EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday! I will leave the politics out today because A) This is sports website and B) everyone from Rich Eisen, the NBA Finalist and USA Soccer are still keeping the gun regulation fight going on. So my focus today will be on these specific sports topics. Here’s the slate: Rangers vs Lightning, NBA Finals, NL East Champion Mets.
Rangers vs Lightning
The NY Rangers have tried something different in their series against Tampa Bay. They have tried not digging themselves in a hole. It helps that they have home-ice advantage in this series as opposed to the previous two. So the Rangers won the first two games and at home and almost won game 3 in Florida. The Kid Line of Alex Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Kappo Kakko has been on fire, especially Chytil. Mika Zibanijed has also has been having a great series but the #1 star still goes to Igor. Igor Shesterkin has been fantastic. He’s the reason the Rangers got here and he is the key to them moving on. I don’t play hockey so I don’t know what it is like to have a great goalie on his game. Maybe Different Matt, Ben Whitney or Short Matt can comment. I know when I played soccer and I had faith in my fellow defenders and goalkeeper, I played a different game. I felt confident taking chances on 50/50 plays because I knew that even if I got it wrong and I was now 5 steps in the other direction, I could turnaround and there was rotated coverage. I knew when they gave a yell, it could be trusted and I didn’t hesitate to bomb forward if the chance came. Shesterkin gives the Rangers that, so they could pull this thing off. With the home team holding serve so far, it gives the Blueshirts a chance to win in 7, but a series only gets real when a home team losses a game. The Rangers were 1 minute into the third period before letting the Lightning tie and one minute before the end of the game and the Lightning scoring a winner. Game 4 is coming up the Broadway Blues can do it, they just need to increase the ice time of the Kid Line and Alexei Panarin’s line needs to step up a bit, that will be the difference.
NBA Finals
These Finals have been anti-climatic… In game 1 the Boston Celtics blew out Angry Ward’s Golden State Warriors, who are favored in this match-up. Then in Game 2, the Warriors blew out the Celtics. What does this mean? No one knows. I assume game 3 in Boston will be a close one but if its not, then fans will get restless. I think the Warriors will have to turn it up a notch and they seem the deeper and better team on paper. I say Warriors in 6, they will split the two games in Boston before the Warriors go on to put it away.
NL East Champion NY Mets
I was gonna write about the Phillies firing Joe Giradi… but then I came across an article in USA Today by Gabe Lacques. Apparently, based on where they sit in the NL East, their record, and lead their division rivals, that the Mets are gonna win the NL East. Here is the key bit of information that even blew my mind.
They are one of just seven teams since 1960 to forge a lead of at least 10 games by June 1, and all of those clubs won their divisions. Three of the previous six won 100 games. Two of them – most recently the 2017 Houston Astros – won the World Series.
So there you have it. The Mets will win the NL East. Bring on the Dodgers!
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below. Come back tomorrow for our Ben Whitney, who will have something to say about the Yankees or maybe tell us what it is like to play with an in-form goalie.
