NHL Playoffs 2019: TV Schedule, Live-Stream Guide for Friday's Stanley Cup Games

The top team in the Eastern Conference has already been eliminated from the NHL playoffs. On Friday, the Western Conference's top team could also be knocked out.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, the No. 1 seed in the East and the best overall team in the regular season, were swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round. The Calgary Flames, the No. 1 seed in the West, face elimination Friday night, when they play the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of their first-round series.

While the Flames-Avalanche series could be nearing its end, several other series are still highly competitive. There are three series tied at two and two others at 3-2.

Friday Schedule (All Times ET)

Game 5: Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 5: Colorado at Calgary, 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Games can be live-streamed via NBC Sports Live.

Preview

Although the Flames will need to win three straight games to avoid elimination, they have played competitively in their series against the Avalanche.

Calgary won Game 1 4-0, and it lost 3-2 in overtime in both Games 2 and 4. The series will be in Calgary for Game 5. But if the Flames are going to advance to the second round, they will also have to win at Colorado in Game 6 and back home in Game 7.

"We've got to go home and play our best game in Game 5," Calgary coach Bill Peters said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "That's what we have to do. We have to win one game and take it from there."

The Avalanche are the second wild card in the Western Conference, as they held off the Arizona Coyotes by four points to secure the final playoff spot in the West at the end of the regular season. Their 90 regular-season points were the lowest of all 16 teams in the playoffs.

However, Colorado is in a good spot to notch its first playoff series win since 2008.

"I think it's important that you go to the playoffs with a good push, and that's exactly what we did," Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "We had rough times in the season, but the way we finished...that's how we want to finish the season before playoffs. Get hot at the right time."

Friday's playoff action begins with the crucial Game 5 matchup between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. After the two teams split the first four games of the series, the Bruins play hosts as the victor moves one win away from advancing to the next round.

Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

Boston and Toronto have alternated wins, with the Maple Leafs taking Games 1 and 3 and the Bruins winning Games 2 and 4. Home ice hasn't played much of a factor, as each team has won a road game in the series.

According to AP (h/t ESPN.com), in best-of-seven NHL playoff series that have been tied at 2, the winner of Game 5 has gone on to win the series 205 out of 260 times.

"The thing about the playoffs is that you can be blinded by what's happened in the past, and we have shut off what happened on Wednesday and are focused on Friday," Boston defenseman John Moore said, according to the Boston Herald's Rich Thompson. "It's a best-of-three series now with home ice, and that's the way we look at it."