NHL Playoff Bracket 2019: Game Times, TV Schedule and Tuesday Live-Stream Guide

Two teams could be eliminated from the NHL playoffs on Tuesday—including one of the best in NHL regular-season history, and another that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to stave off elimination and extend their seasons in the first two matchups of a full slate of four playoff games Tuesday night.

The Lightning will play Game 4 on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while the Penguins are home against the New York Islanders.

With the stakes continuing to grow larger, the playoff action should only get more exciting.

Tuesday NHL Playoffs Schedule (All Times ET)

Games can be live-streamed on NBC Sports Live

Game 4: Tampa Bay at Columbus, 7 p.m., CNBC

Game 4: N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 4: Winnipeg at St. Louis, 9:30 p.m., CNBC

Game 4: San Jose at Vegas, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Tuesday Preview

Few could have predicted the Tampa Bay Lightning would be facing elimination in Game 4 of their first-round series. But that's now their current situation.

After losing only 20 regular-season games, the Lightning have lost three straight to the Columbus Blue Jackets, getting outscored 12-5. Tampa Bay has scored only one goal in each of its last two losses.

History is in the Blue Jackets' favor, as teams with 3-0 leads have gone on to win the series 186 out of 190 times. The Los Angeles Kings in 2014 were the last team to come back from such a deficit.

"No matter the situation, no matter if you're playing great or not playing great, you always have a belief coming into a game that you can do something to help your team win," Lightning center Steven Stamkos said, according to the Tampa Bay Times' John Romano. "That's the belief I'm going to have in myself in Game 4."

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), no team that has won the Presidents' Trophy (awarded to the team with the most regular-season points) has ever been swept in the first round of the playoffs.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have only been eliminated in the first round once (2015) in their past six playoff appearances. However, they're in a tough spot against the New York Islanders.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Pittsburgh last faced an 0-3 deficit in the 2013 playoffs, when it was swept by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference finals.

"We've got to focus on one game. We can't even it up in one game, but we can get ourselves back in it," Penguins center Sidney Crosby said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "We've got to focus on winning Game 4. We haven't left ourselves a lot of room for error. All we can control is coming in with the right mindset for Game 4 and finding a way to get a win."

Tuesday's slate wraps up with a pair of series that stand at 2-1. The St. Louis Blues have the lead in their series and will host the Winnipeg Jets, while the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who also lead their series, host the San Jose Sharks.

These should both continue to be competitive series, so it wouldn't be surprising to see one, or both, tied at 2 following Tuesday's Game 4 matchups.