Vegas’ ‘Original Six’ headed back to 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.
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1. Vegas’ ‘Original Six’ headed back to 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, after the Golden Knights eliminated the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final on Monday. "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."
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. Syndergaard’s struggles continue as Dodgers fall to Nationals, 10-6
Things went from bad to worse for Noah Syndergaard as the right-hander delivered another mediocre start, allowing five earned runs through five innings, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Jake Dicker.
Things are going from bad to worse for Noah Syndergaard. The right-hander delivered another mediocre start, allowing five earned runs through five innings. His season ERA currently sits at 6.54. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead that would be short-lived.
Anyone who watched Syndergaard's postgame interview knows that nobody is more disappointed in his start to the season than himself. Syndergaard said, "I would give up my hypothetical first-born to be the old me", and referred to himself as the team's weakest link.
I'll be incredibly blunt. Once Julio Urias is activated from the injured list, there is no reason for Noah Syndergaard to make another start as a Dodger. Urias, Kershaw, Gonsolin, Miller and some combination of Grove/Stone/Pepiot should be the rotation moving forward. It's beyond thin, but Syndergaard is giving up far too many runs to warrant another start.
4. Ohtani’s 2 home run game lifts Angels over White Sox to win series
Shohei Ohtani hit two homers and had 4 RBIs and Mike Trout hit a 2-run home run in the Angels' 12-5 win over the White Sox on Wednesday, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Brandon Deutsch.
Shohei Ohtani crushed a home run in Tuesday night’s game against the White Sox, but not much else happened for the Angels last night. However, after losing 10-3 the Angels bounced back and walloped the White Sox today behind Shohei Ohtani’s 2 home runs and 4 RBI’s. Ohtani was in such a zone after those two home runs that he didn’t get anything to hit and walked the next at bat, before Chad Wallach (who also hit a home run in his lone at-bat) came in to pinch hit for him with the Angels up 12-2.
However, unlike yesterday, more players got in on the action to support the Angels struggling pitching as of late, including Mike Trout, who got the Angels on the board with a 2-run shot in the first inning off Lance Lynn. Lynn hasn’t had a good year, but he was top 3 in Cy Young Voting just a few years ago and the Angels put up 8 hits and 8 runs off of him, an impressive feat nonetheless. Ohtani is now hitting .269 with a team leading 15 home runs and 38 RBI’s to go along with an OPS of .882, while Trout is now hitting .278 with 13 home runs, 31 RBI’s and a team leading OPS of .891.
5. Angel City loses to the Portland Thorns after a stoppage-time goal
Stoppage time proved to be Angel City's nemesis against the Thorns once again, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Kamran Nia.
Stoppage time against the Portland Thorns returns unpleasant memories to Angel City fans. On April 29, goalkeeper Bella Bixby backheeled a shot into the net, helping the Thorns draw with Angel City. Over a month later, stoppage time struck again as Angel City conceded their third goal in a 3-2 stoppage-time loss to the Thorns.
With the game tied 2-2, Angel City was trying to hang on to an NWSL Challenge Cup point, but the Thorns had other ideas. After the ball bounced around the box, forward Morgan Weaver scored a goal facing away from the net, stealing three points for the Thorns.
The Thorns struck with a goalkeeper goal in the two teams' previous matchup. This time they did it with a scorpion kick.
6. San Diego Wave struggle in 3-0 loss to OL Reign
The Wave remain winless all-time vs the OL Reign as they move to 0-4-2, writes The Sporting Tribune’s Isaiah Zuravel
Coming into the game the Wave were 1-0 in Challenge Cup play. Fans were expecting to see a high-level match between the two best teams in their pool of the Challenge Cup but were disappointed to see that both clubs rested their star players for the game. This includes the matchup of the Team USA teammates Megan Rapinoe of the Reign and Alex Morgan of the Wave.
The Wave appeared disinterested making lazy passes leading to great opportunities going the other way. The game was very sloppy going both ways as there was a rare 7 yellow cards given out throughout the game. The stats might lead you to believe the game was even with both teams shooting 7 shots and time of possession being split 48-52 but it was quite the opposite. The quality of play for the Reign was far superior as they made sharper plays and outhustled the Wave. The Wave also struggled to get the ball out of the box, thanks to the terrific defense of the Reign which significantly hurt their chances of scoring.
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 Friday.
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
10. The Arash Markazi Show presented by The Sporting Tribune
The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi is joined by Brandon Deustch and Jake Dicker to discuss the significance of winning a championship to Nikoa Jokic. Does The Joker need to win a championship to be viewed as an all-time great? They also talk about the Dodgers finding ways to win this season and if the G League is the new home of one and done players.
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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