USA TODAY SPORTS The St. Louis Blues won their first Stanley Cup championship on June 12, completing a turnaround for the ages. By beating the Bruins 4-1 in Boston in Game 7, they became the first team in the NHL’s expansion era to win a championship after ranking last in the overall league standings at any point after their 30th game of the season. The Blues were in last place on Jan. 2. Coach Craig Berube, a November replacement, and rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, who got his first start in January, led the turnaround. Center Ryan O'Reilly was a scoring force in the Final to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. All of the scores of the topsy-turvy upset-filled NHL postseason: STANLEY CUP FINAL Blues win 4-3 Game 1: Boston 4, St. Louis 2 Game 2: St. Louis 3, Boston 2 (OT) Game 3: Boston 7, St. Louis 2 Game 4: St. Louis 4, Boston 2 Game 5: St. Louis 2, Boston 1 Game 6: Boston 5, St. Louis 1 Game 7: St. Louis 4, Boston 1 CONFERENCE FINALS EASTERN CONFERENCE Boston vs. Carolina Bruins win 4-0 Game 1: Boston 5, Carolina 2 Game 2: Boston 6, Carolina 2 Game 3: Boston 2, Carolina 1 Game 4: Boston 4, Carolina 0 WESTERN CONFERENCE San Jose vs. St. Louis Blues win 4-2 Game 1: San Jose 6, St. Louis 3 Game 2: St. Louis 4, San Jose 2 Game 3: San Jose 5, St. Louis 4 (OT) Game 4: St. Louis 2, San Jose 1 Game 5: St. Louis 5, San Jose 0 Game 6: St. Louis 5, San Jose 1 SECOND ROUND EASTERN CONFERENCE Boston vs. Columbus Bruins win 4-2 Game 1: Boston 3, Columbus 2 (OT) Game 2: Columbus 3, Boston 2 (2OT) Game 3: Columbus 2, Boston 1 Game 4: Boston 4, Columbus 1 Game 5: Boston 4, Columbus 3 Game 6: Boston 3, Columbus 0 New York Islanders vs. Carolina Hurricanes win 4-0 Game 1: Carolina 1, N.Y. Islanders 0 (OT) Game 2: Carolina 2, N.Y. Islanders 1 Game 3: Carolina 5, N.Y. Islanders 2 Game 4: Carolina 5, N.Y. Islanders 2 WESTERN CONFERENCE St. Louis vs. Dallas Blues win 4-3 Game 1: St. Louis 3, Dallas 2 Game 2: Dallas 4, St. Louis 2 Game 3: St. Louis 4, Dallas 3 Game 4: Dallas 4, St. Louis 2 Game 5: Dallas 2, St. Louis 1 Game 6: St. Louis 4, Dallas 1 Game 7: St. Louis 2, Dallas 1 (2OT) San Jose vs. Colorado Sharks win 4-3 Game 1: San Jose 5, Colorado 2 Game 2: Colorado 4, San Jose 3 Game 3: San Jose 4, Colorado 2 Game 4: Colorado 3, San Jose 0 Game 5: San Jose 2, Colorado 1 Game 6: Colorado 4, San Jose 3 (OT) Game 7: San Jose 3, Colorado 2 FIRST ROUND EASTERN CONFERENCE Tampa Bay vs. Columbus Blue Jackets win 4-0 Game 1: Columbus 4, Tampa Bay 3 Game 2: Columbus 5, Tampa Bay 1 Game 3: Columbus 3, Tampa Bay 1 Game 4: Columbus 7, Tampa Bay 3 Boston vs. Toronto Bruins win 4-3 Game 1: Toronto 4, Boston 1 Game 2: Boston 4, Toronto 1 Game 3: Toronto 3, Boston 2 Game 4: Boston 6, Toronto 4 Game 5: Toronto 2, Boston 1 Game 6: Boston 4, Toronto 2 Game 7: Boston 5, Toronto 1 Washington vs. Carolina Hurricanes win 4-3 Game 1: Washington 4, Carolina 2 Game 2: Washington 4, Carolina 3 (OT) Game 3: Carolina 5, Washington 0 Game 4: Carolina 2, Washington 1 Game 5: Washington 6, Carolina 0 Game 6: Carolina 5, Washington 2 Game 7: Carolina 4, Washington 3 (2OT) New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Islanders win 4-0 Game 1: N.Y. Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT) Game 2: N.Y. Islanders 3, Pittsburgh 1 Game 3: N.Y. Islanders 4, Pittsburgh 1 Game 4: N.Y. Islanders 3, Pittsburgh 1 WESTERN CONFERENCE Nashville vs. Dallas Stars win 4-2 Game 1: Dallas 3, Nashville 2 Game 2: Nashville 2, Dallas 1 (OT) Game 3: Nashville 3, Dallas 2 Game 4: Dallas 5, Nashville 1 Game 5: Dallas 5, Nashville 3 Game 6: Dallas 2, Nashville 1 (OT) Winnipeg vs. St. Louis Blues win 4-2 Game 1: St. Louis 2, Winnipeg 1 Game 2: St. Louis 4, Winnipeg 3 Game 3: Winnipeg 6, St. Louis 3 Game 4: Winnipeg 2, St. Louis 1 (OT) Game 5: St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 2 Game 6: St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 2 Calgary vs. Colorado Avalanche win 4-1 Game 1: Calgary 4, Colorado 0 Game 2: Colorado 3, Calgary 2 (OT) Game 3: Colorado 6, Calgary 2 Game 4: Colorado 3, Calgary 2 (OT) Game 5: Colorado 5, Calgary 1 San Jose vs. Vegas Sharks win 4-3 Game 1: San Jose 5, Vegas 2 Game 2: Vegas 5, San Jose 3 Game 3: Vegas 6, San Jose 3 Game 4: Vegas 5, San Jose 0 Game 5: San Jose 5, Vegas 2 Game 6: San Jose 2, Vegas 1 (2OT) Game 7: San Jose 5, Vegas 4 (OT)<doc-sep>The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs continue and you can watch the action live on CBC TV or live streamed through CBCSports.ca and the CBC Sports app. CBC will be the home for every second-round game of the series between the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. The full broadcast schedule for the second round of the NHL playoffs, and where you can watch each game, is below: Eastern Conference semifinals Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins (Bruins win series 4-2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders (Hurricanes win series 4-0) Western Conference semifinals Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks (Sharks win series 4-3) Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues (Blues win series 4-3) Eastern Conference quarter-finals Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Bruins win series 4-3) New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (Islanders win series 