NHL Playoff Bracket 2020: Monday TV and Live-Stream Schedule

The second round of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs could be over by Tuesday. That's because all four series currently have a team holding a 3-1 lead, with each of them only one win away from advancing to the conference final.

The Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars and New York Islanders each won Game 4 matchups Sunday to take a 3-1 lead in their respective series, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are also a win away from moving on in the playoffs. Tampa Bay and Dallas will look to become the first teams to secure spots in this year's conference final Monday.

Here's everything you need to know heading into Monday's action.

Monday Schedule

Game 5: No. 4 Boston Bruins at No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Game 5: No. 3 Dallas Stars at No. 2 Colorado Avalanche, 9:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Games can be streamed at NBC Sports Live.

Monday Preview

Lightning Look to Finish Off Bruins Again

So far, this year's second-round series between Tampa Bay and Boston has gone the exact same way it did when the two teams met in the same round in 2018. Both times, the Bruins took a 1-0 lead. However, the Lightning won four straight to advance the last time, and they're a win away from doing the same thing this year.

Boston notched a 3-2 win in Game 1, then Tampa Bay answered with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2. The Lightning have taken complete control since then, winning Games 3 and 4 by a combined score of 10-2. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed only one goal in each of those victories while compiling 52 total saves during that span.

In Game 4, Ondrej Palat scored a pair of goals as Tampa Bay has had no problem generating offense despite playing without Steven Stamkos, who has missed the entire postseason thus far with a lower-body injury.

"We're playing with confidence," Palat said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "We don't cheat on the ice. We're doing it the right way. We're staying on the right side of the puck. We try to not turn the puck over, and I think all four lines are playing good hockey and it's huge."

For the Bruins, it's been an up-and-down postseason. After winning the Presidents' Trophy for having the most regular-season points, they went 0-3 in round-robin seeding play to fall to the No. 4 seed. They then won five of their next six games (eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes in five games and opening with a win over the Lightning) before their current three-game losing streak.

Last year, Boston reached the Stanley Cup Final and came a win away from victory, losing to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. If the Bruins want to get back there this year, they will first require three straight wins over Tampa Bay, which is what it will take for them to reach the Eastern Conference Final.

Will Stars Carry Over Momentum to Advance?

It's been a high-scoring series between the Avalanche and the Stars. However, Dallas' offense has been just a bit better for most of the series.

The Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring 10 total goals in the pair of victories. Then, the Avalanche answered back with a Game 3 win, notching a 6-4 victory. Colorado couldn't keep it going in Game 4 on Sunday, however, as Dallas won 5-4 to move a win away from advancing.

In their past five playoff games, the Stars have scored at least four goals in each of them. And they've scored at least five goals in five of their past six victories.

Dallas doesn't have to wait long to try to advance, as the teams will immediately return to the ice for Game 5 on Monday night. And after holding on for a win Sunday, the Stars will look to carry over the momentum and secure a spot in the Western Conference Final.

"A lot of players are feeling really good about their game right now and that's why we're such a confident group," Dallas defenseman John Klingberg said, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. "... Something that we were talking about to start of camp in August, we wanted the D to be more involved, get more O-zone time, and that's one of the keys to why you're seeing more offense."

The Avalanche got off to a strong start in the playoffs, winning six of their first eight games (which included a five-game series victory over the Arizona Coyotes), but they now need three straight wins over Dallas to extend their season.