With a win on Tuesday night, the Vegas Golden Knights can become Stanley Cup champions.
It would cap off a remarkable journey for the expansion franchise, which is in just its fifth year of existence. The Golden Knights made playoff appearances in their first three seasons as an NHL franchise and then missed out on the postseason altogether last year.
This year, they have a 3-1 lead over the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final with Game 5 on tap for Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Vegas dominated the first two games of the series, winning 5-2 and 7-2 at home. From there, the Panthers won a dramatic Game 3, 3-2, in overtime. That set up a pivotal Game 4 in Florida.
The Knights took a 1-0 advantage less than two minutes into the action and then increased that lead to 3-0 midway through the second period. From there, the Knights had to withstand a furious comeback from the Panthers. Florida got one back before the end of the second and then cut the Vegas lead to 3-2 with 3:50 to play. It was a mad dash to the final horn, but the Knights were able to withstand a Panthers barrage and hold on for a 3-2 win.
For Game 5, the Knights are -185 favorites at BetMGM and -1100 favorites to win the series regardless of Tuesday’s outcome. The Panthers, meanwhile, are +150 underdogs on Tuesday night and +700 to come back and win the series.
Do the Panthers have what it takes to overcome a 3-1 series deficit? They’ve done it once in this postseason. In the first round, the Panthers had a miraculous comeback to beat the top-seeded Boston Bruins in seven games, winning in overtime in Game 5 and Game 7 in Boston.
This time around, though, star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk is hobbled by an unspecified injury. After being limited to 16 minutes, 40 seconds of ice time in Game 4, Tkachuk did not participate in a team skate on Monday. Tkachuk, who has 11 goals and 24 points this postseason, saw limited shifts in the third period and has clearly been dealing with a lingering injury.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for the Panthers to avoid elimination and extend this series.
Scuffling Mets return home to face Yankees
It’s a busy Tuesday in Major League Baseball that includes the start of the latest Subway Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets.
It’s just a quick two-game series as the scuffling Mets return home to Queens on the heels of a brutal stretch of games. The Mets have lost eight of their last nine and are coming off a 1-5 road trip in Atlanta and Pittsburgh. The Yankees haven’t been playing great, either. They’ve lost four of their last six. The Mets have Max Scherzer on the mound opposite the Yankees’ Luis Severino.
The Mets are -155 favorites with the Yankees listed at +130 at BetMGM.
What else is going on in MLB?
The Oakland Athletics are suddenly one of the hottest teams in baseball. The A’s closed out a nine-game road trip by winning five straight. They kept their winning ways going on Monday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3. The Rays have baseball’s best record at 48-21. The A’s, now winners of six straight, still have the worst mark in the majors at 18-50. In the second game of their four-game series, the Rays are -210 road favorites.
Other intriguing matchups include the Arizona Diamondbacks, also winners of six straight, hosting the Philadelphia Phillies. The D-Backs came from behind to beat the Phillies 9-8 on Monday night and now have to face Phillies ace Zack Wheeler on Tuesday. The Phillies are -140 road favorites at BetMGM. The D-Backs are +115.
Elsewhere, the surprising Baltimore Orioles begin a home series with AL East foe Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are -130 road favorites. The Orioles are listed at +105.
First look at NBA title odds for next year
The Denver Nuggets topped the Miami Heat on Monday night to win their first-ever NBA title, but it’s never too early to look ahead to next season.
BetMGM already has odds for next year’s champion. Unsurprisingly, Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets are at the top of the odds board — but not by much.
The Nuggets are listed at +500, just ahead of the Boston Celtics (+550), Milwaukee Bucks (+600) and Phoenix Suns (+850). Next in line are the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks at +1200 and the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers at +1400. You can view the full list of odds here.
We’re less than a month away from free agency, so player movement is fast approaching. That means these odds will change frequently as the summer progresses.