4-0) Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Hurricanes win series 4-3) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (Blue Jackets win series 4-0) Western Conference quarter-finals Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche (Avalanche win series 4-1) Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues (Blues win series 4-2) Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (Stars win series 4-2) San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Sharks win series 4-3)<doc-sep>Share this Story: 11 burning questions heading into the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs 11 burning questions heading into the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs Article content From the Tampa Bay Lightning dominating the regular season to the wild-card races going right down to the final days, the six-month prelude to the Stanley Cup playoffs offered plenty of intrigue and excitement. But now the post-season is here and with it comes a slew of questions that, no matter what happened over the previous 82 games, can be answered only in the weeks ahead. Can anyone beat the Tampa Bay Lightning? It doesn’t look like it. While the Presidents’ Trophy has been a bit of a curse in the past — both the top-seeded Sharks in 2009 and the Capitals in 2010 lost in the first round — the Lightning is not like other No. 1 seeds. For one, the Bolts dominated the NHL like no other before them, becoming just the third team in history to win more than 60 games this season. Plus, this is the same core group of players that went to the Stanley Cup final in 2015. That being said, their road to another final isn’t going to be as easy as it probably should be. Despite finishing with the best record, Tampa Bay has to play either the third-ranked Bruins or the fifth-ranked Maple Leafs in the second round. Either team could be a challenge, especially if Victor Hedman isn’t 100% healthy. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 11 burning questions heading into the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs Back to video Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 2. Could there be a repeat Cup champion? Maybe. While it’s really hard to win back-to-back Cups, the Capitals are heading into this year’s playoffs in a similar position to a year ago. With one big exception: They now have confidence that they can go all the way and win. That’s a big thing for a team that continually failed to get over the hump. Now that Alex Ovechkin has a Cup and finally lifted that weight off his shoulders, don’t be surprised if the 51-goal scorer is even better this time around. If so, we could be in store for another summer of keg stands and fountain dives. 3. Will the Leafs get past the first round? It sure doesn’t look like it. After all, the Bruins are the third-best team in the league. And they have had Toronto’s number for, well, 60 years. The last time the Leafs beat the Bruins in the playoffs was way back in 1959. Eventually, the nightmare has to end. And this year it could if the Leafs’ top guns start firing. Toronto has invested a lot of money in John Tavares, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Patrick Marleau. Now, it’s time for those players, along with Mitch Marner, Nazem Kadri and Frederik Andersen, to step up and show what they’re worth. If they do that, who knows, it could have the same effect as when Washington got over the hump last year and finally beat Pittsburgh en route to winning a Cup. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 4. Can a Canadian team win the Stanley Cup? It’s been 26 years since a Canadian team brought the Stanley Cup north of the border. But don’t be surprised if the drought ends this year. On paper, Calgary has the best opportunity to win it all, having finished first in the West. But the Flames goaltending is a bit concerning. In Toronto, the Leafs have all the talent in the world. But they also have a roadblock in the form of the Bruins in the first round and likely the Lightning in the second round. So that leaves the Jets, who went to the conference final a year ago and have the size, skill and experience to go potentially all the way. That is, as long as Patrik Laine regains his touch and Josh Morrissey gets healthy. 5. What coach is on the hot seat? Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content It might sound silly to talk about a coach being fired after getting his team into the playoffs. But keep in mind that the Capitals were reportedly going to fire Barry Trotz if he lost in the first round to the Jackets a year ago. Even after he won the Cup, Trotz ended up out of Washington. This year, the coach to watch is Winnipeg’s Paul Maurice. While he’s not necessarily on the hot seat, the expectations around the Jets have increased since reaching the conference final last year. If the Jets go out in the first round, it wouldn’t be surprising if a coaching change were made. The same might be true of Mike Babcock if he is unable to get the Leafs into the second round. Sure, he is only halfway through an eight-year contract. But keep in mind that most of that $50-million has already been paid out. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 6. Will Sidney Crosby add to his legacy? This hasn’t been a great season for the Penguins, who were battling until the last week of the season to get into the playoffs. But despite the team’s struggles — Evgeni Malkin has been just plain awful — it’s been one of the best seasons of Sidney Crosby’s career. With 95 points, he might be a finalist for the Hart Trophy. At the very least, he should probably win the Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward. Crosby won back-to-back playoff MVPs in 2016 and 2017, but was arguably even better last year when he scored nine goals and 21 points in 12 games. In other words, we could be seeing a lot of Sid the Kid’s scraggly playoff beard. 7. Will there be a Cinderella story? If there’s a team that could do what Vegas did a year ago and buck the odds, it’s the Islanders. This is a team that finished in 11th place last season, but despite losing John Tavares to free agency, somehow managed to get better this year. Coaching is a big part of New York’s success. There’s nothing flashy with this team that didn’t have a player ranked among the top 60 in scoring. But what the Islanders lack offensively, they make up for on defence, where Barry Trotz’s system resulted in the fewest goals allowed and the fifth-fewest penalties taken. It’s boring hockey. But in the playoffs, boring often leads to deep runs. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 8. Which team will break our hearts? The Sharks were a pre-season favourite after adding Erik Karlsson in the summer. But it hasn’t exactly worked out the way we thought it would. Sure, San Jose has one of the best records in the West. But whether it’s Karlsson not quite looking comfortable or that goalie Martin Jones is having the worst season of his career, the Sharks don’t seem like a team that is poised to win the Cup. With Vegas waiting in the first round, don’t be surprised if San Jose once again falls significantly short. 9. Which player has the most to prove? William Nylander missed the first two months of the season because of a contract stalemate. Based on his play, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was still holding out. With six goals and 26 points in 52 games, he’s far from deserving of the $10.2-million he’s actually being paid this season. But all that can change in the playoffs, an area where Nylander hasn’t exactly shined in the past. Last year, he had just one goal and three assists in seven games against the Bruins. As a rookie, he had identical numbers against the Capitals.<doc-sep>
Nick Wass/Associated Press Don't worry about missing any NHL playoff action on Saturday. Beginning at 3 p.m. ET, there will be four games with no overlapping start times (pending potential overtimes), meaning it will be a great day for hockey fans. The first round of the postseason continues with four matchups, with teams either looking to avoid 2-0 deficits or obtain 2-0 leads ahead of arena shifts for the next two games of the series. Here is the full bracket for this year's NHL playoffs. Saturday Playoff Schedule Game 2: Carolina at Washington, 3 p.m., NBC Game 2: Dallas at Nashville, 6 p.m., CNBC Game 2: Toronto at Boston, 8 p.m., NBC Game 2: Colorado at Calgary, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network Video Play Button Videos you might like Saturday Predictions Four teams are looking to take 2-0 series leads. However, only one team will make that happen. The Calgary Flames had a convincing 4-0 win in their first game against the Colorado Avalanche, and they should have no problem taking a 2-0 series lead before the series moves to Denver. Veteran goalie Mike Smith had an impressive 26-save performance in the shutout win. The 37-year-old praised the Calgary fans after Thursday's victory. "Honestly, I haven't quite heard anything like that before in my career," Smith said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "It honestly gives you some confidence, obviously, when you're hearing your name get chanted. I haven't quite experienced what I experienced tonight in my 13 years in this league." Derek Leung/Getty Images Expect another strong performance from Smith to lead the Flames to another postseason win. The Washington Capitals may have won the Stanley Cup last year, but they had their share of postseason struggles before that. And although they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1, it was a close game. The Hurricanes scored two third-period goals after the Capitals had taken an early 3-0 lead, and they had the chance to tie the game late. The resilience Carolina showed will lead to it notching a Game 2 win and tying the series before it moves to the Hurricanes' home ice. In order to do that, Carolina knows one thing that must improve from Game 1. "Obviously our power play has to better, a little crisper and create more chances, more shots," center Jordan Staal said, according to Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. The Nashville Predators and Boston Bruins each lost Game 1 of their series on their home ice. They both need to win their respective Game 2s to avoid facing 2-0 deficits when they head on the road for the next two games of their series. They will both find ways to get that done. The Predators and Bruins were strong teams during the regular season, and they are going to make their series, with the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively, competitive.