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

The conference finals of the 2016 NHL playoffs feature a pair of tight matchups, as each series is guaranteed to go at least six games.

The San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues are deadlocked at 2-2, while the Tampa Bay Lightning hold a close 3-2 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Home ice has not proved to be much of an advantage in this round of the postseason. The Sharks and Blues split at the other's barn, while the Penguins dropped two out of three home games to the Lightning.

Either series is still up for grabs, which should make for an exhilarating finish in the next few days. Let us take a look at where each matchup stands, along with odds for upcoming games and predictions for who advances to the Stanley Cup Final.

Game	Date	Location	Score	Series
1	Friday, May 13	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh PA	3-1 Lightning	1-0 Lightning
2	Monday, May 16	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh PA	3-2 (OT) Penguins	1-1
3	Wednesday, May 18	Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL	4-2 Penguins	2-1 Penguins
4	Friday, May 20	Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL	4-3 Lightning	2-2
5	Sunday, May 22	CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh PA	4-3 (OT) Lightning	3-2 Lightning
6	Tuesday, May 24	Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL	-	-

Game	Date	Location	Score	Series
1	Sunday, May 15	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO	2-1 Blues	1-0 Blues
2	Tuesday, May 17	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO	4-0 Sharks	1-1
3	Thursday, May 19	SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA	3-0 Sharks	2-1 Sharks
4	Saturday, May 21	SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA	6-3	2-2
5	Monday, May 23	Scottrade Center, St. Louis, MO	-	-
6	Wednesday, May 25	SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA	-	-

Odds are according to OddsShark.com and can be seen below. The odds for Game 6 between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay were not available as of May 22, so they are not reflected.

Team	Odds
Blues	4/5
Sharks	113/100

Can Jake Allen Lift St. Louis to a Series Win? 

With his team looking stagnant after consecutive scoreless games, St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock named Jake Allen as the Game 4 starter in net. Brian Elliott started all 17 playoff games prior, but the Blues needed a spark, and they got it.

St. Louis dominated at San Jose, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before winning 6-3. Allen was excellent, stopping 31 shots in a rowdy road environment. Hitchcock credited Allen with helping elevate his team's performance, per Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper.

“He gave us exactly what we needed," Hitchcock said. "He's a competitive son of a gun. We needed a battler in there. We needed somebody to really help us play better defense. We played with more passion in front of him in our own zone because I made the goalie change."

Unsurprisingly, Allen's play will earn him more work, according to ESPN:

"

Jake Allen to get another start in goal for Blues https://t.co/1uaCydqNT2

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) May 22, 2016"

Whether or not this switch will propel the Blues to the Stanley Cup Final is not yet known, but San Jose should still be the favorite moving forward.

The Sharks have looked like the faster, more explosive team throughout the series. They are outshooting the Blues overall, and St. Louis has not proved it can consistently score goals every game, as six of its eight goals came in one game.

Making matters worse is the possibility of losing leading playoff goal scorer David Backes. He missed the majority of Game 4 with an injury, and his availability will not be known until Monday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Jeremy Rutherford:

With Martin Jones sporting a 2.07 GAA and .921 save percentage in the postseason, it is a safe bet he will not be lit up for four goals on 19 shots again.

San Jose should be able to steal at least one of the possible next two games in St. Louis, considering the Blues are 4-5 this postseason on their own ice. If they do so, the Sharks should win this series and advance to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final.

Was Marc-Andre Fleury the Right Call in Net?

Despite posting a 9-4 record with a 2.33 GAA and .923 save percentage this postseason, Matt Murray was benched in favor of longtime Penguins starter Marc-Andre Fleury for Game 5. 

Fleury looked a bit rusty in Sunday's loss. He stopped 21 of 25 shots, including the game-tying goal late in the third period and the winner less than a minute into overtime.

He received his fair share of criticism for his performance. Director of broadcasting for the Tampa Bay Lightning Matt Sammon brought back Fleury's past playoff struggles:

SB Nation's Pensburgh noted that Fleury did not seem to be in top form after such a long break between starts:

Fleury won a Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009 and has been an anchor for the team in net for nearly a decade. This made the pressure to eventually get him back into the lineup rather high.

In hindsight, throwing in a goalie with little game experience in roughly the last two months for a crucial Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Final may have been the wrong move. Murray has been great, and he is obviously more sharp at the moment, so there was not much reason to replace him. 

What do the Penguins do for Game 6? If they go back to Murray, will his confidence be shaken? The team does not have the time to allow Fleury to get his game back, but benching him again so quickly could effectively end his tenure with the team.

Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan made this decision for Game 5, and he must stick with it. This would show that he is confident in Fleury and his team, and it also gets rid of one more distraction heading into the game. Turning back now would show that he is hesitant and possibly second-guessing his choices, which is not a good look for a team on the brink of elimination.

Winning a series-deciding game in Tampa will be tough, but look for the Penguins to rally around their veteran goaltender and force a Game 7.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.