The start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs is just a few days away.
The NHL’s round robin and qualifying round closed Sunday, setting up all eight of the first-round matchups.
The qualifying round was full of surprises. Four of the eight series resulted in insurgents, including the no. 12-seeded in both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference who won their matchups against the No. 5-seeds.
Get the latest news and analysis on all of your NBC Sports Boston teams by downloading the My Teams App
The round robin also had no unexpected results. The Boston Bruins won the Presidents Trophy with the best record of the league in the regular season, but they finished at the bottom of the Round robin stand of the East after three consecutive losses. The defending champion St. Louis Blues had the best record in the West in the regular season and also battled in the round robin with a finish in fourth place (1-2-1 record).
Could we see a first-round startup that included one or both of last season’s Stanley Cup finalists? Anything is possible in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here is the television schedule for each first-round series. Check back every day for this article for updated schedules and scores for all games (all times ET).
Eastern Conference
FIRST ROUND
Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (12)
Game 1: Flyers 2, Canadiens 1
Game 2: Canadiens 5, Flyers 0
Game 3: Flyers 1, Canadiens 0
Game 4: Tuesday, August 18 at 3pm – PHI at MTL (NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS)
Game 5 *: Wednesday 19 August on TBD – MTL by PHI (TBD)
Game 6 *: Friday 21st August at TBD – MTL at PHI (TBD)
Game 7 *: Sunday 23 August at TBD – MTL at PHI (TBD)
Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (9)
Game 1: Lightning 3, Blue Jackets 2 (5OT)
Game 2: Blue Jackets 3, Lightning 1
Game 3: Lightning 3, Blue Jackets 2
Game 4: Lightning 2, Blue Jackets 1
Game 5 *: Wednesday 19 August on TBD – CBJ at TBL (TBD)
Game 6 *: Friday 21 August at TBD – TBL at CBJ (TBD)
Game 7 *: Saturday 22 August at TBD – CBJ at TBL (TBD)
Washington Capitals (3) vs. New York Islanders (7)
Game 1: Islanders 4, Capitals 2
Game 2: Islanders 5, Capitals 2
Game 3: Islanders 2, Capitals 1 (OT)
Game 4: Tuesday, August 18 at 8pm – WSH at NYI (NBCSN)
Game 5 *: Thursday, August 20 at TBD – NYI at WSH (TBD)
Game 6 *: Saturday, August 22 at TBD – WSH at NYI (TBD)
Game 7 *: Sunday, August 23 at TBD – NYI at WSH (TBD)
Boston Bruins (4) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)
Game 1: Bruins 4, Hurricanes 3 (2OT)
Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Bruins 2
Game 3: Bruins 3, Hurricanes 1
Game 4: Bruins 4, Hurricanes 3
Game 5 *: Wednesday 19 August at TBD – CAR at BOS (TBD)
Game 6 *: Thursday 20 August on TBD – BOS by CAR (TBD)
Game 7 *: Sunday 23 August on TBD – CAR by BOS (TBD)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
FIRST ROUND
Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (12)
Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Blackhawks 1
Game 2: Golden Knights 4, Blackhawks 3 (OT)
Game 3: Golden Knights 2, Blackhawks 1
Game 4: Blackhawks 3, Golden Knights 1
Game 5 *: Tuesday 18 August at TBD – CHI at VGK (TBD)
Game 6 *: Thursday 20 August at TBD – VGK at CHI (TBD)
Game 7 *: Saturday 22 August at TBD – CHI at VGK (TBD)
Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Arizona Coyotes (11)
Game 1: Avalanche 3, Coyotes 0
Game 2: Avalanche 3, Coyotes 2
Game 3: Coyotes 4, Avalanche 2
Game 4: Avalanche 7, Coyotes 1
Game 5 *: Wednesday 19 Aug. By TBD – ARI by COL (TBD)
Game 6 *: Friday 21 August at TBD – COL at ARI (TBD)
Game 7: * Sunday 23 August at TBD – ARI at COL (TBD)
Dallas Stars (3) vs. Calgary Flames (8)
Game 1: Flames 3, Stars 2
Game 2: Stars 5, Flames 4
Game 3: Flames 2, Stars 0
Game 4: Stars 5, Flames 4
Game 5 *: Tuesday, August 18 at TBD – CGY at DAL (TBD)
Game 6 *: Thursday 20 August at TBD – DAL at CGY (TBD)
Game 7 *: Saturday 22 August at TBD – CGY at DAL (TBD)
St. Louis Blues (4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (7)
Game 1: Canucks 5, Blues 2
Game 2: Canucks 4, Blues 3 (OT)
Game 3: Blues 3, Canucks 2 (OT)
Game 4: Blues 3, Canucks 1
Game 5 *: Wednesday 19 Aug. By TBD – VAN by STL (TBD)
Game 6 *: Friday 21 August at TBD – STL at VAN (TBD)
Game 7 *: Sunday 23 August at TBD – VAN at STL (TBD)
* If necessary
