Event of the Day: Vegas Golden Knights versus Los Angeles Kings
Our event of the day comes from the NHL as the Los Angeles Kings meet the Vegas Golden Knights in Game One of a Round One matchup of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This match marks a meteoric rise for the Vegas Golden Knights who finished top of the Pacific Division (51-24-7) in their first season in the NHL. After such a strong regular season, and having surprised so many by making it this far, the Golden Knights will be in high spirits and feeling confident heading into this series, especially with home-ice advantage.
The LA Kings meanwhile, haven’t had as strong a season as their opponents, but claimed the first wild card place into the playoffs from the Western Conference (45-29-8) and have been here before winning the Stanley Cup in both 2012 and 2014. The fact that the Kings split the four regular season games with the Golden Knights makes this series even harder to predict. The Kings will rely on their league leading defensive record to overcome their opponents whilst the Golden Knights have so far stood out for being a strong offensive team, with six players scoring at least 20 goals in the regular season. Key men throughout the series are likely to be William Karlsson, who has scored 43 and made 35 goal assists for the Golden Knights and Kings captain Anže Kopitar, who has scored 35 goals and made 57 assists for a career high 92 offensive points. The LA Kings history as a force in the NHL and the record debut season the Vegas Golden Knights have produced make this an intriguing playoff matchup.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the UEFA Champions League second leg match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Bayern Munich head into this fixture as favourites as they hold a 2-1 lead after their victory over the Spaniards last week. Also in the Champions League, Real Madrid face Juventus at the Santiago Bernabéu whilst in the EFL Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers play Derby County. In the MLS, New York City FC host Real Salt Lake. The NBA concludes its regular season with the Minnesota Timberwolves facing the Denver Nuggets in a playoff place decider while the New Orleans Pelicans play the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat take on the Toronto Raptors, the Portland Trail Blazers clash with the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers face off with the Milwaukee Bucks. The 2018 Commonwealth Games continue on the Gold Coast in Australia. The 6th match of this year’s IPL sees the Rajasthan Royals play the Delhi Daredevils and in MLB, the Boston Red Sox play the New York Yankees.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by NHL