Original Golden Knights know job is not done
Vegas has been three wins from winning the Stanley Cup before. Every win now would be the biggest in Golden Knights history.
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1. Original Golden Knights know job is not done
Vegas has been three wins from winning the Stanley Cup before. Every win now would be the biggest in Golden Knights history, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi.
There have been plenty of firsts during the six-year history of the Vegas Golden Knights.
Most of them occurred during the team’s storybook inaugural season which saw the expansion team win the Pacific Division, Western Conference and play in the Stanley Cup Final despite being 500-1 preseason longshots to win it all in their first year.
Many of those moments have been duplicated this season as the Golden Knights once again won the Pacific Division, Western Conference and are playing in their second Stanley Cup Final in six years.
In 2018, similar to this season, the Golden Knights easily stormed through the first round, advanced past the second round in six games and became Western Conference champions on the road. They went on to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena and were just three wins away from one of the most improbable seasons in professional sports history.
2. Hill comes up big in Stanley Cup Final Game 1 win
Adin Hill, playing in his first Stanley Cup Final, made 33 saves, including one for the ages in Vegas' 5-2 Game 1 win over Florida, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Steve Carp.
Over the years, there have been several versions of “The Save” in the Stanley Cup Final.
There was Mike Richter stopping Pavel Bure’s penalty shot in Game 4 of the Rangers’ ultimate win over the Canucks in 1994. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom in 2009 to give the Pittsburgh Penguins the Cup.
Who can forget how Brayden Holtby had robbed Alex Tuch in Game 2 of the Washington Capitals’ comeback over the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018, throwing the paddle of his stick at the puck and denying Tuch what would have been the game-winning goal.
Saturday night, Adin Hill created some history of his own, making a similar stop by Holtby in denying Nick Cousins in the second period of Game 1 as the Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers were locked (literally) in hand-to-hand combat at T-Mobile Arena.
3. Vegas’ ‘Original Six’ back in the Stanley Cup Final
The Golden Knights have their own version of the "Original Six," the only six players remaining from the team's inaugural season, writes The Sporting Tribune’s W.G. Ramirez.
They're known as the Original Six, that being the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leafs - the teams that comprised the National Hockey League between 1942 and 1967.
At City National Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights' headquarters in Summerlin, the term "Original Six" has taken on a new meaning.
Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, William Carrier, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb are the only six remaining members of the Golden Knights who played in the Stanley Cup Final during the franchise's inaugural season.
"It's a great feeling," Karlsson said, "You know, been in the conference final a couple of times and I made it back to the finals to make a second time now and hopefully have a better outcome. It's a great feeling."
4. Volpe’s home run helps Yankees best Dodgers in series
Anthony Volpe and Domingo Germán led the way for the Yankees as they secured a 4-1 win and a series victory over the Dodgers.
It was a pitching duel for the first six innings on Sunday Night Baseball, with Domingo Germán and Bobby Miller making quick work of each hitter they faced.
It wasn’t until the top of the 7th inning when Kyle Higashioka finally opened the scoring with a ground out that scored Jake Bauers. J.D. Martinez would respond with a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game, but an RBI groundout for Oswaldo Cabrera and a ninth-inning home run from rookie Anthony Volpe would put away the Dodgers 4-1.
The series will go down as a disappointing one for Los Angeles, who will look to rebound with a series against the Cincinnati Reds starting on Tuesday.
5. Club León defeat LAFC, 1-0, to claim Champions League
LAFC lost 1-0 to Club León in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League Final on Sunday night at BMO Stadium. León won the series 3-1 on aggregate, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Chandrima Chatterjee.
There was infinite hope from LAFC’s ardent supporters that their beloved team could overcome a 1-goal deficit in the Concacaf Champions League Final, as their pyrotechnics and pregame sent a singular message: “FINISH IT” read their tifo while golden smoke filled the air.
But more firepower came from the 3252 than the team they loyally sang their hearts out for. Ultimately, LAFC were held goalless, permitted one from their opponent, and lost 1-0 to Club León (3-1 on aggregate). A month ago, LAFC were competing for five titles. Now, they are down to 3. Yet, the bottom line for LAFC is not that this was a failed experiment, but that they must set their bar for performance higher.
For the third-placed Western Conference MLS team, league play has not given them enough competition to be at an international level yet. “What can we improve on?” head coach Steve Cherundolo retorted. “Our football, our passing, creating chances creatively, the box entries, our final pass, our finish.”
6. Sparks outlast Storm despite Loyd’s 37 points
The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Seattle Storm, 92-85, to move to 3-2 on the season, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Rey Moralde.
This was another game that was close throughout. And at the end, it was a gutty win for the Los Angeles Sparks over the Seattle Storm, 92-85.
The Sparks and the Storm couldn't get away from each other. But it stood out once again that the Sparks harassed the team and forced a lot of turnovers yet again. While Jewell Loyd did get buckets to keep it close, the Storm had 9 turnovers in the first half. The game was tied at 39 at the half.
Once again, it was Nneka Ogwumike that kept the Sparks steady in the third quarter. Loyd kept the charge going for her team. But a Lexie Brown three and free throws kept L.A. ahead entering the fourth, 65-59.
Lexie continued to scorch as she helped bring the lead to double digits at 72-61. Jewell Loyd heated up in the fourth herself as she orchestrated a 7-0 run to cut the deficit. But Chiney Ogwumike hit a couple of lay-ups to hold the Storm at bay.
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. – Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights - $439
7:00 p.m. – Chicago at Angel City FC - $15
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. – Florida Panthers at Vegas Golden Knights – TNT, TBS
7:00 p.m. – Chicago at Angel City FC – Paramount+
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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That’s it for today. Talk to you on tomorrow!