How to watch Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final & NHL news and notes

After crashing out of the 2018-19 NHL playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning are just one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. The Bolts had a league-high 128 points last season, but were swept in the first-round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

This year’s squad is on a mission to avenge last year’s disappointment. Tampa Bay has dominant through the playoffs, and leads the New York Islanders 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Final.

New York struck first in Game 4 when Brock Nelson opened the scoring just over 11 minutes into the second period, but it was all Lightning from there. The Bolts scored the next four goals and went on to an easy 4-1 win. Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat led the way with a goal and an assist each.

Tampa Bay has only lost once in its last eight postseason games and looks to be simply a superior team than New York, dominating play for long stretches throughout the series.

Eastern Conference Final, Game 5: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders (TBL leads series 3-1)

Time: 5:00 p.m. PT

TV: NBCSN

Do you think the Islanders will get back into the series with a win today?

Join in the discussion throughout the day in the comments below!

NHL news and notes:

• The Carolina Hurricanes sent pending free-agent defenseman Joel Edmunson to the Montreal Canadians in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Montreal will have the first rights to negotiate a new deal with the 27-year-old, who had seven goals and 13 assists with Carolina last season.
• The Calgary Flames removed the interim tag from head coach Geoff Ward. The club announced it has signed Ward to a two-year deal after he led the Flames to a 25-15-3 record. Calgary beat the Winnipeg Jets in the qualifying round before losing to the Dallas Stars in six games in the first round. Ward, 58, is the fourth head coach in the last five years for the Flames, who have only reached the second round of the playoffs once over the last 11 years. /