NHL Playoffs 2020: Updated Eastern, Western Conference Bracket and Predictions

With only four teams remaining in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, every game from here on out will be of the utmost importance. These teams have all made deep postseason runs and are within touching distance of winning the championship.

On Sunday night, the conference finals round got underway. The Dallas Stars jumped out to an early lead over the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, notching a 1-0 victory in Game 1. And with the winner of the best-of-seven series advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, getting off to a strong start could be crucial.

The Eastern Conference Final will begin Monday night, when the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders go head-to-head.

Here's a look at the schedule for the conference finals round, followed by predictions for both series.

Conference Finals Picture

Eastern Conference

No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Game 1: Monday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 2: Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Friday at 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 4: Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, NBC
Game 5 (if necessary): Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6 (if necessary): Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 7 (if necessary): Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Western Conference

No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights at No. 3 Dallas Stars
Game 1: Dallas won 1-0
Game 2: Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 3: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 4: Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC
Game 5 (if necessary): Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6 (if necessary): Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 7 (if necessary): Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Conference Finals Predictions

Golden Knights Bounce Back from Game 1 Loss to Advance

For much of the postseason, the Golden Knights have been an offensive powerhouse. And even when they weren't scoring as frequently toward the end of their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, they still found a way to advance.

However, Vegas didn't generate any offense in Game 1 against Dallas. John Klingberg gave the Stars the lead two minutes, 36 seconds into the game, and that was the only goal of the contest. The Golden Knights were stymied by goaltender Anton Khudobin, who collected 25 saves.

Vegas will bounce back, though. Its talented attack features numerous goal scorers, so it's unlikely it continues to get shut down—especially because Dallas gave up at least four goals in each of its previous five games before Sunday's Game 1.

The Stars are capable of playing solid defense. But the Golden Knights also now know what to expect.

"This is going to be a different series," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "They're a heavy, veteran team, and you've got to work to get inside, and you've got to work for pucks and puck battles. They're not going to hand you offense, and you've got to be willing to compete for pucks."

Although this is the first deficit the Golden Knights have faced this postseason, they're capable of withstanding adversity, having gained plenty of playoff experience in the franchise's first three seasons. Vegas will quickly bounce back and go on to defeat Dallas, reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second time.

The key to that will be the Golden Knights offense, which is unlikely to get shut out again in a series with the postseason's most porous team.

Lightning End Islanders' Underdog Postseason Run

Although the Lightning will have gone a full week between games when the Eastern Conference Final gets underway Monday, don't expect that to slow them down. They have been on a roll this postseason, and although the Islanders have also impressed in the bubble, Tampa Bay is the better team.

In the first two rounds, the Lightning defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins, each in five games. Both times, they overcame a Game 1 losses before winning four straight contests. And a year after getting shockingly swept by Columbus in the first round, Tampa Bay has had a much better postseason.

The Islanders play strong defense—they have conceded 31 times in the bubble, once more than Tampa Bay but in three more games—but the Lightning should be prepared.

"The Islanders are pretty renowned for their defensive structure and play, but we've been pretty battle tested ourselves having to go against Columbus and Boston," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "So it should be much of the same. It's going to be battles in front of the net, and it's no series off for us in the defensive zone or in our offensive zone because I just feel like the three teams we're playing so far are exceptional in that area."

Tampa Bay may be playing without captain Steven Stamkos (lower-body injury), but it has plenty of other top offensive players who have helped power it through the postseason. Brayden Point (six goals and 12 assists) and Nikita Kucherov (four goals and 12 assists) have been big reasons for that, and they will likely give the Islanders' blueliners trouble with their abilities to set up scoring chances.

Plus, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy appears to be playing some of his best games at the right time. Over the final three wins against the Bruins (including one in double overtime), Vasilevskiy allowed only four goals and collected 101 saves. If he continues to play at that level, he could make things difficult for the New York's offense.

It's been an impressive postseason from the Islanders, but it ends here. Tampa Bay will return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015.