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>Is this an Eastern Conference finals matchup that most people saw? Definitely not, but here we are. What can you say about the Carolina Hurricanes other than they have fully embraced the "Bunch of Jerks" moniker? They went from the last team to advance to the second round to the first team to solidify a spot in the conference finals. They easily swept the New York Islanders out of the Stanley Cup playoffs and will have had a week off by the time the puck drops on this series. SN STAFF PREDICTIONS: Eastern Conference | Western Conference | Stanley Cup In comparison, the Bruins are coming off a hard-fought, six-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets that wrapped up Monday. The series was the second one of the postseason where Boston had to come back from a 2-1 deficit. Against Columbus, they eventually rattled off three straight wins including a convincing 3-0 victory in Game 6 to close out the series. The Bruins are in the East finals for the first time since 2013, when they went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final. Carolina has advanced at least this far in each of its last four playoff appearances. Boston Bruins (-150) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (+130): Schedule, breakdown, prediction Date Matchup Time (TV channel) May 9 Game 1 at Boston 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA) May 12 Game 2 at Boston 3 p.m. ET (NBC, CBC, SN, TVA) May 14 Game 3 at Carolina 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA) May 16 Game 4 at Carolina 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVA) *May 18 Game 5 at Boston 7:15 p.m. ET (NBC, CBC, SN, TVA) *May 20 Game 6 at Carolina 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, SN1, TVA) *May 22 Game 7 at Boston 8 p.m. ET (NBCSN, CBC, SN360, TVA) (*if necessary) Season series The Bruins won the season series 2-1 but each game was close. Boston's No. 1 goaltender, Tuukka Rask, started the Bruins' lone loss, allowing five goals on 37 shots. On the flip side, Carolina netminder Petr Mrazek, who appears to be healthy enough to return from an injury, started in the win (three goals allowed on 30 shots). Mrazek's backup and recent fill-in, Curtis McElhinney, allowed four goals on 38 shots in an overtime loss. Sebastian Aho led all scorers with four goals — one short-handed — and added two assists while teammate Teuvo Teravainen chipped in four points (two goals, two assists). Brad Marchand paced the Bruins with two goals and three assists, including the game-winning goal in the first matchup of the season. DATE ROAD HOME RESULT Oct. 30 Bruins Hurricanes BOS, 3-2 Dec. 23 Bruins Hurricanes CAR, 5-3 Mar. 5 Hurricanes Bruins BOS, 4-3 (OT) Offense Carolina: The Hurricanes roll four lines and can score up and down the roster. Youngsters Teuvo Teravainen (four goals) and Sebastian Aho (three goals) and veterans Justin Williams (two goals) and Jordan Staal (two goals) led the way in the second round. Staal netted the game-winning overtime goal in Game 1 that set the Hurricanes down the path toward a sweep. Carolina has also gotten big point production from the defense corps, led by Jaccob Slavin's 11 assists. That helps explain how the Hurricanes have 3.09 GF/GP when they were at 2.96 during the regular season. They also have 26 goals when skating 5-on-5, which leads all postseason teams. Carolina's offense got back Andrei Svechnikov late in the second round and should get back Micheal Ferland in this round. Ferland had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018-19. Boston: David Pastrnak has had an up-and-down postseason, but the 2019 NHL All-Star did net four goals in the second round, including the game-winning goal late in Game 5. He has 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 12 career games against Carolina. Boston will need him, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand to increase their production. The line has not matched its regular-season level of output, but it has shown its ability in spurts. The unit will need to be more consistent. The rest of Boston's forwards will need to continue chipping in goals, because the Hurricanes have shown they can shut down some of the top players in the game. David Krejci and trade deadline acquisition Charlie Coyle have stepped up their games. Edge: Boston. Defense Carolina: Among the teams remaining, Carolina has allowed the fewest goals against (25) with an impressive 2.27 GA/GP (second-best). That's not a surprise, considering the Hurricanes have allowed the second-fewest shots against per game in the playoffs (27.8). They'll face a solid test in this series as the Bruins have the third-best GF/GP (3.08) and will pepper their netminders (35.7 shots/GP) with an attack that has produced the most shot attempts for (620). Slavin has been a star in the postseason and a workhorse along the blue line (26:36 TOI). His partner, Dougie Hamilton, will have something to prove to the team that traded him 2015. Those two will need to step up their games; they