The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down all of the NHL playoff games Saturday with the all-important television and live streaming information included.
• NHL players decided not to play games Thursday and Friday in solidarity with other professional athletes protests across the NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
• Here is the updated NHL schedule for the rest of the Second Round.
NHL PLAYOFF GAMES SATURDAY
Game 4: Lightning vs. Bruins (TBL leads 2-1) – 12 p.m. ET, NBC - livestream: The best offense during the regular season finally broke out as the Lightning put up their most goals since January to take the lead in this series. Tampa won both games of a back-to-back, scoring four-plus goals in each.
Nikita Kucherov finished Game 3 by tying a franchise record for points (4) in a playoff game – previously accomplished by two of his teammates (Brayden Point in 2018, Tyler Johnson in 2016) and initially done by Vincent Lecavalier in 2011.
Jaroslav Halak won his first four starts in the elimination rounds, winning Games 3-5 in the First Round to eliminate Carolina and then winning Game 1 of this series. Halak allowed seven goals in those four games total but let in four goals in both Game 2 and Game 3. After Tampa’s fourth went in in Game 3, Halak was pulled and Dan Vladar played the rest of the game – letting in three more goals on 15 shots faced in his first-ever NHL appearance.
Game 3: Flyers vs. Islanders (Series tied 1-1) - 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN - livestream: The Flyers blew a two-goal third-period lead, but Philippe Myers scored 2:41 into overtime for Philadelphia to even the series. Philly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period behind back-to-back goals from Kevin Hayes and then Sean Couturier’s first of this postseason. Trailing by two with under nine minutes to go in regulation, Anthony Beauvillier cut the deficit in half with his seventh of these playoffs, followed by trade deadline acquisition Jean-Gabriel Pageau tying the game with 2:09 remaining.
Philadelphia improved to 8-0 when scoring first this postseason (0-3 when allowing opening goal). The Flyers have not lost consecutive games since a four-game skid Dec. 31-Jan. 7, 2020.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
Game 3: Canucks vs. Golden Knights (Series tied 1-1) - 9:45 p.m. ET, NBCSN - livestream: After missing 10 games due to injury, Tyler Toffoli returned to the lineup in Game 2 and scored 89 seconds into the game (and just nine seconds into his first shift). Vancouver jumped out to a 2-0 lead and finished Vegas off during a 5-2 win to even up the series.
Vegas lost for just the second time this postseason (but for the second time in the last four games).
Bo Horvat scored twice to jump Joe Pavelski and Nathan MacKinnon for most goals this postseason with eight. This was the third time this postseason that Horvat scored twice in a game . Only two other Canucks franchise history have scored multiple goals three or more times in a single postseason: Pavel Bure (five times in 1994) and Cliff Ronning (four times in 1992).
Two nights after Robin Lehner recorded his first career postseason shutout, he allowed four goals on 26 shots. Peter DeBoer has not indicated who will start Game 3, though prior to the postseason he said he would use both Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury.
SUNDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 4: Avalanche vs. Stars (DAL leads 2-1) - 6 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream)
Game 4: Flyers vs. Islanders (Series tied 1-1) - 8 p.m. ET, NBC (livestream)
Game 4: Canucks vs. Golden Knights (Series tied 1-1) - 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream)
