during the season, they added midfielder, Amandine Henry.
Angel City signed Henry to a three-year contract with the option for one more year. She can join the club when the transfer window opens on June 28, entering a midfield with Savannah McCaskill, Madison Hammond, and Ertz.
“I enjoyed my previous seasons [2016 and 2017] in the NWSL because of the level of play, the dedication of the fans and great teammates, so I am excited to now be a part of Angel City,” Henry said. “I can’t wait to be a part of a new team, help write history, and win with the club.”
5. LA Galaxy show resilience in win over Real Salt Lake
Despite personnel changes and a key injury, the LA Galaxy picked up three points on the road in Salt Lake City, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
Forward Tyler Boyd broke his hand last week against Charlotte FC. And this week, he was not supposed to play. But he made the difference for the LA Galaxy in their 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake.
The day before the game, head coach Greg Vanney was not ready to let Boyd play. And he elected to place him on the bench because of the injury and let his hand heal. But Boyd had other ideas.
“Tyler [Boyd] said he came into my office, which was after training, and said, ‘I'm ready to play.’ And so, how do you keep that guy out?” Vanney said.
Boyd was substituted into the game for midfielder Efraín Álvarez at halftime. However, shortly after, the Galaxy, who were leading 1-0 because of midfielder Gastón Brugman’s made penalty kick, were losing 2-1 after Real Salt Lake scored two goals in 16 minutes.
But the Galaxy did not back down.
6. LAFC fall to Club León, 2-1, but gifted a late lifeline
LAFC lost to Club León 2-1, in arguably their poorest performance in club history. But they're still contenders for the 2023 CCL title. Sunday’s second leg is at BMO Stadium, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Chandrima Chatterjee.
Club León, in their first Concacaf Champions League final appearance, defeated LAFC 2-1 in the first of a 2-leg series that will determine who lifts the trophy. On Sunday, at BMO stadium, the home of LAFC, the MLS side has a chance to reply.
From the moment the whistle blew, LAFC looked stunned, frigid, and sluggish to react to León’s willpower, speed, fluid and transformational style of play. León was able to out-possess and out-finesse LAFC enough to score the first blow to the visitors. After a 6th minute shot from Alfonso Alvarado that John McCarthy tipped wide, a corner kick from Angel Mena was headed into the net by León’s captain, William Tesillo, giving the hosts the lead in the 8th minute.
It was the first headed goal LAFC had conceded in a competitive match this year. León’s high-pressing tactics through the first half left LAFC on the back foot focused on chasing the ball, trying in vain to anticipate León’s quick and direct plays. At moments, it felt like the two teams were playing a different game – stylistically, there was no competition.
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.
7:00 p.m. – New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers – $82
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. – Los Angeles Angels at Houston Astros – Bally Sports West
7:00 p.m. – New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers – SportsNet LA
7:00 p.m. – Los Angeles Sparks at Phoenix Mercury – Ion
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deutsch to break down the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat and what the future holds for both teams. Is this the beginning of a long run for the Nuggets and is this a one-and done run for the eighth seeded Heat?
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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