Perhaps, after all, the Vegas Golden Knights wouldn’t facilitate the win in the Stanley Cup final. On Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks proved they can be a worthy contender in the second-round series between the two teams.
After leaving the first game, the Canucks recovered with a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 2. Vegas, which won 8 of their first postseason games.
It wasn’t the only thrilling action in the Stanley Cup playoffs on Tuesday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning also tied their opposing streak to the Boston Bruins in 1-1, while Ondrej Palat scored the purpose of winning the game to lead them to a 4-3 victory.
Here’s a look at the upcoming playoff schedule before the weekend, followed by a preview of Wednesday’s 3 showdowns.
Next calendar
Wednesday, August 26
Game 2: New York Islanders at No. 1 Philadelphia Flyers, 3 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins No. 4, p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Colorado Avalanche No. 2 to Dallas Stars No. 3, 10:30 PM ET, NBC Sports Network
Thursday, August 27
Game 3: Philadelphia Flyers No. 1 to New York Islanders No. 6, 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Vegas Golden Knights No. 1 to Vancouver Canucks No. 5, 9:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Friday, August 28
Game 4: No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins No. 4, 7:30 p.m. ET, U.S. Network
Game 4: Colorado Avalanche No. 2 against Dallas Stars No. 3, 10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, August 29
Game 4: Philadelphia Flyers No. 1 to New York Islanders No. 6, ET, NBC
Game 4: No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights at No. Five Vancouver Canucks, NBC Sports Network
The full schedule of the second round will be available in NHL.com. All games can be streamed on NBC Sports Live.
Wednesday’s Tales
The fliers look to recover after dropping the first game
Although Philadelphia is the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and has played well so far in the playoffs, it has not had a smart start in the first game of its second-round series against New York. Behind a 29-stop functionality through Semyon Varlamov, the Islanders bleached the Flyers 4-0.
In the first round, New York won its first three games against the Washington Capitals and won five games of the series. If Philadelphia needs the same luck, it would possibly have to find a way to generate an attack at the beginning of game 2.
“Our boys have recovered and [Game 2] will be a wonderful test,” said Flyers coach Alain Vigneault, according to Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.
Philadelphia has not yet lost a straight playoff game, but Varlamov will once again be a difficult opponent, as he has been bleached in the last two New York victories.
Will the beam continue in its momentum during a recovery period?
It only took 4 minutes and 40 minutes of Tuesday’s moment game for Lightning to win against the Bruins and even the series in 1-1. And with a quick change for Wednesday’s third game, it could be a smart thing that they didn’t play well into the night.
Tampa Bay now has a chance to take advantage of the series, and after a round trip 2 game, you can have confidence and momentum on your side. When either of the groups played at the time of circular in 2018, Lightning lost the first game and then won four consecutive games to advance. They’ll look to do the same this year.
However, a quick return to ice could change the Boston page and move on from the second game.
“Sometimes it’s smart to get back in the box when you lose a hockey game,” said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “We’ll see.”
Boston has lost four of their first five playoff games. Another skate like this by now would end their season, so the Bruins will have to return to the track temporarily opposing the Lightning.
Can Avalanche prevent the offensive wave of stars?
At the end of the first round, it was Avalanche who became frantic, scoring 14 goals in his last two victories against the Arizona Coyotes. They are now looking to prevent another team from booming, while the Stars took a 2-0 lead in the series by scoring 10 overall purposes between the two victories.
After falling 2-1 in his opening series to the Calgary Flames, Dallas has now won five consecutive games, scoring at least five goals in four of the only wins. But the Stars know that Avalanche is a formidable opponent who can temporarily return to this series.
“Until you can get a team out, you can’t feel comfortable,” Dallas middle Joe Pavelski said, according to Mike Heika of NHL.com. “… They’re a smart team. We’ve done our job so far, but there’s a long way to go. We’ll pick up the breath and see where we can in some spaces and go back to it.”
If the Stars can win the third game and go 3-0, they will be one win from their first Appearance at the Western Conference Finals since 2008.