It's desperation time in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as three teams look to avoid going down 3-1 on Wednesday. The Maple Leafs host the Bruins up 2-1, the Stars try to avoid going down 3-1 against the Predators at home and the Western Conference's No. 1 team in Calgary is trying to stave off the Avalanche, who went up 2-1 in the series on Monday.
Beginning in Toronto, the Bruins have not yet figured out how to stop the talented young Maple Leafs stars. Andreas Johnsson and Trevor Moore both netted on in Game 3, and Auston Matthews was solid as well. Despite being outplayed last game, the Bruins still only lost by a goal. It's a small silver lining, but a silver lining nevertheless. Boston will try to continue the trend of alternating wins on Wednesday, as they look for some scoring depth outside of the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand.
The Stars are also in a precarious situation, but they host the Predators on Wednesday. After going up 1-0, they've dropped the last two games. It's been a defensive standoff, with neither team scoring more than three goals in a game so far this series. Pekka Rinne has been as advertised, and he's kept the Predators in the past two games. In Game 3, Filip Forsberg got on the board for Nashville, while only one skater for each team has multiple goals in the series (Mats Zuccarello for the Stars and Rocco Grimaldi for the Predators). Someone will have to break out if this series is going to look any different.
For the nightcap, the Avalanche are hosting the Flames up 2-1. The No. 1 seed in the East is already out, and the Avalanche can take another step in the right direction with a win on Wednesday. In true Avalanche fashion, Nathan MacKinnon has been the difference maker with three goals, while the youngblood Cale Makar got on the board in the 6-2 Game 3 win. The Flames will need to adjust to the road crowd in Game 4 if they don't want to make an early exit this year.
NHL playoff schedule for April 17, 2019
Game 4: Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (TOR leads, 2-1) -- [Preview] -- 7 p.m. ETGame 4: Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars (NSH leads 2-1) -- [Preview] -- 8 p.m. ETGame 4: Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche (COL leads 2-1) -- [Preview] -- 10 p.m. ET
