2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Finals Television Schedule and Announcers

The Stanley Cup Playoffs logo. (NHL.com, Tamir Moore)

* Panthers and Hurricanes to face off in the Eastern Conference Final; first-ever playoff meeting between the teams

* Stars and Golden Knights to play in the Western Conference Final; a rematch of the 2020 Conference Finals

* Panthers vs. Hurricanes series begins on Thursday night at 8:00 PM (ET) on TNT; Panthers-Hurricanes to be exclusively televised on TNT

* Stars vs. Golden Knights series begins on Friday night at 8:30 PM (ET) on ESPN; Stars-Golden Knights to be exclusively televised by ABC or ESPN

The NHL's Conference Finals are now all set to go following the Dallas Stars Game 7 victory in the Western Conference Semifinals versus the Seattle Kraken this past Monday night. (as a side note, congratulations to Seattle for making a second round appearance in their very first postseason as a franchise).

The conference finals will begin on Thursday night in Raleigh. The Eastern Conference Finals are up first, as Hart Trophy finalist Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers visit Sebastian Aho and the Metropolitan-division winning Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of their series on Thursday night. Game 1 of the Panthers-Hurricanes is set for an 8:00 PM (ET) start time and will be televised on TNT.

Of course, as you hockey fans out there may know, this is the first-ever playoff meeting between Carolina and Florida. After stunning the best team in hockey, the Boston Bruins, in seven games in the first round, the Panthers ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs in five games during the conference semifinals. The Panthers aim for their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1996 and look to capture the franchise's first-ever Stanley Cup championship.

As for the Hurricanes, the team looks to win their first Stanley Cup since 2006 and second in their franchise's history. The Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference Final stage by knocking out the New York Islanders in six games and the New Jersey Devils in five games to set the stage for Carolina's second Conference Final appearance in the last five seasons (2019 was their last Conference Final appearance prior to this season).

On the call for the Eastern Conference Finals on TNT will be Kenny Albert, alongside analysts Eddie Olczyk and Keith Jones, with Jackie Redmond reporting throughout the course of the series.

On the Western side, the Western Conference Finals will begin on Friday night as Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars, fresh off their seven-game series victory over Seattle in the previous round, take on Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 from Las Vegas at 8:30 PM (ET) on ESPN.

The Vegas-Dallas Conference Final series is a rematch of the same Conference Finals matchup between these same two opponents back in 2020 (during the NHL's Canada bubble), which Dallas won (they eventually lost to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Final that year).

Vegas strives for their second Stanley Cup Final appearance in their brief six-season history (the first Stanley Cup Final appearance for Vegas was in 2018, during their inaugural season). Meanwhile, Dallas has their eyes set on getting one stop closer to the franchise's first championship since 1999, in addition to a second Stanley Cup Final appearance in the past four seasons.

ABC will televise Game 2 of the Stars vs. Golden Knights series this Sunday (May 21) at 3:00 PM (ET) and if necessary, Game 5, on Saturday, May 27, at 8:00 PM (ET). ESPN will handle the telecasts for the remaining games of the series.

Sean McDonough will call ABC/ESPN's coverage of the Western Conference Final with analyst Ray Ferraro and rinkside reporter Emily Kaplan.

I invite you to check out my articles on the previous rounds of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs:

* Conference Quarterfinals (link): https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/04/2023-stanley-cup-playoffs-conference.html

* Conference Semifinals (link): https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/04/2023-stanley-cup-playoffs-conference_27.html

Mandatory credit for NHL team logos: SportsLogos.Net.

• 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Finals Series Summary

Eastern Conference:

* (M1) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (WC2) Florida Panthers == Florida wins series, 4-0 (Series begins on Thursday, May 18)

. Game 1 - Thursday, May 18 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 2 - Saturday, May 20 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 3 - Monday, May 22 - Hurricanes vs. Panthers - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 4 - Wednesday, May 24 - Hurricanes vs. Panthers - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 5 (if nec.) - Friday, May 26 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 6 (if nec.) - Sunday, May 28 - Hurricanes vs. Panthers - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

. Game 7 (if nec.) - Tuesday, May 30 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

Western Conference:

* (P1) Vegas Golden Knights vs. (C2) Dallas Stars == Vegas wins series, 4-2 (Series begins on Friday, May 19)

. Game 1 - Friday, May 19 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ESPN, 8:30 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 2 - Sunday, May 21 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ABC, 3:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 3 - Tuesday, May 23 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 4 - Thursday, May 25 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 5 - Saturday, May 27 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ABC, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 6 - Monday, May 29 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

. Game 7 (if nec.) - Wednesday, May 31 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ESPN, 9:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

• 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Finals Daily Schedule

* Thursday, May 18

. Game 1 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

* Friday, May 19

. Game 1 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ESPN, 8:30 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

* Saturday, May 20

. Game 2 - Panthers vs. Hurricanes - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

* Sunday, May 21

. Game 2 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ABC, 3:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

* Monday, May 22

. Game 3 - Hurricanes vs. Panthers - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

* Tuesday, May 23

. Game 3 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

* Wednesday, May 24

. Game 4 - Hurricanes vs. Panthers - TNT, 8:00 PM (ET) - Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, Keith Jones, Jackie Redmond

* Thursday, May 25

. Game 4 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

* Saturday, May 27

. Game 5 - Stars vs. Golden Knights - ABC, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

* Monday, May 29

. Game 6 - Golden Knights vs. Stars - ESPN, 8:00 PM (ET) - Sean McDonough, Ray Ferraro, Emily Kaplan

- Source(s): NHL.

