Sports fans are in for a treat later tonight as the NHL and MLB has lined up two mouth-watering games that will definitely whet your sporting appetite. Kicking things off this evening is the much-anticipated Game 3 showdown between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final.
Following shortly thereafter is the MLB clash between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two important games and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between Golden State and Cleveland.
[sc:MultiSportArticles ]Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8:00 PM ET)
Line: Tampa Bay Lightning (+135) at Chicago Blackhawks (-155); total: 5.0 – view all Stanley Cup lines
[sc:NHL240 ]The Tampa Bay Lightning will head to the Windy City with momentum on their side after escaping with a nerve-wracking 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Jason Garrison was the star of the show for the Lightning as he scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 11:11 to play in the game to even the series at one game apiece.
The win wouldn’t be possible, though, without the heroics of reserve goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevskiy. The 20-year-old made five saves in 9:13 of relief work as he became just the fourth goaltender in 77 years to get his first career playoff win in a Stanley Cup finals game.
For the Blackhawks to regain the advantage in this series, they need a much better performance from Patrick Kane. He didn’t record a shot on net against the Lightning in Game 2. That’s just the second time that has happened to Kane in his storied playoff career (112 starts).
The total has gone under in Chicago’s last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Chicago wins, 3-2, to grab a 2-1 series lead.
Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins (8:10 PM ET)
Line: Kansas City Royals (EVEN) at Minnesota Twins (-110); total: 8.5 – view all MLB lines
The Minnesota Twins returned to winning ways Sunday with a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers. They will look to make it back-to-back victories when they square off with the Kansas City Royals in their series opener tonight. Starting for Minnesota this evening is the struggling Phil Hughes (4-5, 4.96 ERA). He’s coming off his shortest stint of the season as he allowed five runs on 11 hits in just 4.1 innings of action in the Twins’ 6-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
The Royals, on the other hand, will counter with left-hander Jason Vargas (4-2, 4.79 ERA). The Royals have won four of their last five games with Vargas as their starter. Vargas gave up just two runs on eight hits and struck out three in six innings in a 4-2 win Wednesday against the Indians. The Royals will fancy their chances against the Twins as they have won four of their last five games against their AL Central rivals with Vargas on the mound.
The Twins are 3-2 in their last five home games against the Royals.
Writer’s Prediction
Minnesota wins, 5-4. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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