Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) The NHL’s feverish field of 16 has now been whittled down to a fascinating final four. The San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues emerge from Game 7s out West, while the Boston Bruins will take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the East. Could we see a first-time champion in the Sharks or Blues? Will the Hurricanes go from a decade of playoff misses to glory? Will Brad Marchand get a chance to lick the Stanley Cup? We’ll begin to get answers very soon, as Game 1 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday on NBCSN. Here’s the full schedule and TV info, so you can start lining up sick days and excuses to leave family functions early. Here is the complete schedule (All times ET, subject to change): EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL Thursday, May 9, 8 p.m.: Hurricanes @ Bruins | NBCSN Sunday, May 12, 3 p.m.: Hurricanes @ Bruins | NBC Tuesday, May 14, 8 p.m.: Bruins @ Hurricanes | NBCSN Thursday, May 16, 8 p.m.: Bruins @ Hurricanes | NBCSN *Saturday, May 18, 7:15 p.m.: Hurricanes @ Bruins | NBC *Monday, May 20, 8 p.m.: Bruins @ Hurricanes | NBCSN *Wednesday, May 22, 8 p.m.: Hurricanes @ Bruins | NBCSN WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL Saturday, May 11, 8 p.m.: Blues @ Sharks | NBC Monday, May 13, 9 p.m.: Blues @ Sharks | NBCSN Wednesday, May 15, 8 p.m.: Sharks @ Blues | NBCSN Friday, May 17, 8 p.m.: Sharks @ Blues | NBCSN *Sunday, May 19, 3 p.m.: Blues @ Sharks | NBC *Tuesday, May 21, 8 p.m.: Sharks @ Blues | NBCSN *Thursday, May 23, 9 p.m.: Blues @ Sharks | NBC * if necessary MORE: 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Schedule, Bracket, Streams and More For the third consecutive postseason, NBC Sports’ coverage of Stanley Cup Playoff first-round games on NBCUniversal cable networks (NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC), as well as NHL Network, will air side-by-side and will be available for streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app in local markets alongside regional sports network game telecasts. (Local blackouts apply in Las Vegas and Pittsburgh in the first round). — James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.<doc-sep>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Click to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Game 1: Carolina Hurricanes at Boston Bruins, 8 p.m. ET NBCSN Call: Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Brian Boucher Series preview Stream here Pre-game coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live. Conference Final coverage shifts west on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, as Vladimir Tarasenko and the St. Louis Blues travel to face Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. Kenny Albert, Mike Milbury, and Pierre McGuire will have the call from SAP Center in San Jose. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide live streaming coverage of all remaining Stanley Cup Playoff games. [NBC 2019 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB] MORE: • Conference Finals schedule, TV info • PHT Conference Finals predictions • Conference Finals roundtable<doc-sep>The Carolina Hurricanes don't always make the playoffs, but when they do, they go on big runs. Since the NHL's current playoff system was instituted in the 2013-14 season, the Hurricanes are only the second wild-card team to advance to the conference finals, joining the 2016-17 Predators... who went to the Stanley Cup Final. The Canes are the big disrupters in the NHL this season. They spent year after year as everyone's Cinderella pick, and finally, they're at the ball again. Carolina has spent only 78.6 percent of the salary cap, which is the lowest of any conference finalist in the past eight years -- by far (the next closest is the 2012-13 Los Angeles Kings at 93.2 percent). They're also having a ton of fun and galvanizing the fan base. Their postgame storm surge celebrations irked some (well, specifically one) in the old guard of hockey media, earning their nickname as the "Bunch of Jerks." 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs Miss a game from the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs? Want to experience a game again? Every playoff matchup is available for replay on ESPN+. Watch now » If you don't root for Boston and you're sick of the city's professional sports teams' success -- well, you're not in luck. The Bruins are in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2013, making it Boston's 28th appearance in a conference final in the four major sports since 2001. The next-closest city? Los Angeles, with 19. What's more: The Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox have all appeared in the conference/league championship round in the past year, with the Red Sox and Patriots winning titles. The nucleus of Boston's team looks a lot like its 2013 team, which lost to Chicago in the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins' core isn't getting any younger, and though they were able to retool on the fly, this might be the best chance for Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Tuukka Rask, et al, to win another championship. First line: Marchand, Bergeron and David Pastrnak were quiet to begin the second-round series against the Blue Jackets. And then -- reunited, perhaps for good these playoffs -- they started roaring, combining for 11 points over a two-game stretch. The Hurricanes have done some shuffling to their top six, with budding superstar Sebastian Aho as the constant at center. Depending on whom he lines up with (some combination of