are minus-3 and minus-5, respectively, against Boston in their careers. Boston: Compared to Carolina, the Bruins are not far off their GA number (28) and are first in GA/GP (2.15). They'll be without Charlie McAvoy for Game 1, however; the NHL suspended him for a headshot on Columbus' Josh Anderson. McAvoy was one of the best defensemen in the second round and made a brilliant save in Game 5 — one of his 26 blocks in the playoffs. His partner, captain Zdeno Chara, is no slouch, though. The 6-9 Chara leads all playoff performers this year with a plus-9. He also holds an impressive plus-20 in 69 career games against Carolina to go with 28 points. Edge: Even. (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/f1/d9/tuukka-rask-boston-bruins-042519-getty-ftrjpeg_jil93u1zmgq11rzbcr5o2yojl.jpg?t=1432633210&w=500&quality=80 Goaltending Carolina: Who will start for the Hurricanes is still to be determined, but considering how Mrazek and McElhinney performed through the first two rounds, it probably doesn't matter. Mrazek, 27, went 5-3 with a 2.22 GAA and a .913 save percentage before getting hurt in Game 2 of the Islanders series. McElhinney, who will turn 36 on May 23, stepped in and went 3-0 with a 1.56 GAA and a .947 save percentage. In seven career games vs. Boston, McElhinney is 3-2-1 with a 2.21 GAA and a .934 save percentage. His numbers far exceed those of Mrazek, who is 4-2-1 in nine games with a 3.09 GAA and an .888 save percentage. Mrazek was Carolina's No. 1 netminder this season, however, and is expected to be back between the pipes if healthy. Boston: Tuukka Rask is 8-5 in this year's postseason with a 2.02 GAA, a .938 save percentage and a shutout; after the series against the Blue Jackets, his GAA dropped to 1.71 and his save percentage rose to .948. As coach Bruce Cassidy said after Rask's shutout in the clinching Game 6 victory, "I think he was our best player tonight. I thought we had a lot of guys play well, but he was our best player." Rask is 9-4-3 with a 2.27 GAA and a .928 save percentage in 17 games liftetime against Carolina, Edge: Boston. Mrazek's status remains uncertain and Rask has been phenomenal. Special teams The Hurricanes' power play has been atrocious in the postseason at just 10.5 percent effectiveness — and 4.8 percent on the road. In comparison, the Bruins are tops in the playoffs at 28.6 percent — and an unheard-of 43.8 percent on the road. With Carolina only 75 percent effective on the penalty kill, it must stay out of the box if it wants to have any chance of winning the series. Edge: Boston. (Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/5f/3d/justin-williams-carolina-hurricanes-new-york-islanders-050119-getty-ftrjpeg_qfj209rqpea71h2jfp8d5xowk.jpg?t=1984645018&w=500&quality=80 Key players to watch Dougie Hamilton, D, Hurricanes. He still isn't sure why the Bruins traded him, but he'll definitely try to show them why they shouldn't have. He has had a solid postseason and is a veteran leader for this young team. Zdeno Chara, D, Bruins. Chara has looked slow at times, but he knows when to pick his spots and is one of the best at positioning.<doc-sep>Jack Dempsey/Associated Press The Eastern Conference finals are set, but there is still much to be decided in the West. On Monday, the Boston Bruins finished off a series win over the Columbus Blue Jackets with a Game 6 victory. They advance to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who swept the New York Islanders in the second round. This will be the first time the Bruins and Hurricanes have faced off in the playoffs since 2009. Meanwhile, the Western Conference finals won't be decided until a pair of Game 7 matchups, one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday. The winner of the St. Louis Blues-Dallas Stars contest will advance to face the winner of the San Jose Sharks-Colorado Avalanche matchup. Remaining Second-Round Schedule (All Times ET) Tuesday, May 7 Video Play Button Videos you might like Game 7: Dallas at St. Louis, 8 p.m., NBC Sports Network Wednesday, May 8 Game 7: Colorado at San Jose, 9 p.m., NBC Sports Network Game 7 Previews Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press The first team to advance to the Western Conference finals will be either the Blues or Stars. St. Louis won Game 6 on the road and now returns home to host Game 7. While the Blues are 5-1 in road games this postseason, they are only 2-4 at home. They've lost their last two home contests—Games 2 and 5 against the Stars. But it will be home-ice advantage nonetheless, even if St. Louis plays with a different mentality. "Treat it like a road game as much as we can," Blues coach Craig Berube said, according to NHL.com's Tracey Myers. "Play a simple brand of hockey and get to our game as quickly as possible. Just keep the noise out and focus on playing. Just put the noise behind us and play." The Avalanche also forced a Game 7 in their series with the Sharks, as they notched an overtime win in Game 6 at home. San Jose and Colorado have alternated wins in the series, meaning the Sharks would win Game 7 to