NHL Playoffs 2020: Full Dates and TV Schedule for Conference Finals Round

It wasn't as convincing as their Game 1 victory, but the Tampa Bay Lightning again found a way to get it done in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday. Consequently, the New York Islanders need to climb out of a big hole to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

Tampa Bay notched a 2-1 victory Wednesday to take a 2-0 series lead over New York. Nikita Kucherov scored the game-winning goal with 8.8 seconds remaining in the third period, while Andrei Vasilevskiy collected 27 saves to lead a strong defensive effort. The Lightning are now 12-3 this postseason as they look to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015.

Meanwhile, the Western Conference Final has started with a pair of shutouts, one for each team. The Dallas Stars opened the series with a 1-0 win, but the Vegas Golden Knights responded with a 3-0 victory in Game 2. The two teams will return to action for Game 3 on Thursday.

Here's a look at the schedule for the remainder of the conference finals round, followed by a preview of Thursday's action.

Remaining Conference Finals Schedule      

Thursday, Sept. 10

Game 3: No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights at No. 3 Dallas Stars, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Friday, Sept. 11

Game 3: No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning at No. 6 New York Islanders, 8 p.m. ET, USA Network

Saturday, Sept. 12

Game 4: No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights at No. 3 Dallas Stars, 8 p.m. ET, NBC

Sunday, Sept. 13

Game 4: No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning at No. 6 New York Islanders, 3 p.m. ET, NBC

Monday, Sept. 14

Game 5: No. 3 Dallas Stars at No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Tuesday, Sept. 15

Game 5 (if necessary): No. 6 New York Islanders at No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Wednesday, Sept. 16

Game 6 (if necessary): No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights at No. 3 Dallas Stars, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Thursday, Sept. 17

Game 6 (if necessary): No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning at No. 6 New York Islanders, 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Friday, Sept. 18

Game 7 (if necessary): No. 3 Dallas Stars at No. 1 Vegas Golden Knights, 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Sept. 19

Game 7 (if necessary): No. 6 New York Islanders at No. 2 Tampa Bay Lightning, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

Thursday Preview

Dallas won Game 1 of its series with Vegas despite not generating much offense. Blueliner John Klingberg scored two minutes, 36 seconds into the contest, and a strong defensive showing made that stand up for the entire game. But given the Stars have conceded the most goals of any team this postseason, it was always likely that Vegas' offense would break through.

That happened in Game 2, during which the Golden Knights scored a trio of second-period goals. That was more than enough offense for goaltender Robin Lehner and the defense, as they blanked the Stars 3-0 to even the series at one.

If the Stars don't start generating more offense Thursday, the Golden Knights will find themselves in a familiar position this postseason. The only time that Vegas has trailed in a series during the playoffs was after Dallas' Game 1 win.

"I think it just goes to show how well structured and how good of a team Vegas is," Dallas captain Jamie Benn said, according to NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "They don't give you much, and you've got to take advantage of your opportunities. Probably for us, we need to take advantage of our power-play time. That's got to be a difference in this series."

The Stars are 0-for-4 on power plays in the Western Conference Final, with only three shots on goal with the man advantage. But it's not going to be easy to score against the Golden Knights, whether they have Lehner or Marc-Andre Fleury in the net.

Lehner has four shutouts in his past seven starts, and Fleury limited Dallas to one goal in Game 1, impressing after the Stars quickly got on the board.

The Golden Knights got off to a slow start offensively in the series, as they still hadn't scored through the first period of Game 2. However, Paul Stastny got them on the board in the second period of Game 2, and William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek had them three goals ahead less than 10 minutes later.

"We got our game back, and I think once we got that first goal, I thought we looked like we normally do, which is making plays and finding space and sticking pucks in the net," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN).

Can the Golden Knights carry that over and deliver another strong offensive performance, or will the Stars break through and get back to scoring in bunches, like they did in earlier rounds? A fast start could be crucial in determining which of these teams wins Game 3 to take control of the series.