Friday’s action is all about the qualifying rounds.
With the round-robin games taking the day off, let’s check in on the standings:
From a Blackhawks perspective, the most relevant game will be Saturday’s matchup between the Golden Knights and the Avalanche. The winner of that game will claim the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. With the Blackhawks being the No. 12 seed in the West, they’re locked in to a first-round matchup against the No. 1 seed, should they advance beyond the qualifying round.
That’s what the Blackhawks will be looking to do Friday in Edmonton. With the No. 8 Flames eliminating the No. 9 Jets on Thursday night, two of the eight qualifying round series have been decided (the No. 6 Hurricanes completed a three-game sweep of the No. 11 Rangers on Tuesday).
The action begins with the No. 7 Islanders against the No. 10 Panthers, with New York up 2-1. An upset is brewing in the next game of the day, where the No. 11 Coyotes can eliminate the No. 6 Predators with a Game 4 win.
Friday’s middle pair of games feature a pair of underdogs looking to pull the upset in a No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup. The Canadiens will have a chance to eliminate the Penguins first (on Sidney Crosby’s 33rd birthday), followed by the Blackhawks’ attempt to deliver the same fate to the Oilers.
An Eastern Conference series resumes in the evening, where the No. 9 Blue Jackets have the No. 8 Maple Leafs on the verge of elimination. And, in the final game of the day, a win by the No. 7 Canucks would spell the end for the No. 10 Wild.
Friday, Aug. 7
Islanders vs. Panthers, Game 4, 11 a.m. | NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, TVAS, FS-F, MSG+
Predators vs. Coyotes, Game 4, 1:30 p.m. | NHLN, NHL.TV, SN360, FS-A, FS-TN
Penguins vs. Canadiens, Game 4, 3 p.m. | NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, TVAS, ATTSN-PT
Oilers vs. Blackhawks, Game 4, 5:45 p.m. | NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, NBCSCH
Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets, Game 4, 7 p.m. | NHLN, CBC, TVAS, FS-O
Canucks vs. Wild, Game 4, 9:45 p.m. | NBCSN, NHL.TV, SN, FS-N