NHL Playoffs 2020: Updated Stanley Cup Outlook for Conference Finals

That was a loud statement made by the Tampa Bay Lightning to open the Eastern Conference Final. They've been playing well all postseason, but this was one of their best showings yet.

After going a full week between games, Tampa Bay returned to the ice and routed the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the series, winning 8-2. The Lightning scored three goals in the first period and never let up on the offensive end of the ice, scoring another pair of goals in the second period and three more in the third.

This postseason, Tampa Bay is 11-3, which includes five-game series victories over the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins.

In the Western Conference Final, the Dallas Stars jumped out to a series lead with a 1-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in Sunday's Game 1. That series will resume with Game 2 on Tuesday night.

Here's everything you need to know for the conference-finals round, followed by a preview of Tuesday's action.

Conference Finals Outlook

Eastern Conference

No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 6 New York Islanders
Game 1: Tampa Bay won 8-2
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 vs. 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): Monday 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

Tuesday Preview

The Golden Knights and Stars got to the Western Conference Final in similar fashion—by scoring a lot of goals to take down their previous opponents. However, that wasn't the type of game the two teams played to open their series.

The lone goal in Game 1 came from Dallas defenseman John Klingberg, who scored 2 minutes, 36 seconds into the opening contest. Then, the defenses took over, led by Stars goaltender Anton Khudobin (25 saves) and Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (24 saves).

Vegas won 10 of its first 12 games this postseason, and it scored at least four goals in a game five times during that stretch. However, it's scored only four goals over its past four games (during which it's 1-3), and three of those came in its Game 7 win over the Vancouver Canucks to end the second round.

Now, the Golden Knights will look to avoid falling behind 2-0 to the Stars in Tuesday's Game 2. They'll need more offense in order to do so. And one thing they have going in their favor is the return of right winger Ryan Reaves, who missed Game 1 while serving a suspension for an illegal check in their previous game.

Reaves has four assists in 15 games this postseason, but that's not all he provides to the Golden Knights.

"I think everyone knows what Ryan Reaves brings," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said, according to NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "He brings physicality, but he brings energy to our group too. He creates a certain amount of room for people on the ice. He's a big piece of our group."

Khudobin will be looking to lead Dallas to another strong defensive effort and prevent Vegas from getting its offense going. The 34-year-old veteran has had a solid postseason for the Stars, posting a .914 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average in 15 games (14 starts).

And not only that, but Khudobin is coming off his first shutout of the playoffs, which could give him momentum heading into the rest of the series.

"We need him to play this well," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said, according to NHL.com's Tim Campbell. "You need strong goaltending or you're not going anywhere. But none of us are surprised by what we're seeing."

This is the first time the Golden Knights have trailed in a series all postseason. They won three straight games to open their first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks, then jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the Canucks.

So, how Vegas handles this adversity could play a large factor in how the rest of this series goes. Dallas jumped out to a 2-0 lead last round against the Colorado Avalanche, and if it does so again, it could be on its way to another upset victory.