As we approach the sporting realm’s dog days of summer, in which major sports league options are reduced to the daily MLB and WNBA slates, it appears we could be treated to a pair of classics in the remaining team-sport championships.
The Stanley Cup Final made its debut Wednesday, and the rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers delivered another memorable showdown. Now, the Oilers will look to build on their early momentum when they host Game 2 on Friday night. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place. The Oilers are -115 favorites (risk $115 to win $100), while the Panthers fetch a price of -105 in the current NHL odds.
The NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, widely viewed as a ho-hum pairing by countless basketball observers, delivered an absolute classic in Game 1 as the historically resilient Pacers rallied from another double-digit deficit to win 111-110 on a Tyrese Halliburton jumper just before the final buzzer (see more on the NBA Finals below).
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, June 6:
NHL Stanley Cup Final Finals Game 2: Panthers at Oilers
Leon Draisaitl bookended the scoring for Edmonton in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, netting his second goal with 31 seconds left in overtime to give the Oilers a 4-3 victory as they erased a two-goal deficit. Last year, Edmonton memorably fell behind 3-0 before rallying to force a Game 7 that the Panthers won 2-1 to claim the championship in dramatic fashion.
Florida will try to even the series on Friday. The SportsLine Projection Model sees the Panthers coming out on top at least 53% of the time amid a 10,000-game simulation, resulting in a B-rated pick on Florida.
MLB best bets, game to watch on Friday
Red Sox at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET (MLB Network)
The last time the Yankees saw Walker Buehler, the veteran right-hander was in Dodgers blue and helping the club seal a World Series victory over New York. Now he’s wearing the uniform of the AL East rival Red Sox, but his recent results indicated a downturn. Beuhler has given up 14 hits, seven earned runs and three homers while losing his past two decisions following three consecutive victories.
The Yankees enter this three-game home weekend series having won eight of their past 11 and look to keep their hot streak going behind right-hander Will Warren (3-3, 5.19 ERA). He gave up a season-high seven earned runs in his last appearance, an 18-2 loss to the Dodgers.
More MLB best bets
WNBA best bets, game to watch on Friday
Dream at Sun, 7:30 p.m. ET (ION)
WNBA expert Max Meyer says he’s been impressed with what first-year Dream coach Karl Smesko has accomplished thus far. Meyer noted the analytics-heavy coach has game-planned to the team’s strengths, and notes that the expected return Friday of point guard Jordin Canada should give the team some needed floor balance and increased depth.
Looking ahead
NBA Finals Game 2: Pacers at Thunder (8 p.m. ET Sunday)
The SportsLine Projection Model sees a major bounce-back effort from the snake-bitten Thunder in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The model sees the Thunder covering the number at least 65% of the time, providing a massive value against the sportsbook odds. The model reports a flood of early money on the underdog Pacers, but is a predicting a 120-102 score in a proverbial zig-zag spot (an ATS result opposite of that in Game 1) for the Thunder.
