The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down all of Monday’s NHL playoff games with the all-important television and live streaming information included.
• Check out NHL Bubble Wrap for the details on Sunday’s three playoff games.
• While he didn’t play, it was great to see Oskar Lindblom take warmups with the Flyers before Game 4.
MONDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF GAMES
Game 5: Bruins vs. Lightning (TB leads 3-1) - 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream): After thumping the Bruins 7-1 in Game 3, the Lightning picked up right where they left off in Game 4 of this Second Round series. Ondrej Palat tallied two goals and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves to give the Bolts a 3-1 win and a 3-1 series lead over Boston.
Boston has never won a series after trailing 3-1 (0-24 all-time), while Tampa has never lost a series when leading 3-1 (7-0 all-time)
The Bruins are on the cusp of becoming the latest club to win the Presidents’ Trophy in the regular season and fall short in the playoffs. No Presidents’ Trophy winner has won the Stanley Cup since the Blackhawks in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season. The last team to pull off the feat in a full season was the 2007-08 Red Wings.
Between the pipes, Andrei Vasilevskiy has held up his end of the bargain. After struggling in last spring’s stunning First Round loss at the hands of the Blue Jackets, the 26-year-old netminder has won 9 of 12 starts this postseason with a .927 save percentage and 1.98 GAA. He’s seen plenty of rubber too – his 344 saves are 2nd-most in these playoffs.
[Full Second Round schedule]
Game 5: Stars vs. Avalanche (DAL leads 3-1) - 9:45 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream): The Stars jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 11 minutes of Game 4 and kept the Avalanche at bay to win 5-4. Dallas is now a win away from their first trip to the Western Conference Final since 2008.
How prolific has the Stars’ offense been of late? During the regular season they scored five-plus goals in a game five times. Through 13 postseason games they’ve scored five or more goals six times, including four times in their last five games.
Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen continued his stellar play with an assist to record his 16th point of the playoffs. That helper allowed him to set the franchise record for most points in a single playoff by a defenseman.
The one positive for the Avs was Nathan MacKinnon extended his franchise record playoff point streak to 12 games. The last NHL player to start the playoffs with a similar streak was Red Wings forward Johan Franzen in 2010.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
TUESDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 5: Islanders vs. Flyers (NYI lead 3-1) - 7 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)
Game 5: Canucks vs. Golden Knights (VGK leads 3-1) - 9:45 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)