2023 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Television Schedule and Announcers

The logo for the NBA Playoffs. (CordCutting.com)

* ESPN/ABC to exclusively televise Western Conference Finals -- Jamal Murray's Denver Nuggets vs. LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers -- starting with Game 1 on Tuesday, May 16 at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN

* TNT to exclusively televise Eastern Conference Finals -- Jimmy Butler's Miami Heat vs. Jayson Tatum's Celtics -- starting with Game 1 on Wednesday, May 17 at 8:30 PM ET on TNT

What a wild, unpredictable 2023 NBA Playoffs so far! We have two play-in teams, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers, qualifying for the Conference Finals round. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors were eliminated last night! As a side note, Golden State suffered their first loss in the Western Conference playoffs since 2014! Crazy stuff.

The Conference Finals picture is almost all set. The Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Heat have already advanced to the Conference Finals while Boston and Philadelphia will play Game 7 tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, May 14) at 3:30 PM ET on ABC to figure out which squad will face Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals (beginning on Wednesday).

The 2023 Conference Finals will open up in Denver on Tuesday, May 16 with Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers square off with Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN. The Lakers dispatched the defending champion Warriors in six games during the semifinal round. Meanwhile, Denver ousted Phoenix following a six-game series victory in the second round.

The well-established NBA Finals broadcast team of Hall of Fame play-by-play commentator Mike Breen, analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, and reporter Lisa Salters will call each game of the Western Conference Finals.

Meanwhile, the 2023 Conference Finals will start on the Eastern side the following night, Wednesday, May 17. At 8:30 PM ET on TNT, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, continuing their almost improbable playoff run, visits Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. The Eastern Conference title is at stake! Miami-Boston is a rematch of the 2020 and 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, which each team winning once: Miami in 2020 and Boston in 2022. Veteran play-by-play man Kevin Harlan, analysts Reggie Miller and Stan Van Gundy, and reporter Allie LaForce is on the call for the Eastern Conference Finals.

Since this is the Conference Final round, check out the links for information about the previous rounds in the 2023 NBA Playoffs:

* Play-in Tournament: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/04/2023-nba-at-play-in-tournament.html

* Conference Quarterfinals: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/04/2023-nba-playoffs-conference.html

* Conference Semifinals: https://tamirmoore.blogspot.com/2023/04/2023-nba-playoffs-conference-semifinal.html

Check out the NBA's Conference Finals information below:

Mandatory credit for NBA team logos: SportsLogos.Net.

• 2023 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Series Summary

Eastern Conference:

* (2) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Miami Heat == Miami wins series, 4-3 (Series begins on Wednesday, May 17)

. Game 1 - Wednesday, May 17 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 2 - Friday, May 19 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 3 - Sunday, May 21 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 4 - Tuesday, May 23 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 5 - Thursday, May 25 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET -  Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 6 - Saturday, May 27 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

. Game 7 - Monday, May 29 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

Western Conference:

* (1) Denver Nuggets vs. (7) Los Angeles Lakers == Denver wins series, 4-0 (Series begins on Tuesday, May 16)

. Game 1 - Tuesday, May 16 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN/ESPN2, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters (ESPN); Stephen A. Smith, special guests (ESPN2)

. Game 2 - Thursday, May 18 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

. Game 3 - Saturday, May 20 - Nuggets vs. Lakers - ABC, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

. Game 4 - Monday, May 22 - Nuggets vs. Lakers - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

. Game 5 (if nec.) - Wednesday, May 24 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

. Game 6 (if nec.) - Friday, May 26 - Nuggets vs. Lakers - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

. Game 7 (if nec.) - Sunday, May 28 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

• 2023 NBA Playoffs: Conference Finals Daily Schedule

* Tuesday, May 16

. Game 1 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN/ESPN2, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters (ESPN); Stephen A. Smith, special guests (ESPN2)

* Wednesday, May 17

. Game 1 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Thursday, May 18

. Game 2 - Lakers vs. Nuggets - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

* Friday, May 19

. Game 2 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Saturday, May 20

. Game 3 - Nuggets vs. Lakers - ABC, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

* Sunday, May 21

. Game 3 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Monday, May 22

. Game 4 - Nuggets vs. Lakers - ESPN, 8:30 PM ET - Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, Lisa Salters

* Tuesday, May 23

. Game 4 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Thursday, May 25

. Game 5 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Saturday, May 27

. Game 6 - Celtics vs. Heat - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

* Monday, May 29

. Game 7 - Heat vs. Celtics - TNT, 8:30 PM ET - Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy, Allie LaForce

- Source(s): NBA.