Panthers topple Oilers to take 2-1 lead in Stanley Cup Final; U.S. Open preview; NFL minicamp news

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Good morning to all but especially to …

THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

In a fiery Game 3, only one team brought the firepower to the scoring column. The Panthers pounded the Oilers 6-1 to take a 2-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final.

• Game 2 hero Brad Marchand opened the scoring 56 seconds in, and Carter Verhaeghe‘s power play snipe made it 2-0 in the first period.
• Corey Perry grabbed a power play tally for Edmonton, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. Sam Reinhart scored 80 seconds later, and Sam Bennett made it 4-1 a few minutes later. Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues scored power play goals in the third period.
• This is Florida’s fourth win by 5+ goals this postseason alone, tied for second-most in a single playoff run in NHL history.
• The Oilers took 85 minutes’ worth of penalties, tied for third-most ever in a Stanley Cup Final game. It was also the first game this postseason in which neither Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl had a point.

This was Florida at its best, flying around, taking advantage of mistakes and overwhelming Edmonton in every facet, Austin Nivison writes.

• Nivison: “In Games 1 and 2, that depth edge was largely negated because Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were superhuman. On Monday, however, those two were much quieter, which allowed the Panthers’ depth to shine. Six different Panthers found the back of the net, and 12 different players recorded at least one point. That’s just what happens when players like Anton Lundell and Brad Marchand are on the third line.”

😁 Honorable mentions

😕 Not so honorable mentions

⛳ U.S. Open preview: storylines, sleepers, rooting guide

We’re inside 48 hours until the toughest test in golf starts at arguably the hardest golf course in the world. Oakmont Country Club, home of the famed “church pew” bunkers, a nearly 300-yard par 3 and ankle-high rough that makes golf balls disappear, is set to host the 125th U.S. Open.

There’s likely no one better equipped to deal with it than Scottie Scheffler, who’s won three of his last four starts, including the PGA Championship. He leads Patrick McDonald’s storylines.

• McDonald: “Scheffler is the best he has ever been. … The Texan entered last year’s U.S. Open as the prohibitive favorite but struggled fresh off a grueling week at Muirfield Village. Now with one week’s of rest in his corner, Scheffler can prepare how he wants at a golf course that has far more similarities to Jack’s Place than Pinehurst No. 2 did.”

Scheffler is the clear favorite (odds here), but when looking for sleepers, Robby Kalland asks, “Why not go with the hottest player on the planet not named Scottie Scheffler?”

• Kalland: “Ben Griffin (55-1): Griffin has finished T8, 1st and 2nd in his last three events (PGA Championship, Charles Schwab Challenge, the Memorial), and it’s his performance at the Memorial that impressed most. That was an incredibly difficult golf course, and he showed an ability to score low (65 on Thursday) and not make catastrophic mistakes to stay in contention throughout the weekend. It didn’t result in a win as ultimately Scheffler passed him, but in terms of value, hard to beat 55-1 on a guy in this kind of form who has been doing it in big time events.”

And then there’s the reigning champion. Bryson DeChambeau won in dramatic fashion at Pinehurst No. 2 last year — his second U.S. Open triumph — and has finished in the top six in each of the last five majors in the United States. He leads Robby’s players to cheer for.

Here’s more:

⚾ Roman Anthony makes long-awaited debut: What can he bring Red Sox?

It wasn’t exactly the debut he envisioned, but the Roman Anthony era has finally started in Boston. The top prospect in the game got called up Monday and made his debut hours later, going 0 for 4 with a walk and an RBI and committing an error in a 10-8 Red Sox loss to the Rays.

The 21-year-old crushed Triple A to the tune of a .288/.423/.491 slash line with 10 home runs and nearly as many walks (51) as strikeouts (56) this season and hit a 497-foot grand slam over the weekend. Yes, that’s nearly 500 feet of destroyed baseball. R.J. Anderson explains why Anthony is so highly regarded.

• Anderson: “When Anthony hits the ball hard — and mind you, he cleared 95 mph on 58% of his batted balls — he has an average launch angle of 9.4 degrees. In other words, that means his best contact comes on a line-drive trajectory, which bodes well for his chances of hitting for average in addition to threatening 30-plus home runs every season. Some players with similar marks in the majors include Fernando Tatis Jr., Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero. … In addition to Anthony’s impressive feel for loud contact, he employs a very patient approach that should enable him to work counts and draw walks.”

Here is the Fantasy Baseball impact of Anthony’s promotion.

🏈 Biggest storylines for mandatory NFL minicamps

Three-quarters of NFL teams open mandatory minicamp today. While it’s “mandatory” in that players can be fined for missing these practices, there will be some notable absences (though the Cowboys got good news regarding two notable names, and Kirk Cousins is expected to attend for Atlanta).

This also represents the last time these teams will practice until training camp, which is about a month and a half from now. It’s a great time to start laying a strong foundation for the summer, the fall and, teams hope, the winter.

Garrett Podell has biggest minicamp storylines and players to watch for every NFC team, and the 49ers are looking for a team-wide rebound that likely begins with their biggest star.

• Podell: “Biggest camp storyline: How star running back Christian McCaffrey looks — In 2024, McCaffrey played four games while dealing with bilateral Achilles tendonitis and a PCL injury in his knee, and the 49ers went 6-11. Those 11 losses were tied for second by a team in the season after a Super Bowl loss ever. How much the soon-to-be 29-year-old running back participates in mandatory minicamp and how he looks will be something to watch.”

Switching over to the AFC, Aaron Rodgers has dominated the offseason talk despite not being on a team until last week. Tyler Sullivan wonders how Rodgers will look in his first practices with the Steelers.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚾ Yankees at Royals, 7:40 p.m. on TBS
⚽ USMNT vs. Switzerland, 8 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Sky at Liberty, 8 p.m. on ESPN

This news was originally published on this post .

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