Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault was critical of his star players after they failed to pack any offensive punch in a Game 3 loss against the New York Islanders.

"We need to be a lot better than we were tonight, especially our top-end guys," Vigneault said, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

After jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, the Flyers took their foot off the gas and fell into the Islanders' stout defensive trap. Philly only produced eight high-danger chances and 1.59 expected goals at five-on-five in the eventual 3-1 defeat, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Vigneault was particularly displeased with how Leo Komarov's second-period game-winner transpired.

"It was 1-1, 25 seconds left in the period, faceoff in the offensive zone - I put my top players on the ice ... and to give up that late goal, you just can't do that at this time of the year," he said, per Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

The Flyers have struggled offensively the entire series and were shut out in Game 1. Much of the blame is falling on their big guns, as star forwards Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek combined for just four points in the three contests.

For Giroux, the playoff drought extends well beyond this series. He's collected just one goal and nine assists over his last 25 postseason games. The captain hopes he and his teammates can reverse their fortunes.

"Guys are frustrated," Giroux said, according to Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "We've got to take that frustration and bring it as energy."

The Flyers boasted the league's seventh-most prolific offense in the regular season, and they'll need to rediscover their old form quickly, as they trail the series 2-1 heading into a critical Game 4 on Sunday night.

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Nathan MacKinnon is disappointed that his Colorado Avalanche suited up Wednesday night while other athletes and major sports clubs decided not to play in protest against the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I guess we were a day late," MacKinnon said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "It's unfortunate, but we're doing our best to make up for it. We postponed two days of NHL hockey. That's a big deal, making a statement. If you ask any player, they'll relay the same message. It was a little weird to see on social media all game day of teams postponing, but there were already (NHL) games going on. We didn't know what to do. Looking back, probably should have postponed that day, but we're doing our best now."

The Avalanche took on the Dallas Stars at 10:30 p.m. ET in the NHL's third Wednesday game. Several hours before puck drop, NBA, WNBA, MLS, and some MLB games were postponed.

MacKinnon spoke to teammates Nazem Kadri and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who are both people of color, about his desire to reach out to activists in Denver to determine how the team can combat systemic racism and police brutality.

The 24-year-old MVP candidate added that he spoke to his Black friends back home in Nova Scotia to try to understand how he can use his platform to help.

"Just trying to figure out things to help in a positive way," MacKinnon said. "I'm a white person, I don't know what people are going through and I'm not going to act like it. That's why you have to ask questions and learn and figure out how you can help (make an) impact."

After playing Wednesday's contests, players banded together Thursday and requested the NHL postpone games through Friday, which the league granted.

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Boston Bruins forward Nick Ritchie was handed a five-minute major for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Yanni Gourde during the second period of Game 4 on Saturday.

Gourde remained on the ice for several moments before heading to the dressing room under his own power. The 28-year-old returned for the start of the third period.

Victor Hedman capitalized on the ensuing five-minute power play to extend the Lightning lead. Tampa Bay went on to win 3-1.

Ritchie answered the bell when challenged, dropping his mitts with Gourde's linemate Barclay Goodrow minutes into the third frame.

Following the contest, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy voiced his opinion on the play.

"Good player. Clever player, obviously," Cassidy said, according to Boston Hockey Now's Jimmy Murphy. "Got them on the power play for five minutes. Finished the game with no problems."

Ritchie, who led all players with 12 penalty minutes in the contest, said he was just trying to impose his physicality and didn't mean to injure Gourde.

"I had no intent to put a guy on the ice and injure anybody ... I'm just playing my game. That's part of it," he said, according to NHL.com's Wes Crosby.

The Lightning now own a 3-1 series lead and can advance to the Eastern Conference Final with a win Monday in Game 5.

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Ondrej Palat scored twice and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves as the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 in Game 4 of their second-round matchup Saturday.

The Lightning secured a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, moving within one victory of advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the fourth time in the last six years.

Tampa Bay won again without captain Steven Stamkos and workhorse defenseman Ryan McDonagh, who remain out due to injuries. Stamkos hasn't played since Feb. 25, and McDonagh has missed the last three contests.

