NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: TV Start Times, Livestream Coverage and More

There is only one game on the slate Sunday in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, but it will be a big one, as the Tampa Bay Lightning look to finish off the New York Islanders in Game 5 of their second-round series.

With a win, the Lightning would become the first team to punch a ticket to the conference finals, which would be their second in as many years. The Islanders are looking to push the series back to Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, where they lost the last two games.

That will be tough, though, as Tampa Bay is 4-1 on its home ice in the postseason.

Here's a look at the TV and livestream information for Sunday's contest:

Date	Network	Time	Livestream
Sunday, May 8, 2016	NBC	3 p.m. ET	NBCSports.com

Can New York Slow Down Johnson, Kucherov?

Despite the loss of megascorer Steven Stamkos (blood clot), Tampa Bay is having no problem producing consistent offense. This is in large part due to the contributions of Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov.

Johnson is scoring at a point-per-game pace in the series, while Kucherov has scored three goals. Kucherov's eight-goal tally leads all players in the postseason, and he is also sporting a ridiculous 25 percent shooting percentage in the playoffs, per NHL.com (via Pro Hockey Talk's Cam Tucker).

The 22-year-old Russian netted the game-tying third-period goal in each of the last two contests to send both to overtime. Despite his success, he remains as focused as ever heading into Game 5, according to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times:

That is bad news for New York, which has watched Johnson, Kucherov and either Alex Killorn or Ondrej Palat control the game whenever they see the ice.

The team's best option is to match up its checking line of Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin against Johnson's crew to slow the Lightning down physically.

A more practical approach would be to have the center shadow Kucherov in the offensive zone while the wingers sag down into the slot. That would clog shooting lanes while ensuring Tampa Bay's most potent scorer receives limited space near the net.

Could this slow down the Johnson line? Perhaps so. The Islanders have not found a solution through four games, so it is tough to see them finding a way this late into the series.

Will New York's Inability to Close Games Cost It?

The Islanders played well enough in Games 3 and 4 to seemingly warrant victories, but they relinquished third-period leads on both occasions before falling in overtime. 

New York head coach Jack Capuano was happy with his team's play in the last two games, but he acknowledged it was still not enough to earn a positive result, especially in Game 5, per NHL.com's Bryan Burns:

Getting more production from superstar center John Tavares would help. While he has been all over the ice for most of the series, he has failed to record a point in the last three games. With Tavares (11) and Kyle Okposo being the only Islanders with at least eight points in the postseason, it seems as though the Lightning would be content with daring someone other than No. 91 to beat them.

The Islanders' late-game woes come down to experience. New York is coming off its first playoff series win since 1993, while Tampa Bay is fresh off a Stanley Cup Final run last season.

The Lightning know how to win in the postseason; New York is still learning.

It seems unlikely the Islanders will be able to dig out of a 3-1 hole against a proven team such as Tampa Bay. Championship teams know how to close, which is why the defending Eastern Conference champs will likely do so Sunday in front of their home crowd and leave New York ruing its missed opportunities.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.