It’s a week full of probable eliminations in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the calendar flips over to May.
The action kicks off out East on Monday night, with the Florida Panthers one win away from eliminating the Tampa Bay Lightning (and ensuring the Blackhawks a decent first-round pick) before the Dallas Stars vie for an even series, trailing 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights.
On Tuesday, a quartet of games with the series sitting at 3-1 are on the docket, which means four teams could have their seasons end that night. Three of the teams with a chance to move on to the second round are at home, with the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes and Vancouver Canucks looking to book tee times for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders and Nashville Predators, respectively. The only road team with a chance to clinch a series win is the Colorado Avalanche, who are on the road against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.
The only guaranteed games beyond that initial slate are on Wednesday night, when Vegas heads to Dallas for Game 5 and the Los Angeles Kings are in Canada to face the Edmonton Oilers, with the hosts leading that series 3-1 as well.
All times below are Central Time
Monday, April 29
Game 5: Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Game 4: Dallas Stars at Vegas Golden Knights, ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 30
Game 5: Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins, ESPN, 6 p.m.
Game 5: New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes, TBS/MAX, 6:30 p.m.
Game 5: Colorado Avalanche at Winnipeg Jets, ESPN, 8:30 p.m.
Game 5: Nashville Predators at Vancouver Canucks, TBS/MAX, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, May 1
*Game 6: Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning, ESPN 2, 6 p.m.
Game 5: Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars, ESPN, 6:30 p.m.
Game 5: Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers, ESPN, 9 p.m.
Thursday, May 2
*Game 6: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, TBD
*Game 6: Carolina Hurricanes at New York Islanders, TBD
*Game 6: Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche, TBD
*If necessary