The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down Thursday’s NHL playoff game with the all-important television and live streaming information included.
• Check out the NHL Bubble Wrap for details on Wednesday’s playoff game.
• Bruce Cassidy is your 2019-20 Jack Adams Award winner. Julien BriseBois, Lou Lamoriello, and Jim Nill are your finalists for the NHL GM of the Year award.
THURSDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF GAME
Game 3: Golden Knights vs. Stars (Series tied 1-1) - 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream): After being shutout in Game 1, Vegas responded with a shutout win of their own in Game 2. Robin Lehner returned to goal and had 24 saves, while Paul Stastny, William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek scored all three goals in less than ten minutes in the second period for a 3-0 win.
The Stars scored with their first shot of the series less than three minutes into the first period of Game 1, but have not scored since. They are without a goal in the last 117:24 of play, taking 48 shots on goal during the drought. Dallas is 5-2 following a loss this postseason. They have only trailed a series once this postseason, going 2-1 down against Calgary in the First Round before winning three straight to take the series in six.
It was Lehner’s second straight shutout, and he has not allowed a goal in 131:44. Each of his last four wins have been shutouts. His four shutouts lead the league, while seven only five goaltenders in NHL history have had six more shutouts in a single postseason. Only seven goalies in history have recorded three straight shutouts in the postseason, with Ilya Bryzgalov (2006, Anaheim) the most recent to do so.
[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]
This is the first time in the modern era (since 1943-44) that each team has posted a shutout in the first two games of the Conference Finals or Semifinals. It is only the eighth time this has happened in any round of the postseason, and second time this year (Columbus-Toronto in Qualifying Round).
Only four playoff series have had three shutouts in the first three games, most recently in the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals, when the Islanders and Lightning opened their series with four straight shutouts.
This postseason, the first team to reach two wins in a series has a series record of 19-1.
[Full NHL Conference Finals schedule]
FRIDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Game 3: Islanders vs. Lightning (TB leads 2-0) - 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN (livestream)
