NHL Playoff Bracket 2020: Updated Dates, TV Schedule and Projections

As the NHL conference finals continue, it's still possible that any of the four remaining teams could win this year's Stanley Cup. But after Saturday, the path has gotten much harder for one team.

The Vegas Golden Knights lost Game 4 of the Western Conference Final to the Dallas Stars, who now have a commanding 3-1 lead. If Vegas wants to advance, it will need three consecutive wins over a team that has impressed with its strong defensive play in the series.

The New York Islanders will be looking to avoid falling to that same series score in the Eastern Conference Final on Sunday. The Tampa Bay Lightning are up 2-1 heading into Game 4. However, after scoring five times in Game 3, there's a chance the Islanders could tie it up.

Here's a look at the schedule for the remainder of the conference finals round, followed by a prediction for which two teams will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Remaining Conference Finals Schedule

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: 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

Stanley Cup Final Projection

Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals may have changed the trajectory of the series. If the Golden Knights had won, it would have been tied. Instead, they are down 3-1, which can be difficult to overcome.

It doesn't help that Vegas hasn't been playing its best hockey of late, losing five of its past seven games. The Golden Knights let the Vancouver Canucks back into their second-round series, which went seven games after they raced out with a 3-1 lead. And now they are struggling to generate offense against the Stars.

Through the first four games of the conference finals, Vegas has scored six goals, and half of those came in its Game 2 wins.

While the Golden Knights may stave off elimination in Game 5, the deficit is likely now too great for them to overcome, with the Stars continuing to shut down their offense. Instead, Dallas is going to win this series in six games and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2000.

A big reason for the Stars' recent success has been the play of goaltender Anton Khudobin. Over the past two games, he has 70 saves and only three goals allowed while leading Dallas to a pair of victories.

"He's going to battle right till the end," Dallas coach Rick Bowness said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "That's why the guys love playing in front of him. When he was reading the play like he was [in Game 4], he's making a lot of tough saves look easy. But that's what he is: He's a battler, he's a competitive guy and he's keeping us in every game."

As for the Eastern Conference Final, Sunday's Game 4 could have a big impact on how the rest of the series goes. However, the Lightning may be OK even if the Islanders win to tie it up.

Tampa Bay has been missing some key players of late, most notably center Brayden Point, its leading scorer this postseason. Point suffered an unspecified injury in Game 2 and missed Game 3. The Bolts were also without center Alex Killorn in Game 3 as he was serving a one-game suspension for boarding in Game 2.

The Lightning can generate offense without Point, as Nikita Kucherov is having a terrific postseason, and they still tallied three goals in their Game 3 loss. They will bounce back in either Game 4 or Game 5 and go on to win the series.

That means it will be Tampa Bay and Dallas going head-to-head for the Stanley Cup. And it would be the first time that those franchises (which have each won one Cup) would be facing off in the postseason.