Sports
Five critical questions as puck drops on new NHL season
Jun 24, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) hoists the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The 2024-25 NHL season is underway and ahead of us is a wild ride until the Stanley Cup is claimed.
Between now and then, there will be all kinds of thrills, surprises and disappointments. As the campaign begins, here are five questions we’ll be tracking.
–Can the Edmonton Oilers take the final step?
The Connor McDavid-led Oilers came so close to completing a huge comeback in the Stanley Cup Final, reaching Game 7 after dropping the first three clashes to the Florida Panthers. That experience, combined with shrewd additions in forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, gives Edmonton every reason to believe its first Cup title since 1990 is possible.
The Oilers have their share of question marks, especially on defense, but it will be no surprise if McDavid, the league’s most dominant player, adds Cup champion to his resume.
–Can the Florida Panthers repeat?
Speaking of the Panthers, Florida paid a heavy price for the crown, with key defensemen Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson departing via free agency, along with forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Kevin Stenlund, Ryan Lomberg and Nick Cousins.
The Panthers have a pair of pending unrestricted free agents in Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett and a restricted free agent in Aaron Ekblad. That is an issue for later, but before then the Panthers have a golden shot to hoist the Cup again.
–Will Alex Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s record?
Ovechkin needs 42 goals to surpass Gretzky’s career goal-scoring mark of 894. Can he become the league’s all-time sniper this season? As great has he has been, it appears something of a long shot. Last season, Ovechkin managed only nine goals in the first 44 games before a second-half tear got him to 31.
Ovechkin, 39, has two seasons remaining on his contract and should take the mantle before retiring.
–Whose run of futility will end?
The Buffalo Sabres have missed the playoffs in a league-record 13 consecutive seasons. The Detroit Red Wings last reached the postseason in 2015-16 and the Ottawa Senators in 2016-17. Technically, the Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, reached the playoffs in 2020, but that was because of the expanded playoffs when the league started up following the COVID-19 stoppage. The franchise last made the playoffs during a full season in the 2011-12 campaign.
Can any of them reach the second season? All should be in the mix down to the wire, which is good news for the league. Not all will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but one or two making a giant leap could be in the cards.
–Which teams are due to step backward?
Every season, one or more clubs take a tumble. Unquestionably, somebody will. Here are our best bets.
The Vancouver Canucks claimed last season’s Pacific Division crown, but it will be a surprise if they repeat, especially with goaltender Thatcher Demko still battling a knee injury that knocked him out of the playoffs.
The Winnipeg Jets were atop the league in January last season, but the offseason was far from kind to their depth, at both forward and defense.
There are other teams who likely will not be able to replicate last season’s success, namely the regular-season champion New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, but don’t bank on either of them falling from the playoff picture.
The Jets and Canucks, however, are prime candidates to suffer the biggest drops in the standings.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA Picks Tuesday: Best Bets for Lynx, Fever and Aces
Jul 22, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) shoot the ball against Seattle Storm center Awa Fam (11) during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images The All-Star Break is done and it is time for the WNBA season to pick up where it left off. To that end, the league has given us a five-game slate today with plenty of great betting opportunities. Let’s talk about which ones are the WNBA Best Bets for the day.
There are several good ones, but the following are my top picks (odds via FanDuel):
Toronto Tempo vs. Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota hasn’t beaten a team by more than 15.5 points since June 17 (99-83 vs. Sparks). In the nine games they were double digit favorites, they covered in only three. So, why should we believe they’ll cover this spread tonight? There are several reasons:
Napheesa Collier is back and proved before the break she is ready to play. There may be some hiccups as the Lynx figures out how to keep everyone involved. But that shouldn’t be an issue against the team with one of the worst defenses in the league (92.3 ppg allowed).
My Pick: Lynx -15.5 at -110
Collier’s return should fix many of Minnesota’s recent issues. Big spreads warrant caution, but Toronto can’t match a healthy Lynx team. Minnesota beat Toronto by 28 on May 21. I don’t expect another beatdown, but the Lynx should cover.
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Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm
Indiana went into the All-Star Break absolutely rolling, averaging 105 points per game over the last five games while holding teams to 89.2 ppg. In the last five games leading up to the break, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell averaged nearly 50 combined points per game (49.4).
Does a struggling Seattle team stand a chance?
The Storm averaged around 90 ppg over the last five games prior to the Break. But there defense allowed an average of 96 ppg. But they did give Indiana a good fight the last time these two played (July 17, 110-107).
My Pick: Indiana -9.5 at -110
Clark is probable, while Malonga is questionable. If Malonga sits, Mitchell, Clark, and Boston should thrive inside. If she plays (or if Clark sits), it will be more challenging, but Indiana still should cover.
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Portland Fire vs. Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas should absolutely win this game. They have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, not to mention the WNBA’s best player in A’ja Wilson. With Wilson and the roster rested and ready to go, Portland will have its hands full just trying to keep up.
However, based on how both teams were playing prior to the break, Portland may be able to do just that. They lost five of their last eight before the break but went 7-1 ATS. Vegas went 3-3 before the Break outright but 2-4 ATS. Vegas won both prior meetings but went 1-1 ATS.
My Pick: Portland +11.5 at -110
If this was a single-digit spread, I’d probably go the other way. But with how both teams were playing before the break, I don’t see Vegas dominating this game. The Aces will win, but not by double digits.
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Sports
Cubs ride high-octane offense into rematch vs. Cardinals
Jul 27, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) is congratulated by third baseman Alex Bregman (3) after hitting a two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images The Chicago Cubs are playing like a team that could make some noise in the postseason, but manager Craig Counsell knows there still is work to be done.
