Dates and TV Schedule for Entire 2019 NHL Conference Finals Playoff Round

The San Jose Sharks are looking to get veteran center Joe Thornton his first Stanley Cup. They are also trying to win it for the first time in franchise history.

Before they can do that, they have to get past the St. Louis Blues and reach the Stanley Cup Final for only the second time; their only Stanley Cup Final appearance came in 2016, when they lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

San Jose got off to a good start in the Western Conference Final with a 6-3 victory on Saturday. It hosts Game 2 on Monday and will have the chance to take a 2-0 lead before going on the road for Games 3 and 4.

The Boston Bruins also started strong in the Eastern Conference Final by notching a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

Conference Finals Schedule

*If necessary. All times ET.          

Sunday, May 12

Game 2: Carolina at Boston, 3 p.m., NBC

Monday, May 13

Game 2: St. Louis at San Jose, 9 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Tuesday, May 14

Game 3: Boston at Carolina, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Wednesday, May 15

Game 3: San Jose at St. Louis, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Thursday, May 16

Game 4: Boston at Carolina, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Friday, May 17

Game 4: San Jose at St. Louis, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Saturday, May 18

Game 5: Carolina at Boston, 7:15 p.m., NBC*

Sunday, May 19

Game 5: St. Louis at San Jose, 3 p.m., NBC*

Monday, May 20

Game 6: Boston at Carolina, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network*

Tuesday, May 21

Game 6: San Jose at St. Louis, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network*

Wednesday, May 22

Game 7: Carolina at Boston, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network*

Thursday, May 23

Game 7: St. Louis at San Jose, 9 p.m., NBC Sports Network*

Sunday Preview

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

After two days off, the Eastern Conference finals resume with a Game 2 matchup between the Bruins and Hurricanes in Boston on Sunday afternoon.

The Bruins have had an impressive postseason. After outlasting the Toronto Maple Leafs in a seven-game series in the opening round, they won a six-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who had swept the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round.

With nine wins in its first 14 playoff games—and as the most recent team of the four remaining to win the Stanley Cup—Boston knows what it takes to win in the postseason.

Jake DeBrusk discussed his team's mentality with NHL.com's Tom Gulitti:

"Sometimes we get in a little bit of a passive mode, but we play a layered system where we try to make sure we're in front of them towards the net, so they have to go through multiple bodies to get there and try to limit turnovers as well. Just try to play a simple game. It's not necessarily the most fun game to watch, but it's winning hockey this time of year."

The Bruins may be the favorite in this series and a popular pick to win the Stanley Cup, but the Hurricanes have also had a strong postseason, knocking off last year's Cup winner, the Washington Capitals, in seven games and sweeping the New York Islanders.

In order to make it a close series against Boston, Carolina likely needs to play better on the penalty kill. The Bruins scored a pair of power-play goals in a 28-second span in their four-goal third period in Game 1.

"You're going to take penalties," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said, according to Gulitti. "They're going to take them too. They had a few. So that's part of the game. It's obviously a strength of theirs, so we don't want to feed into that, if possible."

Expect Game 2 to be more competitive than the opener of this series. It will likely come down to which team is able to better execute its game plan, and the squad that plays the better defense should come out on top.