Sharks Sweep Ducks, Set Up Matchup With Vegas'
Everyone has been talking about the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they are not the only team to sweep a series in the Western Conference early on. The San Jose Sharks joined that crew by completing the sweep of the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night for a 2-1 win on their home ice. Thomas Hertl had the game-winning goal midway through the third period, right after the Ducks had tied things up. In fact, it was just 1:16 later that Hertl tipped in the shot of Marc-Edouard Vlasic past Ducks' goaltender John Gibson to give San Jose the lead for good. Gibson made 22 saves in the loss for the Ducks, which gave them their first sweep since the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings. Anaheim was outscored, 16-4, in the four-game series, as Andrew Cogliano scored the lone goal in the decisive Game 4. Martin Jones continued to be stellar for the Sharks just one game after setting the franchise playoff record with 45 saves in Game 3, as he finished the series with a save percentage of .970. This dominant series is the Sharks' second series sweep in team history, as they also did so against the Vancouver Canucks in 2013. They will battle the only other team with a first-round sweep in the remarkable Golden Knights in the second round.
LeBron Takes Over, Cavs Avenge Game 1
The worries came in waves following Game 1 for the Cleveland Cavaliers after they were taken down with ease by the Indiana Pacers on their home floor. LeBron James did his best to single-handily calm all the Cavs' faithful down by leading his team to a 100-97 win over the Pacers in Game 2, evening the series at one-apiece. James finished with 46 points and 12 rebounds, powered by a 20-point first quarter that got his team out to a great start. After surrendering 33 points in the first quarter and trailing by 12 at halftime, the Pacers played well enough in the second half to keep things close down the stretch. James would sink some game-sealing free throws in the final seconds, this after scoring the game's first 16 points and putting up 29 in the first half alone. Victor Oladipo, coming off his 32-point Game 1, finished with 22 points for the Pacers, but missed a potential game-tying, wide-open three-pointer with 27 seconds left. Myles Turner added 18 for Indiana, who trailed by as many as 18 on the night. Kevin Love helped build that lead with 15 points, but missed the final 3:43 of the game after jamming the thumb he injured in Game 1. Head coach Tyronn Lue said that Love should be good to go for Game 3. The Pacers will host that third game of the series on Friday night.
Twins, Indians Play 16 Innings in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican baseball fans got a show, and a very long one at that on Wednesday night, as the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians battled for 16 innings. It was Ryan LaMarre's RBI single that scored Puerto Rico native Eddie Rosario to give the Twins a thrilling 2-1 victory. The game was held scoreless until the 15th inning, when both teams hit a solo home run for some offense. Edwin Encarnacion went deep to give the Indians the lead, but Miguel Sano came back to tie it with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half of the inning. The game lasted five hours and 13 minutes, ending at 12:23am, as the teams were a combined 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position until LaMarre's game-winner. What makes the story even better is that LaMarre was brought to San Juan, Puerto Rico has the Twins' 26th player, didn't come into the game until the 10th inning, and finished 3-for-4 on the night. The Indians used 23 players, as Josh Tomlin suffered his second loss in his first relief appearance since the 2016 season. The Twins used up eight of their pitchers, ending with Alan Busenitz, who earned his first victory of the year. The starters were phenomenal on both sides, including Jose Berrios striking out five, and Carlos Carrasco mowing down seven in shutout efforts. Both teams will return to the states this weekend, with the Twins visiting the Tampa Bay Rays and the Indians battling the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Everyone has been talking about the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they are not the only team to sweep a series in the Western Conference early on. The San Jose Sharks joined that crew by completing the sweep of the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night for a 2-1 win on their home ice. Thomas Hertl had the game-winning goal midway through the third period, right after the Ducks had tied things up. In fact, it was just 1:16 later that Hertl tipped in the shot of Marc-Edouard Vlasic past Ducks' goaltender John Gibson to give San Jose the lead for good. Gibson made 22 saves in the loss for the Ducks, which gave them their first sweep since the 1999 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings. Anaheim was outscored, 16-4, in the four-game series, as Andrew Cogliano scored the lone goal in the decisive Game 4. Martin Jones continued to be stellar for the Sharks just one game after setting the franchise playoff record with 45 saves in Game 3, as he finished the series with a save percentage of .970. This dominant series is the Sharks' second series sweep in team history, as they also did so against the Vancouver Canucks in 2013. They will battle the only other team with a first-round sweep in the remarkable Golden Knights in the second round.
LeBron Takes Over, Cavs Avenge Game 1
The worries came in waves following Game 1 for the Cleveland Cavaliers after they were taken down with ease by the Indiana Pacers on their home floor. LeBron James did his best to single-handily calm all the Cavs' faithful down by leading his team to a 100-97 win over the Pacers in Game 2, evening the series at one-apiece. James finished with 46 points and 12 rebounds, powered by a 20-point first quarter that got his team out to a great start. After surrendering 33 points in the first quarter and trailing by 12 at halftime, the Pacers played well enough in the second half to keep things close down the stretch. James would sink some game-sealing free throws in the final seconds, this after scoring the game's first 16 points and putting up 29 in the first half alone. Victor Oladipo, coming off his 32-point Game 1, finished with 22 points for the Pacers, but missed a potential game-tying, wide-open three-pointer with 27 seconds left. Myles Turner added 18 for Indiana, who trailed by as many as 18 on the night. Kevin Love helped build that lead with 15 points, but missed the final 3:43 of the game after jamming the thumb he injured in Game 1. Head coach Tyronn Lue said that Love should be good to go for Game 3. The Pacers will host that third game of the series on Friday night.
Twins, Indians Play 16 Innings in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican baseball fans got a show, and a very long one at that on Wednesday night, as the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians battled for 16 innings. It was Ryan LaMarre's RBI single that scored Puerto Rico native Eddie Rosario to give the Twins a thrilling 2-1 victory. The game was held scoreless until the 15th inning, when both teams hit a solo home run for some offense. Edwin Encarnacion went deep to give the Indians the lead, but Miguel Sano came back to tie it with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half of the inning. The game lasted five hours and 13 minutes, ending at 12:23am, as the teams were a combined 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position until LaMarre's game-winner. What makes the story even better is that LaMarre was brought to San Juan, Puerto Rico has the Twins' 26th player, didn't come into the game until the 10th inning, and finished 3-for-4 on the night. The Indians used 23 players, as Josh Tomlin suffered his second loss in his first relief appearance since the 2016 season. The Twins used up eight of their pitchers, ending with Alan Busenitz, who earned his first victory of the year. The starters were phenomenal on both sides, including Jose Berrios striking out five, and Carlos Carrasco mowing down seven in shutout efforts. Both teams will return to the states this weekend, with the Twins visiting the Tampa Bay Rays and the Indians battling the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
