NHL Playoffs 2016: Latest Stanley Cup Scores, Standings and Predictions

The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs' conference finals are in full swing, and each series offers different types of incentives for the teams involved.

The Tampa Bay Lighting are looking to make consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final. The Pittsburgh Penguins are also no strangers to hockey's grandest stage. The club has made the final twice since 2008, including a series win in 2009.

Out West, the San Jose Sharks and the St. Louis Blues are looking to break long droughts to reach the final. San Jose has never made it past the conference finals, while St. Louis has been shut out from the final round since 1970.

Both matchups feature plenty of speed and elite playmakers, which should make for some exhilarating hockey. Let us take a look at where each series stands along with some storylines to watch for moving forward.

Game	Date	Location	Score	Series
Game 1	Friday, May 13	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA	3-1 Lightning	1-0 Lightning
Game 2	Monday, May 16	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA	-	-

Game	Date	Location	Score	Series
Game 1	Sunday, May 15	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO	2-1 Blues	1-0 Blues
Game 2	Tuesday, May 17	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO	-	-

Goaltending Is the Story in Pittsburgh

When Lightning netminder Ben Bishop left the game in the first period of Game 1 with a leg injury, Tampa Bay's hopes seemed slim considering it was already without Steven Stamkos and Anton Stralman. It was also taking on a hot Pittsburgh team on the road.

Instead, Andrei Vasilevskiy came in and led the Lightning to a win, making 25 saves in relief of Bishop. He may need to play again since Bishop's status for Game 2 is up in the air, according to ESPN.com's Joe McDonald.

"Haven't ruled him out," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Day-to-day. Nothing has changed there, but he's getting better with each day, and it's encouraging to say."

Should Bishop not be able to play, he still feels his team is in good shape, per NHL.com's Bryan Burns:

The 21-year-old Russian is talented and already has experience filling in for Bishop during last season's Stanley Cup Final. There should only be a minimal drop-off in net, which is great news for the Lightning.

At the other end of the ice, Matt Murray is still expected to start for the Penguins, according to the team's Twitter account:

Murray has been excellent for Pittsburgh, but the pressure of having Marc-Andre Fleury waiting behind him has never been higher this postseason.

With Tampa Bay playing a similar up-and-down, quick transition style as Pittsburgh, Murray will undoubtedly be tested often and will face his share of odd-man rushes.

His 2.15 GAA and .929 save percentage suggest he will be up to the task, but it will be interesting to see how Murray now responds after allowing a goal.

Murray has shown no reason to doubt him thus far this postseason, and Vasilevskiy is one of the league's best young goalies. This game will be close again, but Pittsburgh will have an advantage playing at home, where it is 5-2 in these playoffs. Look for the Penguins to tie this series up Monday.  

Whose Depth Wins Out West?

The impact of St. Louis' and San Jose's stars is well-documented.

Logan Couture leads the league with 17 postseason points, Joe Pavelski is tied atop all playoff scorers with nine goals and Joe Thornton is one of NHL's all-time greatest passers. Just for good measure, Brent Burns is a monster on the blue line and leads all defensemen with 16 playoff points.

St. Louis counters with all-world sniper Vladimir Tarasenko, speedy winger Jaden Schwartz and steady pivot David Backes up front. On defense, the Blues are deep as anyone with Olympians Jay Bouwmeester, Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk.

An underlying catalyst to both of these teams' playoff runs is the supporting cast. Patrik Berglund and Troy Brouwer are stout for the Blues, while guys like Joel Ward provide valuable contributions for San Jose, per NHL Public Relations:

According to ESPN.com's Craig Custance, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer is aware of the role depth will play in the series.

“That’s going to be the story of the series. When you write down the two teams on paper, both are deep, both are capable of running four lines and six D out there,” DeBoer said. “When we’re on our game, our depth guys have been better than the other team’s depth guys. That’s the big challenge.” 

St. Louis has slightly more skill and an advantage with blue-line depth. Its checking lines fared decently against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars, so there is precedence to believe they will do so again.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.