NHL Stanley Cup Final 2020: TV Schedule and Preview for Stars vs. Lightning

The Dallas Stars enter Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on a five-game postseason winning streak.

The Western Conference champion holds a 1-0 advantage over the Tampa Bay Lightning and has not fallen in the Edmonton, Alberta, hub since Game 2 of the Western Conference Final.

Since Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final, the Lightning have alternated a loss and a win inside Rogers Place.

If that form holds for Game 2, the Lightning will level the series, but to earn the win, they have to break the forcefield created in front of goal by Dallas netminder Anton Khudobin.

Stanley Cup Final Game 2 Information 

Date: Monday, September 21

Start Time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: NBCSN

Live Stream: NBC Sports app or NBCSports.com.

Preview

The only thing missing from Tampa Bay's offensive performance in Game 1 was a high total of goals.

Tampa Bay produced 36 shots on goal compared to Dallas' 20. If Jon Cooper's side produces shots at a high level again in Game 2, it has a better chance to break down Dallas' defense and beat Khudobin.

Khudobin owns a .923 save percentage and 2.54 goals-against average in the postseason, and he has been hard to beat on multiple occasions since the start of the Western Conference Final.

Tampa Bay and Vegas managed only nine goals in the past six games against Dallas, and only the Golden Knights produced more than two goals.

The answer for Tampa Bay's reversal in goalscoring form could be Steven Stamkos' return from injury.

Cooper provided an update on Stamkos' status with more attention being paid to his increased workload in practice, per NHL.com's Tracey Myers:

"You don't get this many chances to be where we are and he wants to be a part of it, which he has. He's collectively helped the group on the mental side of things, but he wants to be part of it on the ice as well. We're not sure when that'll be. We're hopeful he'll come back at some point in this series, but there's no way we can tag that. When he's not on the ice, he's been an influential leader off the ice. I guess there's always a chance (he plays in Game 2), but as of now, I don't think so. You'll have to tune in and find out."

Stamkos has not played since February 25, when he extended a 15-game point streak with an assist against Toronto.

The Lightning captain has 53 points in 70 postseason games, and if he is healthy, he would be a much-needed complement to Nikita Kucherov and others in Tampa Bay's attempt to push more tallies past Khudobin.

For now, the Dallas attack is the one that deserves the most attention because of how effective it was by scoring four goals on 20 shots in Game 1.

Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn were among the most active attackers in Game 1, but the top contributions came from unsung heroes like Jason Dickinson and Joel Kiviranta, who both scored. If the Stars continue to receive production from each of their four lines and Khudobin thrives in net again, they may have the advantage to take a 2-0 series lead.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Hockey Reference.