Teuvo Teravainen, Justin Williams, Warren Foegele and Nino Niederreiter) the Canes can present a very good top line, but not one that can exceed the talent and versatility of the Bruins'. Advantage: Bruins Depth: In Carolina, Foegele has been a breakout star; even though he was a fringe roster add and could have used some minor league seasoning at times this season, he's here to stay and has performed (five goals, four assists in 11 playoff games). Carolina has been balanced; seven players have at least three goals this postseason. Meanwhile, Boston has benefited from surprise secondary scoring. David Krejci, in his age-33 season, is quietly having a strong spring, with 10 points through 13 games. The bottom six have chipped in more than expected. Trade deadline acquisition Charlie Coyle (slotted at third-line center) looks like the best version of himself, and he was at times the team's best forward in the Toronto series. Advantage: Even Defense: The Canes' blue line is deep enough to withstand the season-ending injury to Trevor van Riemsdyk and not miss a beat. It's a talented group. Jaccob Slavin, in particular, is having an excellent postseason, especially offensively, as he leads the team with 11 points. Boston's blue line has been formidable, and the playoffs have been a coming-out party for Brandon Carlo, who, on most nights, is the Bruins' best defender by far. A big issue for Boston is the Game 1 suspension of Charlie McAvoy for his hit to the head of Josh Anderson in Game 6 of the series against Columbus. The Bruins surrendered a lot of shots to the Blue Jackets, and they'll be without a key cog for the series opener. Advantage: Hurricanes Goaltending: Tuukka Rask is playing some of the best hockey of his life. He had a .955 save percentage at even strength in the last four games of the Blue Jackets series, also stopping 26 of 27 high-danger shots (for a .963 save percentage) at even strength in that span. The Canes have two very capable goaltenders in Petr Mrazek (who started most of the playoffs) and Curtis McElhinney (who closed out the Islanders series when Mrazek was injured). They both have the capacity to lock in and steal a game, but neither is on Rask's level right now. Advantage: Bruins Health: The Canes lost defenseman van Riemsdyk to season-ending surgery. They welcomed back Andrei Svechnikov last round (concussion protocol after Alex Ovechkin fight) but played the entire second round without rugged forward Micheal Ferland. It's unclear when Ferland will come back, but it could be soon. Jordan Martinook is also managing an injury. Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (knee) has made progress, but he won't be available in time for Game 1. Miller has yet to play this postseason. John Moore is also managing an injury. Advantage: Bruins Special teams: Boston's power play is clicking, hitting at a 28.6 percent clip, best of any playoff team. The Bruins' penalty kill is average (83.8 percent). Carolina's penalty kill has struggled at times (75.0 percent), but the power play needs a lot of help; the Canes have just four goals in 38 opportunities this postseason (10.5 percent). Advantage: Bruins Coaching: Bruce Cassidy has made the right tactical moves at the right times to keep his lineup in check and clicking. Rod Brind'Amour is a rookie head coach, but his confidence and emotional connection to this team is hard to ignore. Advantage: Even Prediction: Bruins in seven<doc-sep>The conference finals are officially underway, as the Boston Bruins used a huge third period to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1. The bad news? We have to wait a day until the Western Conference series begins on Saturday. Here's a recap of last night's action (check out replays of every playoff game on ESPN+) and what to watch for tonight, in today's edition of ESPN Stanley Cup Playoffs Daily: Jump ahead: Last night's game | Three stars Play of the night | Social post of the day About last night ... Game 1: Boston Bruins 5, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (Bruins lead the series, 1-0) In the previous round, the Hurricanes saw firsthand how difficult it was for the Islanders to muster energy after a long layoff between rounds, but the Canes didn't seem to have that problem at all. Things opened up in the second period. According to Natural Stat Trick, there were a combined 13 scoring chances in the second (Carolina had a 7-6 edge) compared to just five in the first (Carolina had a 3-2 edge). Tuukka Rask, coming off an excellent second-round series, kept the Bruins in it. Then Boston surged with four goals in the third -- including two 28 seconds apart that regained the lead. The Bruins added an empty-netter and a breakaway goal in the closing minutes to make this game look less close than it was for the preceding 58. Three Stars 1. Marcus Johansson, C, Boston Bruins. Entering this game, the Bruins' power play had been the best of any team in the postseason (28.6 percent) but wasn't all too great in the Columbus series. Johansson and the second power-play unit helped reignite things, with a huge goal in the third to tie the score at 2-2. Johansson added an assist. 2. Tuukka Rask, G, Boston Bruins. Rask has been strong this postseason, and Thursday was yet another example. He stopped 29 of 31 shots, including some huge saves before and after his teammates' offensive explosion. 