The NHL playoff bracket has plenty of intriguing matchups and lots of competitiveness.
So far, only one series is on the verge of a sweep. The Toronto Maple Leafs led the Ottawa Senators 3-0 heading into Saturday’s games.
The Lightning on Saturday cut their deficit against the Panthers to 2-1 with a 5-1 victory. That series saw Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel suspended for one game for a hit that injured Florida captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2. Barkov returned for Game 3.
The other series were 2-1 heading into Saturday. The St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers picked up their first wins in Game 3. The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild overcame Game 1 losses to lead their series.
Here are the playoff matchups, schedule and results for the first round of the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs (all times p.m. ET, series are best of seven):
Lightning 5, Panthers 1
Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild, 4, TBS, truTV
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators, 7, TBS, truTV
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche, 9:30, TBS, truTV
Key: M-Metropolitan; A-Atlantic; WC-wild card; x-if necessary
Streaming: Fubo and Sling carry ESPN games; Sling also carries TNT games
Capitals lead series 2-1
Hurricanes lead series 2-1
Maple Leafs lead series 3-0
Panthers lead series 2-1
Key: C-Central; P-Pacific; WC-wild card, x-if necessary
Streaming: Fubo and Sling carry ESPN games; Sling also carries TNT games
Jets lead series 2-1
Stars lead series 2-1
Wild lead series 2-1
Kings lead series 2-1
