A day after the conference semifinals concluded, the well-rested Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins commenced the Eastern Conference Final with a 3-1 victory for Tampa Bay. The final Eastern Conference representatives will take the weekend off before resuming play on Monday.
In the Western Conference, neither the St. Louis Blues nor San Jose Sharks will receive much time to celebrate their decisive Game 7 victory. Along with their similar paths to this conference final showdown, both teams share empty mantels, as neither franchise has won the Stanley Cup.
Two teams will continue their climb to the championship, but the other pair will have come all this way for naught.