NHL Playoffs 2021: Latest Stanley Cup Scores, Standings and Predictions

If anybody thought the Montreal Canadiens' underdog run through the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs was going to end without them playing a competitive series, they were wrong. In fact, they're right back in their semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights after Wednesday's Game 2.

The Canadiens notched a 3-2 road victory to even the series at 1-1. Now, they'll get to host Games 3 and 4 with a chance to take control of the series, while the Golden Knights need to bounce back.

The other semifinal series is also tied at 1-1. The New York Islanders won Game 1 on their home ice, but they fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2. That series now shifts to Tampa Bay for Thursday's Game 3.

Here's a look at how the Stanley Cup semifinals are unfolding and the upcoming schedule, along with predictions for how things will go moving forward.

Semifinal Results, Schedule

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens

Game 1: Vegas won 4-1
Game 2: Montreal won 3-2
Game 3: Friday at 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 4: Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 5: Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6 (if necessary): June 24 at 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 7 (if necessary): June 26 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. No. 4 New York Islanders

Game 1: New York won 2-1.
Game 2: Tampa Bay won 4-2
Game 3: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 4: Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, USA Network
Game 5: Monday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 6 (if necessary): Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network
Game 7 (if necessary): June 25 at 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network

Golden Knights Will Still Go On to Win Series, Advance to Final

John Locher/Associated Press

In Game 1, the Golden Knights had no trouble scoring against Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, who is having a stellar postseason. But that wasn't quite the case in Game 2.

After Montreal jumped out to a 3-0 lead by late in the second period, Vegas scored only two goals over the final 21 minutes and 14 seconds, both of which came off the stick of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. And although the Golden Knights played a solid defensive game of their own, the Canadiens' early offense proved to be enough.

But Vegas has the potential to rebound and take back control of the series, even though it will now be on the road for Games 3 and 4.

The Golden Knights have faced adversity already in the postseason. In the first round, they couldn't immediately put away the Minnesota Wild after taking a 3-1 lead, instead needing to go to Game 7, which they won. Then, they fell behind 2-0 to the Colorado Avalanche in the second round before winning four straight games.

While Vegas wanted to win both of the first two games on its home ice, it's still not in a bad spot as the series moves to Montreal. The Golden Knights are 3-3 on the road in the playoffs, and as long as they win one of the next two away games, they'll be in good shape with them hosting Games 5 and 7 in the series.

But if Vegas is going to produce better results than it did in Game 2, it will need more offense, especially early in games. It can't allow the Habs to build an early advantage, then allow Price to settle in in the net and play with a big lead.

And the Golden Knights are going to find a way to keep that from happening. This is an experienced team that will rely on its past success in the postseason to get back on track. A Game 2 loss may not have been ideal, but it's something the team should overcome.

Although the Habs will win another game at some point, this series won't go the full distance. The Golden Knights will take back control with a Game 3 victory, then go on to win the series in six games.

Prediction: Vegas wins series in six games

Lightning Will Be in Control for Rest of Series vs. Islanders

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Four different players scored goals, with Nikita Kucherov assisting on three of them. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy recorded 24 saves, allowed only two goals and led a strong defensive performance. And the Lightning took control of the game for good late in the second period.

That's how Tampa Bay bounced back from a Game 1 loss to New York to win Game 2, and it was the type of all-around strong performance the team has frequently had in recent years in the postseason. If the Lightning can keep playing this well, they could be on their way to repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

Tampa Bay can't look too far ahead, though, especially with Games 3 and 4 set to take place in New York. The Lightning may need to win at least one of those contests to prevent the Islanders from getting close to another upset series victory.

One reason why Tampa Bay should continue to play well the rest of this series? The play of Vasilevskiy, who continues to provide the Lightning with a steady presence in the net.

"He's super-competitive and he doesn't like to lose," Kucherov said, per Vin A. Cherwoo of the Associated Press. "He's been unreal."

It's likely that Vasilevskiy will continue to power Tampa Bay to success. While the series is tied at 1, the 26-year-old goaltender has played well in both games, allowing only four total goals and recording 57 saves.

The Islanders are a solid team, and they've had an impressive postseason. As the No. 4 seed in the East Division, they took down both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins to reach this point. And they're going to keep giving the Lightning competitive games.

However, Tampa Bay is the better team, and that's going to start to show in the next few games. Don't expect the Lightning to lose another game in this series, building off their Game 2 win and riding that momentum back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Prediction: Tampa Bay wins series in five games