Capitals Advance to First Final in 20 Years
The Washington Capitals became a team notorious for falling short in the postseason after a dominant regular season, but they finally broke through that trend this season. Braden Holtby made 29 saves for his second straight shutout, as the Capitals took Game 7 on the road with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leading the NHL in goals during the regular season, the Lightning failed to score in the final 159 minutes, 27 seconds of the series, or eight periods, as they were blanked in a Game 6 loss at Capital One Arena as well. That was a rare home victory for the Capitals in this postseason, but their Game-7 victory moved them to 8-2 away from home in the playoffs, with this latest win sending Alex Ovechkin to the first Stanley Cup Final of his 13-year career. Ovechkin and Andre Burakovsky both scored early on for the Caps, who are heading to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1998, with hopes of hoisting the trophy for the first time in franchise history. Burakovsky's goal comes just two games after being a healthy scratch in Game 5, as he becomes the 17th Capital to find the back of the net in this year's postseason. His first of the playoffs came on a breakaway at 8:59 of the second period, bringing the Capitals four players away of the record for most amount of players with a goal in a single postseason. They will have more time to inch closer to that, as their Stanley Cup Final series begins Monday night at T-Mobile Arena against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Celtics Move One Win Away From NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics home success has carried them this entire postseason, and it now has them one win away from the NBA Finals after Wednesday night. Jayson Tatum had 24 points, as the Celtics rolled once again at the TD Garden for a 96-83 win, and a 3-2 Eastern Conference Finals lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Al Horford added a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, as the Celtics move to 10-0 on their home floor this postseason. Jaylen Brown also stepped up after a couple of tough outings personally, as he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The Celtics were also able to hold LeBron James's production to 26 points and 10 rebounds, while the rest of the Cavaliers were not so effective, per usual. Kevin Love scored 14 points on the night for the Cavs, who are hoping to get to their fourth straight Finals, with LeBron personally looking to get to his seventh straight. Boston led for just about the entire night by double digits, as the Cavs only got the deficit as close as 12 with a 9-0 run in the second half. Although, that was not enough, as the Celtics got plenty of production all around, including 13 points apiece from Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. They will now hope to shut down the series on the road in Game 6, while the Cavs will hope to force a Game 7 on their home floor on Friday night.
Ohtani Leads Angels' Rally in Toronto
The Los Angeles Angels needed some type of spark on the road to snap them out of their recent struggles that have them once again looking up to the Houston Astros in the AL West Division. They got that on Wednesday night, as they scored four times in the ninth inning to rally past the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, 5-4. Shohei Ohtani began the rally with a two-run single in the final inning, while Andrelton Simmons also drove in two to give the Angels the comeback victory at the Rogers Centre. Simmons finished the night 2-for-5 at the plate, while Kole Calhoun came up big with what a game-saving throw from right field in the bottom of the ninth. Their late rally gave the Angels three runs or more for just the second time in the past 11 games. They were able to knock around reliever Tyler Clippard in the ninth, which began with three consecutive walks to Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Albert Pujols. Los Angeles entered the bottom half of the inning with a 5-3 lead, before Kendrys Morales drove in a run with a double. Calhoun was able to stay on top of the ball and throw out Curtis Granderson at home plate. Justin Anderson earned his first win for the Angels after finishing things off on the mound. Yangervis Solarte and Devon Travis both went deep in the loss for the Blue Jays, who will visit the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. The Angels' road trip continues in the Bronx when they battle the New York Yankees.
The Washington Capitals became a team notorious for falling short in the postseason after a dominant regular season, but they finally broke through that trend this season. Braden Holtby made 29 saves for his second straight shutout, as the Capitals took Game 7 on the road with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leading the NHL in goals during the regular season, the Lightning failed to score in the final 159 minutes, 27 seconds of the series, or eight periods, as they were blanked in a Game 6 loss at Capital One Arena as well. That was a rare home victory for the Capitals in this postseason, but their Game-7 victory moved them to 8-2 away from home in the playoffs, with this latest win sending Alex Ovechkin to the first Stanley Cup Final of his 13-year career. Ovechkin and Andre Burakovsky both scored early on for the Caps, who are heading to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1998, with hopes of hoisting the trophy for the first time in franchise history. Burakovsky's goal comes just two games after being a healthy scratch in Game 5, as he becomes the 17th Capital to find the back of the net in this year's postseason. His first of the playoffs came on a breakaway at 8:59 of the second period, bringing the Capitals four players away of the record for most amount of players with a goal in a single postseason. They will have more time to inch closer to that, as their Stanley Cup Final series begins Monday night at T-Mobile Arena against the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Celtics Move One Win Away From NBA Finals
The Boston Celtics home success has carried them this entire postseason, and it now has them one win away from the NBA Finals after Wednesday night. Jayson Tatum had 24 points, as the Celtics rolled once again at the TD Garden for a 96-83 win, and a 3-2 Eastern Conference Finals lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Al Horford added a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds, as the Celtics move to 10-0 on their home floor this postseason. Jaylen Brown also stepped up after a couple of tough outings personally, as he finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The Celtics were also able to hold LeBron James's production to 26 points and 10 rebounds, while the rest of the Cavaliers were not so effective, per usual. Kevin Love scored 14 points on the night for the Cavs, who are hoping to get to their fourth straight Finals, with LeBron personally looking to get to his seventh straight. Boston led for just about the entire night by double digits, as the Cavs only got the deficit as close as 12 with a 9-0 run in the second half. Although, that was not enough, as the Celtics got plenty of production all around, including 13 points apiece from Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart. They will now hope to shut down the series on the road in Game 6, while the Cavs will hope to force a Game 7 on their home floor on Friday night.
Ohtani Leads Angels' Rally in Toronto
The Los Angeles Angels needed some type of spark on the road to snap them out of their recent struggles that have them once again looking up to the Houston Astros in the AL West Division. They got that on Wednesday night, as they scored four times in the ninth inning to rally past the Toronto Blue Jays on the road, 5-4. Shohei Ohtani began the rally with a two-run single in the final inning, while Andrelton Simmons also drove in two to give the Angels the comeback victory at the Rogers Centre. Simmons finished the night 2-for-5 at the plate, while Kole Calhoun came up big with what a game-saving throw from right field in the bottom of the ninth. Their late rally gave the Angels three runs or more for just the second time in the past 11 games. They were able to knock around reliever Tyler Clippard in the ninth, which began with three consecutive walks to Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Albert Pujols. Los Angeles entered the bottom half of the inning with a 5-3 lead, before Kendrys Morales drove in a run with a double. Calhoun was able to stay on top of the ball and throw out Curtis Granderson at home plate. Justin Anderson earned his first win for the Angels after finishing things off on the mound. Yangervis Solarte and Devon Travis both went deep in the loss for the Blue Jays, who will visit the Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. The Angels' road trip continues in the Bronx when they battle the New York Yankees.
