Sports
NHL Playoff Bracket 2020: Updated Stanley Cup Dates, Live Stream and Schedule
John Minchillo/Associated PressIf you thought the New York Islanders were done being the surprise team of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after upsetting the Washington Capitals in the first round, think again. Because it appears the Islanders may just be getting started this postseason.On Monday night, New York opened its second-round series against the top-seeded Philadelphia…
John Minchillo/Associated Press
If you thought the New York Islanders were done being the surprise team of the Stanley Cup Playoffs after upsetting the Washington Capitals in the first round, think again. Because it appears the Islanders may just be getting started this postseason.
On Monday night, New York opened its second-round series against the top-seeded Philadelphia Flyers with a 4-0 win in Game 1. The Islanders scored a trio of third-period goals while goaltender Semyon Varlamov led the shutout with 29 saves.
Now, each of the four second-round series has gotten underway. In Monday's other contest, the Dallas Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 to take a 2-0 series lead.
All second-round games can be streamed at NBC Sports Live. Here's a look at the full upcoming schedule, followed by a preview of Tuesday's two matchups.
2nd-Round Series Schedule
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Game 1: New York won 4-0
Game 2: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 3 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Thursday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 4: Saturday, Aug. 29, 12 p.m. ET, NBC
Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, Aug. 31
Game 6 (if necessary): Wednesday, Sept. 2
Game 7 (if necessary): Thursday, Sept. 3
No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 4 Boston Bruins
Game 1: Boston won 3-2
Game 2: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 4: Friday, Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 5 (if necessary): Sunday, Aug. 30
Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, Sept. 1
Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, Sept. 2
Western Conference
No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 5 Vancouver Canucks
Game 1: Vegas won 5-0
Game 2: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 9:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Thursday, Aug. 27, 9:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 4: Saturday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 5 (if necessary): Monday, Aug. 31
Game 6 (if necessary): Tuesday, Sept. 1
Game 7 (if necessary): Thursday, Sept. 3
No. 2 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 3 Dallas Stars
Game 1: Dallas won 5-3
Game 2: Dallas won 5-2
Game 3: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 4: Friday, Aug. 28, 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 5 (if necessary): Sunday, Aug. 30
Game 6 (if necessary): Monday, Aug. 31
Game 7 (if necessary): Wednesday, Sept. 2
Tuesday Preview
Can Tampa Bay Respond in Game 2?
It took the Lightning a while to get going in Sunday night's Game 1, but when they did, they made it a close game against the Bruins. Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman scored a pair of goals in the final 11 minutes, 10 seconds of the game, but Boston held on for a 3-2 victory to take a 1-0 series lead.
And the Lightning realized they need to start faster against a team like the Bruins, who scored the first three goals of the game (one in each period) while relying on a strong performance from goaltender Jaroslav Halak (35 saves).
“I thought it was pretty sloppy, the way we started,” Tampa Bay center Tyler Johnson said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. “It got better as the game went on, but I still think overall we were a lot sloppier than we normally are. We've got to make a few more plays tape-to-tape, not rush things like we were.”
This is the first deficit that the Lightning have faced this postseason. They split the first two games of their first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, then won three straight to advance. Meanwhile, the Bruins got off to a slow start in the playoffs (four losses in their first five games), but they've now won four straight.
If Tampa Bay doesn't correct its issues from Game 1 (such as its slow offensive start), it could quickly fall into a bigger hole. Game 2 is set for Tuesday, followed by Game 3 on Wednesday, and Boston is entering the back-to-back matchups with momentum.
The last time the Bruins and Lightning met in the postseason was the second round of the 2018 playoffs. In that series, Boston took a 1-0 lead before Tampa Bay won four straight games to win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bruins will be looking to avoid having that happen again this time as they look to make it to the conference finals for the second straight year.
Will Golden Knights Roll to Another Series Win?
Despite four days off after the opening round, the Golden Knights picked up right where they left off Sunday night. They cruised to a 5-0 win in Game 1 against the Canucks, improving to 8-1 this postseason. Vegas' only loss so far came in Game 4 against the Chicago Blackhawks, after it had already built a 3-0 lead.
Not only did the Golden Knights continue to be an offensive force (scoring at least four goals for the seventh time in eight postseason wins), but they had their first shutout of the postseason, with goaltender Robin Lehner collecting 26 saves. However, they're not overlooking the Canucks, who upset the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues in the opening round.
“It’s one win. We did a lot of good things, but we know there’s going to be a response here,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “Sometimes you’re better losing 5-nothing than 2-1, and I’m sure we’re going to see their best game and we have to be prepared for that.”
Perhaps Vancouver could answer in Game 2. Its offense has played well throughout the postseason, which included scoring 10 total goals over its final two victories against St. Louis, so if it can break through against Vegas early, perhaps it could play more like it did in the first round.
However, the Canucks have struggled against the Golden Knights, who entered the league in the 2017-18 season. Vegas is 8-0-2 in regular-season matchups against Vancouver, making its Game 1 victory its ninth win in 11 meetings between the two teams.
One key to whether or not the Canucks can make this a competitive series could be the play of goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who has started all 11 games this postseason. He had a .926 save percentage and nine goals allowed in Vancouver's four-game qualifying-round series against the Minnesota Wild, then had a .930 save percentage and 16 goals allowed in the six games against St. Louis.
Markstrom should play better than he did in Game 1 against the Golden Knights, which could allow the Canucks' offense to get started and play a closer game.
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