NHL Playoffs 2016: Stanley Cup Scores, Updated Odds and Predictions

The San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins lead their respective conference finals 2-1 after the former's 3-0 win over the St. Louis Blues in San Jose, California, Thursday night. 

Just two wins separate those teams from a date in the Stanley Cup Final, where they will compete for arguably the most famous trophy in North American sports. 

Eastern Conference Final
Western Conference Final
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Pittsburgh Penguins	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1 @ Penguins	3-1 Lightning
Game 2 @ Penguins	3-2 Penguins (OT)
Game 3 @ Lightning	4-2 Penguins
Game 4 @ Lightning	Friday, May 20	8 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 5 @ Penguins	Sunday, May 22	8 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 6 @ Lightning*	Tuesday, May 24	8 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 7 @ Penguins*	Thursday, May 26	8 p.m.	NBCSN
San Jose Sharks vs. St. Louis Blues	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1 @ Blues	2-1 Blues
Game 2 @ Blues	4-0 Sharks
Game 3 @ Sharks	3-0 Sharks
Game 4 @ Sharks	Saturday, May 21	7:15 p.m.	NBC
Game 5 @ Blues	Monday, May 23	8 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 6 @ Sharks*	Wednesday, May 25	9 p.m.	NBCSN
Game 7 @ Blues*	Friday, May 27	8 p.m.	NBCSN

After Thursday night's game, here is what the Stanley Cup odds look like, per Odds Shark:

Team	Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins	5-4
St. Louis Blues	11-2
San Jose Sharks	17-10
Tampa Bay Lightning	7-1

Predictions

Expect a Sharks vs. Penguins Stanley Cup Final

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a quick, skilled hockey team and a nightmare matchup for almost any outfit in the league—especially in the postseason, where they can skate circles around tiring opponents. 

If there were one team that could give them a hard time, it's these Penguins. 

This is a Pittsburgh team that has gotten contributions from all four lines, as every forward who's played more than two games this postseason has recorded a goal. They've been led by Phil Kessel, who has been playing in another stratosphere during these playoffs. 

He has 37 points in 36 career postseason games, including 16 points (seven goals and nine assists) in 14 games this time around.

If the Lightning had Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop healthy, this series might go to seven games, but the Penguins look downright unstoppable. 

In the West, the Sharks have put a dominating two-game performance on display that should give them enough momentum to get by in this series.

After dropping Game 1, San Jose took a game in St. Louis 4-0 before their Game 3 win on Thursday. In the past two games, that means the Sharks have outscored the Blues 7-0 and have two games left in San Jose for the remainder of the series.

With the way they're playing, though, they won't need them. Martin Jones has been a brick wall in net while the Sharks' attack, headlined by Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl, have been clicking. In fact, that line recorded six total points on Thursday night.

This isn't the right time for the Blues to be searching for answers on both ends of the ice, but that's exactly what they're doing. In Games 2 and 3, they lacked a physical presence, didn't have enough opportunities in the offensive zone and looked out of it, which can be dooming for a team that can't lose two more games.

Stats courtesy of NHL.com.