3. Greg McKegg, C, Carolina Hurricanes. It was the second straight game with a goal for the fourth-liner; before that, he had gone 23 straight games, dating back to the regular season, without one. It's a pretty cool moment for McKegg: The Hurricanes are his fourth team since the start of the 2016-17 season (he has been traded twice and waived twice). Play of the night And the first goal of the Eastern Conference Final has been scored by... Steven Kampfer, just as we all drew it up. #NHLBruins lead 1-0 pic.twitter.com/NAkHjEL3vN - Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) May 10, 2019 This was a special moment for Steven Kampfer, who drew into the lineup because of Charlie McAvoy's suspension. Kampfer, 30, was playing in his second career playoff game, a chance eight years in the making. No problem. He plugged in with a goal just three minutes in. "My parents always told me, if you're nervous, you're ready to go," he told NBC's Kathryn Tappen after the first period. Dud of the night Poor Dougie Hamilton. He got traded from Boston, and then his old fans serenaded him with chants of his name as he took two penalties. And not everyone agreed with this call. This? An NHL referee who I'm certain was assigned this game because he earned it, called this? That sets a ridiculous standard for this game and both teams, that he can't maintain... and won't. What a joke. Do better. https://t.co/Vo1dkZHu4l - Aaron Ward (@NHL_AaronWard) May 10, 2019 ...including Dougie. Dougie Hamilton reviewed video of both of his third-period penalties before speaking with reporters: "I just watched both of them and I didn't agree with either." - Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) May 10, 2019 Social post of the day Hintz played Game 7 with a broken foot. Janmark broke foot back in February or March and it kept getting aggravated. Zuccarello break was healed, but tendons were struggling and got injections before each game. - Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) May 9, 2019 Hockey Players are Tough, Volume 1, 332. Quotable Reporter: Can you talk about the Bergeron line Brind'Amour: Again?! - Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) May 9, 2019 Unfortunately for Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, he'll likely have to face the same questions before Game 2.<doc-sep>
The third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs got underway on Thursday night in Boston, with the Bruins and Hurricanes opening up their Eastern Conference finals series. It was the favored Bruins who took Game 1 with the help of a third period surge. After heading into the third period down 2-1, the Bruins rattled off four unanswered goals to take a 5-2 win on home ice. That win came without one of their best defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, who was serving a one-game suspension for a hit he threw in Game 6 against the Blue Jackets. Despite the rather lopsided scoreline, the Hurricanes played a strong opening game against Boston and largely dominated the second period. However, special teams played a major role in this game and the Bruins seized momentum in the third thanks to two power play goals. Stanley Cup playoffs games on NBC, NBCSN and USA can be streamed via fuboTV (Try for free). NHL Playoffs for Thursday, May 9 Game 1: FINAL -- Bruins 5, Hurricanes 2 (BOS leads 1-0) [Box score] Bruins' power play surges in third Officiating wasn't very good in this game. While the Bruins were frequently on the wrong side early in the game, it's Carolina that's been on the unfortunate end in the third period. After Marcus Johansson scored the equalizer on the power play following a (legitimate) boarding call on Jordan Staal, the Bruins took the lead on a gift power play. Officials missed an obvious interference call on Boston's Sean Kuraly and gave the Bruins a power play after an elbowing call on Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins scored their second power play goal in 28 seconds when Jake DeBrusk found Brad Marchand with a cross-ice feed and Marchand set up Patrice Bergeron for the 3-2 lead. Brandon Carlo threw a puck off Charlie Coyle for an empty-netter with over two minutes remaining in regulation, then Chris Wagner added another goal to close out the game with a 5-2 win for the Bruins. All Canes in second period Zdeno Chara returned to the ice in the second period after blocking a shot with his foot at the tail end of the first period. He was clearly in some pain when headed to the locker room after the shot block, but he's taking regular shifts in the middle frame. Carolina seized control for most of the second period, and they also seized a lead in the process. The Hurricanes pulled ahead when Greg McKegg scored on the rush before being pushed into Tuukka Rask by Kampfer. Rask appeared to be bracing for the contact when the shot slipped by him, but the goal counts because of Kampfer's shove and because the puck appeared to be going in prior to contact. The Hurricanes held a 15-10 shot advantage and led in scoring chances 16-9. Kampfer strikes early but Canes find PP life Charlie McAvoy is sitting out Game 1 as he serves a one-game suspension, but his replacement brought an immediate impact to the series opener. Bruins defenseman Steven Kampfer slotted in for McAvoy and scored his first career playoff goal to open the series less than three minutes into the game. After a Canes turnover, the Marcus Johansson found a streaking Kampfer with an outstanding pass and Kampfer was able to deliver the finish. That goal injected some extra life into the building, but the boost didn't last long. After Sean Kuraly took a roughing penalty, the Hurricanes scored a power play goal just a few seconds into the man-advantage. Not only did that goal tie the game but it was a good sign for the Hurricanes, who have struggled mightily on the power play this postseason. Carolina was 1-for-its-past-25 on the PP coming into this game.