Event of the Day: Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals
Our event of the day is Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup finals between the St Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins at the Enterprise Center in St Louis. St Louis lead the series 3-2 and find themselves one win away from the first title in franchise history. Meanwhile Boston, eight years removed from their last title, face an uphill battle as they look to even the series. This a match you won’t want to miss. St Louis find themselves on the edge of history tonight. They have existed since 1967 and in that 52-year history, they have made it to three Stanley Cup finals and been swept on all three occasions. The last of those Stanley Cups was in 1970, where they lost to the Bruins. Now they are one win away from victory. The teams traded wins back and forth for the first three games of the series until the Blues’ physical style of play became too much for the Bruins and the Blues took games 4 and 5. Along with their physicality, St Louis have been aided by a fantastic rookie season from goalie Jordan Binnington. The Canadian went 24-5-1 with a .927 save percentage in the regular season. He has followed that up by starting all twenty-four of St Louis’ playoff games, going 15-9 and maintaining a .913 save percentage.
Within the playoffs, Binnington has had a number of standout performances. In Wednesday’s game 5, Binnington made 38 saves in a 2-1 victory. Also helping the Blues is a string of bad luck for Boston in the latter games of this Stanley Cup series. In game 4, a 4-2 St Louis win, Boston’s stalwart captain Zdeno Chára left the game bloodied after taking a puck to the jaw. In game 5, a missed call by the officials aided St Louis’s tight win. However, this is not unfamiliar territory for Boston. In the 2011 Stanley Cup, Boston’s last title, they found themselves behind in the series on multiple occasions. Despite this, they were able to rally and bring home a title in seven games. 8 years later, Boston find themselves with a mountain to climb again. St Louis look strong and have a generational talent tending goal, meaning that Boston is going to need to do something different in game 6 to even the series. With everything on the line, this is a match you won’t want to miss.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Women’s World Cup, where England face Scotland at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, France. The opening game for both sides sees the flashy talent of England go up against Scotland, who make their World Cup debut. Both sides are stacked with talent and with the bonus of a home nations rivalry, this is going to be an unmissable match. In the Cricket World Cup, India face Australia at The Oval. Both teams are unbeaten so far in the tournament, with Australia 2-0 while India are 1-0. Both teams are expected to go far in the tournament so this is a crucial match for both sides. The final of inaugural Nations League takes place between Portugal and the Netherlands at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. Both teams have bounced back from mediocre performances in 2018 to dominate this new European tournament. Each side won their semi-final 3-1 to reach tonight’s final. Be sure to catch the end of this exciting tournament. The men’s final of French Open takes place at Stade Roland Garros. Rafael Nadal looks to defend his title against Dominic Thiem. Nadal made the final after an unforgettable win over Roger Federal. Meanwhile, Thiem was able to hold their nerve and close out a win after their semi-final over Novak Djokovic was delayed due to poor weather. This is a final you won’t want to miss. The F1 Canadian Grand Prix takes place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. In the WNBA, the Chicago Sky host the Seattle Storm at the Wintrust Arena.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by NHL