NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: Upcoming Stanley Cup TV and Live Stream Info

The Western Conference Final could be set Monday as the St. Louis Blues look to finish the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators hope to stave off elimination against the San Jose Sharks in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs.

St. Louis will be home for its Game 6, where the team has not been at its best. The Blues are 3-3 this postseason at home compared to 4-2 on the road. 

In its current series with the Sharks, Nashville has fared the opposite. Both teams are undefeated at home in the second round. If the Predators want to advance to their first ever conference final, they will need to steal a road game after holding serve on home ice.

Date	Matchup	Time	Network	Live Stream
Monday, May 9, 2016	Dallas at St. Louis	8 p.m. ET	NBCSN	NBCSports.com
Monday, May 9, 2016	San Jose at Nashville	9 p.m. ET	CNBC	NBCSports.com

Who Starts in Goal for Dallas?

The Stars are having no problem creating offense this series. Outside of a lopsided 6-1 loss in Game 3, the NHL's top scoring team in the regular season has outshot St. Louis in every second-round outing.

Keeping the puck out of its own net is the real problem, as Dallas allowed at least four goals in its three losses to the Blues while conceding just 1.5 goals per game in its wins. While sloppy defensive play at times is certainly responsible, the main issue is a lack of consistency between the pipes.

Much like St. Louis, Dallas used a two-goalie approach through the regular season. While Brian Elliott unquestionably seized the starting role for the Blues, there is still some uncertainty from game to game about who will start for the Stars.

Kari Lehtonen received most of the starts so far, but Antti Niemi has also played a fair amount. As TSN's StatsCentre notes, this is a new approach for the franchise:

Lehtonen has been the more reliable goalie in the series and the postseason as a whole, even though he has posted a save percentage under .900 in three of his last five outings. Niemi is 1-3 in these playoffs with a dreadful 3.33 GAA. Dallas also seemed to be thrown off its rhythm in the games Niemi started.

While Lehtonen, 5-2 this postseason, is not significantly better at a 2.65 GAA, he is the better option moving forward. Dallas needs to ditch its two-goalie approach and stick with Lehtonen for Game 6 and the remainder of its playoff run.

How Long Can Nashville Hold off San Jose?

The Sharks are proving this postseason that they are a legitimate contender to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in June.

Martin Jones is the real deal in goal following a 37-win season, his first as a full-time starter, with a 7-3 mark in these playoffs with a 2.20 GAA and .917 save percentage. It also helps to have a lineup loaded with depth, speed and superstars like Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Nashville is competing well this series despite being outmatched in terms of skill and depth compared to San Jose's forwards. A huge reason has been the boost it gets from playing in front of its home crowd. The team is scoring over twice as much this series at home (four goals per game) as it is on the road (1.67). Goaltender Pekka Rinne was also sensational in Nashville's two home games, allowing just four goals on 74 shots faced.

While San Jose pushed on the door hard with a 4-3 triple-overtime loss at Nashville in Game 4, it has yet to break through. That should change sooner rather than later.

The Sharks swept the Los Angeles Kings on the road in their last series and Jones was stellar with a 22-7 record in road games during the regular season. San Jose outshot Nashville and outplayed the Predators for long stretches in the past two games, so it is apparent it is still playing well away from home.

The Predators will undoubtedly give a strong effort, but San Jose will close this series out behind its strong road record and its veterans like Pavelski, Thornton, Logan Couture, Patrick Marleau and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks will make the key plays down the stretch to advance to their first conference final since 2011. 

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.