The Daily Sweat: Panthers try to make the Stanley Cup Final competitive

The Florida Panthers are in a bad situation in the Stanley Cup Final. They don't want to make it impossible by losing on Thursday night.

The Panthers trail the Vegas Golden Knights 2-0 in the championship series. Teams up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final are 48-5 when it comes to closing the series.

And by now we all know about the history of teams trailing 3-0 in best-of-seven series across all sports.

The Panthers hope to avoid that treacherous hole and keep the Stanley Cup Final alive with a win in Game 3. The Panthers are a -120 favorite at BetMGM. However, it's hard to get a read on what happens next in the series.

The Panthers have proven to be capable, and they don't mind a deep hole in a series. They came back from 3-1 down to the top-seeded Boston Bruins in the first round. But the Golden Knights looked really good in taking a 2-0 lead, at least over the last four periods.

Game 1 was competitive through two periods. Vegas broke open a 2-2 tie and won 5-2 but it was a close game. Game 2 wasn't close. Vegas destroyed the Panthers in a 7-2 win. The Golden Knights dominated the game from beginning to end.

Maybe that's good news for those who want to back the Panthers. They're a good team that just got embarrassed. They're coming home for Game 3. And they have all the urgency. A loss doesn't end their season, but we all know the odds against a comeback from a 3-0 deficit.

This was supposed to be a fun, competitive Stanley Cup Final. It still might turn into that. But that depends on what happens Thursday night.

Here's a first look at the sports betting slate for Thursday:

Reds try to stay hot in MLB

The Cincinnati Reds have some life. They had a second straight walkoff win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. New rookie infielder Elly De La Cruz, who debuted this week, already looks like one of the most exciting players in baseball. He hit a 458-foot home run, his first in the majors, on Wednesday.

The Reds are a +185 underdog on Thursday and it's hard to see them sweeping the Dodgers, but De La Cruz has given them a spark. Maybe that lasts for a few weeks.

Rest of MLB

There are 12 games total in MLB on Thursday, six of which come in the afternoon. That includes a Chicago White Sox-New York Yankees doubleheader, with a makeup game from Wednesday night's postponement due to air quality. The Yankees are -175 favorites in the first game and -135 in the second.

What's the best bet?

Let's go with the Panthers. Taking the desperate team in an evenly matched series is never going to be a bad idea, and add on the fact that the Panthers are coming off being embarrassed. If nothing else, you're likely getting the best effort the Panthers have to offer on Thursday night.