Game 5 is scheduled for Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

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Alain Vigneault is owning up to his ignorance.

The Philadelphia Flyers head coach acknowledged Saturday that he made a mistake Thursday by not being informed about player walkouts and league postponements, which were initiated in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

"I never bothered to ask or checked with anyone (about) what was going on in the world, or the NBA. I am guilty of that," Vigneault told reporters in a prepared statement Saturday. "I was totally focused on our next game. Like I said at the 12 o'clock press conference (Thursday), I am for equality, and I am for social justice.

"I want to be part of the solution, I want to help society in any way I can."

Vigneault explained that he was occupied by meetings, a COVID-19 test, and other work in his hotel room on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning after the Flyers defeated the New York Islanders to even their second-round series.

After speaking to the media and having his pregame meal Thursday, Vigneault said he saw players from the four remaining Eastern Conference teams talking amongst themselves, which gave him an inkling that "something was going on." One of Philadelphia's players texted Vigneault telling him they were not going to play that night.

Vigneault thanked those who supported him since his previous comments, adding that he hopes they stay safe, while sending a message to those who criticized him.

"To all of the people in the last 48 hours who have questioned my honesty, my integrity, and my social commitment, I want to say, you also stay safe," he said.

On Thursday, Vigneault said he's been focusing exclusively on hockey since the Flyers eliminated the Montreal Canadiens, adding that he really had "no idea what's going on in the outside world."

Several hours after Vigneault's remarks Thursday, the NHL postponed its games through Friday at the request of the players and in conjunction with the Hockey Diversity Alliance.

On Wednesday, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks started the movement by refusing to play that evening. The team's statement forced the league to delay its games through Friday, and several MLB teams ultimately did the same before the NHL followed suit one day later.

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Athletes from across sports have taken to social media following the death of Chadwick Boseman. The 43-year-old, who starred as Jackie Robinson in "42" and the Marvel blockbuster "Black Panther," died on Friday following a four-year battle with colon cancer.

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The NHL picks up again on Saturday with a three-game slate following a two-day hiatus. On the last night of hockey we split our picks once again, hitting the Lightning moneyline, but losing with the under.

Staying away from unders here, let's get the 2-0.

Philadelphia Flyers (-110) @ New York Islanders (-110)

Not to diminish the point of the two-day pause by using it to cap games, but the fact of the matter is the couple of days off halted any momentum the Flyers built up in Game 2. And the Islanders are feeling it right now: despite losing the last game in overtime, they sure didn't make it easy, tying the game after falling into a 3-0 hole in the first period.

It's got to be a daunting feeling playing against New York right now. When they get up a couple goals it's essentially game over, and when they fall behind by a few they still find a way back. You just can't kill this team off.

In the Game 1 win, the Isles controlled 59.62% of the expected goal share, and they controlled 59.85% of the share in Game 2 despite the loss. This team is just playing better in every area right now - including in goal where Semyon Varlamov has an absurd .954 save percentage at five-on-five since the restart - and there's no conceivable logic to truly justify taking the Flyers in a pick'em.

Pick: Islanders (-110)

Vegas Golden Knights (-200) @ Vancouver Canucks (+170)

No matter what you throw at them, these Canucks won't go down easy. They survived another onslaught in Game 2 to even the series, this time getting the goaltending they've become accustomed to from Jacob Markstrom. Timely scoring - which has been a theme for the Canucks in these playoffs - played a key role in the win, but against a team like the Knights, who are stronger and deeper, it's hard to consistently rely on that.

Over a seven-game series the cream usually rises to the top, and while the Canucks did well to steal Game 2, it won't be a common theme. Vegas dominated the expected goals share outside of the first period of Tuesday's loss, and frankly that should come as little surprise.

Expect a spirited response from the Knights here following the loss. They were caught a bit flat out of the gate in Game 2 after a dominating display in Game 1, but that won't be the case here as they strike first and set the tone for another convincing win.

Pick: Knights -1.5 (+140)

(Odds source: theScore Bet)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.

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