Eastern Conference Final Schedule Released By NHL

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins meet up for the first game in the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday. Screenshot from the NHL.com recap video of the second round series winning game against New York.

TAMPA, FL — Hockey fans hoping for a repeat Eastern Conference Championships title for the Tampa Bay Lightning have a few dates to jot down. The NHL released the schedule for the finals on Thursday.

The Lightning’s first match against Pittsburgh is set for this Friday, May 13. The 8 p.m. game takes place on the Penguins’ home ice. Fans in America will be able to watch the game on NBCSN, which will provide exclusive coverage of the Conference Finals in the U.S., the NHL said.

Should the Lightning win the best-of-seven series, the team would secure the Eastern Conference title for the second year running. A series win would also send the Bolts back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row.

The Lightning lost the cup last year to the Chicago Blackhawks. The Bolts fell to the Blackhawks in game six of the series.

Following Friday’s game in Pittsburgh, the schedule for the conference finals is as follows. (All games will be played at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, according to the NHL.):

• Monday, May 16 at Pittsburgh
• Wednesday, May 18 at Tampa
• Friday, May 20 at Tampa
• Sunday, May 22 at Pittsburgh
• Tuesday, May 24 at Tampa
• Thursday, May 26 at Pittsburgh

Tickets for the conference finals went on sale Thursday.

Tickets are available via TampaBayLightning.com/tickets or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Fans who buy tickets through Ticketmaster for games that aren’t played due to a team wrapping up the series early will have their money automatically refunded. Fans are reminded there is a strict four ticket per household limit for each game.