advance if the pattern continues. "We didn't play good enough to win [Game 6]," San Jose right wing Timo Meier said, according to NHL.com's David Satriano. "We've got to bring a better effort. It's a Game 7 now, we know what to do. It's going to be loud in our building, we're going to come out and we're going to bring our best hockey." This isn't anything the Sharks haven't already faced this postseason. They were down 3-1 in their first-round series before winning three straight games, including Game 7 at home, to advance. Eastern Conference Finals Preview Gerry Broome/Associated Press The Hurricanes have been one of the surprise teams of the postseason, and they'll look to keep that going against the Bruins. After outlasting the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in seven games in the first round, Carolina swept the New York Islanders in the second round. The Bruins also played a seven-game series in the opening round, taking down the Toronto Maple Leafs, before a six-game-series win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second round. These two teams have met in the playoffs twice before since the Hurricanes' first season in 1997-98. Boston won a six-game first-round series in 1999, while Carolina won a seven-game second-round series in 2009. In 2009, the Hurricanes went on to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final. They didn't make the postseason again until this year. Carolina will be looking to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006, when it won its only Cup. Boston last reached the finals in 2013 and won its last Cup in 2011. "If you're playing this time of year, you're doing something right," Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask said, according to NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin. "You've built something great as a team. We're super happy that we're in the position. Trying to keep the train rolling."<doc-sep>
After a pair of series against first-time opponents in rounds 1 and 2 of the 2019 NHL playoffs, the Carolina Hurricanes will face an old nemesis for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The Boston Bruins locked up their spot in the Eastern Conference Final on Monday night by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 in Game 6 of their second-round series. As a result, the Hurricanes will again face the Bruins, who they have now faced in three of their five playoff seasons since moving to North Carolina in 1997, the second-most frequent opponent for the Hurricanes behind the four meetings with the New Jersey Devils. The NHL announced Tuesday that Game 1 will be Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston. The schedule for the rest of series is not official yet, but based on arena availability around the league, we believe Game 3 will be next Tuesday and Game 4 next Thursday at PNC Arena. Canes owner Tom Dundon may have inadvertently spilled the beans in speaking with David Glenn this afternoon: Yes! Not yet "official." Classic Tom. — David Glenn Show (@DavidGlennShow) May 7, 2019 That sets up the following as the most likely schedule for the first four games: Game 1: at Boston, Thursday, May 9, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN (confirmed) Game 2: at Boston, Sunday, May 12, 3:00 p.m., NBC Game 3: at Carolina, Tuesday, May 14, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 4: at Carolina, Thursday, May 16, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN If the Stars and Avalanche advance to the conference final by winning their respective Game 7s tonight and tomorrow, the Canes/Bruins series will likely play Game 2 on Saturday. Otherwise, expect the above schedule to be correct. This article will be updated when the dates for the other games are confirmed. UPDATE May 9, 8:00 am The schedules have now been confirmed for the remainder of the Eastern Conference Final Game 1: at Boston, Thursday, May 9, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 2: at Boston, Sunday, May 12, 3:00 p.m., NBC Game 3: at Carolina, Tuesday, May 14, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 4: at Carolina, Thursday, May 16, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 5: at Boston, Saturday, May 18, 7:15 p.m., NBC* Game 6: at Carolina, Monday, May 20, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN* Game 7: at Boston, Wednesday, May 22, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN* The San Jose Sharks will face the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Final Game 1: at San Jose, Saturday, May 11, 8:00 p.m., NBC Game 2: at San Jose, Monday, May 13, 9:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 3: at St. Louis, Wednesday, May 15, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 4: at St. Louis, Friday, May 17, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN Game 5: at San Jose, Sunday, May 19, 3:00 p.m., NBC* Game 6: at St. Louis, Tuesday, May 21, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN* Game 7: at San Jose, Thursday, May 23, 9:00 p.m., NBCSN* * if necessary