Game 1 of the NHL Stanley Cup Final showed just how electrifying things can get when two high-caliber contenders in the Carolina Hurricanes and Las Vegas Golden Knights square off. Hurricane left winger Nikolaj Ehlers had himself a night in the opening frame, scoring only 25 seconds into the period. Ehlers remained hot, tallying another goal nearly 12 minutes later. Unfazed, Las Vegas swiftly countered, knotting the matchup at 2-2 early into the second period. The action snowballed from there with both squads exchanging goals until Golden Knight center Tomáš Hertl banked in the game-sealing goal 16:36 into the third period.
Meanwhile in MLB, Shohei Ohtani propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 7-0 shutout victory over the NL West-rival Arizona Diamondbacks with a masterclass on the mound, striking out six batters while only allowing two hits and a single walk. With the win, he now holds an astounding 0.74 ERA and is 6-2 on the season as a pitcher. Ohtani shined at the plate as well, getting on base in three out of his four appearances.
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First Pick: Hurricanes Under 5.5 Goals
Rundown: Despite Tuesday’s loss, Carolina has another excellent opportunity at defending home ice with a 29-10-2 advantage at Lenovo Center.
Throughout the NHL playoffs, the Hurricanes have shown why they are a force to be reckoned with. So far, left winger Taylor Hall leads the way with 16 points and 11 assists, a decent ramp-up from his 18 regular-season goals and 48 points. Even as Hall went silent during Game 1 of this series, Jordan Staal stepped up with an equalizer in the second period. Shayne Gostisbehere also came through with a game-tying goal of his own, making the contest, 4-4, 11:19 into the final frame.
Meanwhile for Las Vegas, goalie Carter Hart held on with 23 saves amid four goals allowed. Brett Howden has been a major bright spot offensively with 11 goals thus far. Most notably, Howden put the Golden Knights up 4-3 with an early third-period goal, paving the way for Hertl to finish the job. William Karlsson, Shea Theodore and Ivan Barbashev found the back of the net, too, effectively frazzling goalie Frederik Andersen and leaving him without an answer.
With Carolina’s intensity and impressive track record at home, bettors can anticipate a bounce-back game.
Second Pick: Dodgers Moneyline
Rundown: The Los Angeles Dodgers (40-22) will look for the series victory against the Arizona Diamondbacks (32-29) in tonight’s rubber matchup at Chase Field.
In addition to Ohtani, Kyle Tucker was another standout contributor in the Dodgers’ commanding victory over Arizona. Tucker set the stage in the second inning, launching a two-run homer to right center and giving L.A. an early 2-0 lead. Freddie Freeman added to the frenzy in the third with an RBI single, driving in Ohtani and Andy Pages. Max Muncy and Alex Freeland logged RBIs as well, sealing the Diamondbacks’ fate. Heading into tonight, Justin Wrobleski is set to take the mound with a 2.87 ERA and 40 strikeouts.
As for Arizona, Ryne Nelson is the next arm up with a 4.82 ERA. Despite it being higher than Wrobleski’s, Nelson has managed to earn 52 strikeouts on the season. Even so, hopes for the rest of the Diamondbacks’ rotation appear dim after Corbin Burnes suffered a teres major strain, a major setback for an already lengthy rehabilitation. On the other hand, hitting is where Arizona excels. A part of that spark is Ildemaro Vargas with his .286 batting average and 37 RBI. Corbin Carroll has progressed as well with a .373 OBP and team-best 61 hits.
Given L.A.’s momentum and Wrobleski’s consistency, it is no surprise they are the heavy favorite here.