The Cubs will look to build on their momentum when they continue a four-game series against the host St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Chicago pounded out 14 hits in a 7-3 win on Monday.
Alex Bregman and Nico Hoerner each homered and had four hits for Chicago, which has won 26 of its last 38 games and holds a 5 1/2-game lead as the first wild card in the National League.
The Cubs have 25 runs over their past three games, going 2-1.
“Look, I think we have shown that we can play at a high level,” Counsell said. “The best thing about a major league season is you can’t fake your record, man, over 162 games. It’s too many games. And so, I feel like the teams that get to October, they’ve earned it. And we’ve got a long way to go.”
St. Louis has lost eight of its last 10 games and is a 1 1/2 games behind the final NL wild-card spot. The Cardinals also are back at .500 for the first time since April 13, when they were 8-8.
Like the Cubs, St. Louis is expected to be active ahead of the trade deadline next Monday. Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said he has been connecting with his players to keep them focused amid any possible distractions.
“I just try to make sure we’re available to the guys that want to have a conversation to make sure that they’re in the right headspace,” Marmol said. “That’s basically it.”
The expected pitching matchup for Tuesday’s game will feature a pair of right-handers as the Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy (4-8, 3.07 ERA) faces Chicago’s Colin Rea (7-7, 4.85).
McGreevy, 26, allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings in a 10-6 home loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. He settled in after giving up a two-run homer to Tyler Locklear in the fourth inning.
“I think if I execute that pitch and I throw it a little farther down in the zone, it’s not a homer,” McGreevy said. “He might take it, he might hit a double down the line, but it’s not a two-run shot. But that’s just something you can learn from.”
Ian Happ is 4-for-8 against McGreevy, who is 1-1 with a 4.70 ERA in three career starts vs. the Cubs.
Chicago will counter with Rea, who allowed four runs over five innings in a 5-1 home loss to the Detroit Tigers last Wednesday.
Rea, 36, has given up 17 home runs in 105 2/3 innings this season, including a three-run blast by Hao-Yu Lee in the loss to Detroit.
“I just threw a get-me-over fastball, and he put a good swing on it,” Rea said. “With two outs there, you’ve got to be thinking a little bit better. Even though it’s 3-0 there, you’ve still got to make a better pitch.”
Lars Nootbaar is 4-for-13 (.308) against Rea, who is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in five career starts vs. St. Louis.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Orioles vs. Tigers Bet Picks: Best Predictions for Tuesday July 28
The Baltimore Orioles (52-55) and the Detroit Tigers (50-57) meet Tuesday for the second installment of a three-game set at Comerica Park in Detroit. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET, and it can be viewed or streamed on MLB.TV.
The Orioles opened the series with an 8-5 victory on Monday night, although RHP Kyle Bradish wasn’t particularly impressive (4.2 IP, 5 ER, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 K). It was a strong offensive showing for Baltimore, however, as the O’s swatted three home runs. 3B Coby Mayo had an impressive night at the dish, going 2 for 4 with his 14th home run, two runs scored and three RBI. SS Jackson Holliday collected for hits, including a double, while coming in to score twice.
The O’s were able to collect a total of 12 hits and four walks while striking out just three times against Tigers pitching enroute to the victory.
The Tigers bats were decent on Monday, posting 11 total hits, while All-Star SS Kevin McGonigle ended up 2 for 5 at the top of the order. RF Zach McKinstry and 1B Spencer Torkelson each were 2 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI, and McKinstry collected his third triple of the 2026 season. Torkelson’s RBI came in the form of a sacrifice fly.
On Tuesday night, the Orioles roll out RHP Dean Kremer (1-3. 5.08 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), while the Tigers counter with the red-hot RHP Troy Melton (5-1, 1.95 ERA, 0.95 WHIP).
Kremer’s numbers aren’t impressive, and on the road, he is even worse, going 0-2 with a 6.19 ERA in three starts across 16 IP, allowing 11 earned runs and 14 hits, although he does have 17 strikeouts, which is always a concern. Detroit likely will have a lot more whiffs Tuesday, but it should also be able to get to him early, and often.
Melton, on the other hand, has been a tremendous bump for the Tigers’ rotation. The former San Diego State Aztecs pitcher has lit it up in his first 10 starts of the season, posting a sub-2.00 ERA, while recording 55 strikeouts in his 60 frames. He has been slightly more hittable at Comerica Park than on the road, allowing seven of his eight homers in the Motor City. However, he has limited the damage on those shots, and he has a still impressive .196 opponent batting average and 1.02 WHIP across 27.1 IP in five outings in the D.
The Tigers are on a three-game skid, after it looked like they might be ready to climb back into the postseason chase in the American League. The offense has been a bit moribund lately, compiling just 22 runs in the past six games, or 3.7 runs per game (RPG).
For the Orioles, they’ve struggled to stack wins, alternating wins and losses in each of the past six games, going 3-4 in the past seven since a rare seven-game winning streak from July 9-19 on both sides of the All-Star break.
We’ll back the TIGERS (-144) as moderate favorite in Tuesday’s game, as they look to bounce back from the series-opening loss. The pitching scales are tipped in Detroit’s favor with Melton against Kremer.
And, while we had an Over result in the series opener, let’s go UNDER 9.5 (-120) in Game 2. That’s a big number with Melton on the bump, and the Under is 4-2 in the past six games for the O’s, while going 14-6 in the past 20 outings. The total has gone low at a 4-1-1 clip in the past six for Detroit, and 12-4-1 in the past 17 games, while cashing Under in each of the past six starts by Melton.
WNBA Picks Tuesday: Best Bets for Lynx, Fever and Aces
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