In the last three weeks, sports fans enjoyed seeing their favorite teams participating again. What seems like COVID-19 experiments, especially in MLB, fought through challenging scenarios, implementing the strict procedures and guidelines suggested by experts.

As the smoke clears and the country grows closer to a vaccine, the NHL & NBA begin their postseason round of 16, while MLB continues adjusting as multiple franchises makeup games. August 11 represents the first day of opening-round games in the NHL. Here are the matchups.

August 11 Opening Round Series Games

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs #9 Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets and Lightning meet for the second straight postseason. The Presidents Trophy winners in 2018-19, Tampa Bay failed to win a game in their Opening Round matchup against Columbus.

Columbus-Tampa Bay
2019 Opening Round Series Totals
	Columbus	Tampa Bay
Wins	4	0
Goals	19>>	14
PPG-PPO	4-17	1-11
>>Scored 19 of final 30 goals

Last season’s postseason result represents the opposite of the previous seven regular-season matchups, with the Lightning winning all seven by a wide margin.

Tampa Bay – Columbus
Last 7 Regular Season Games
	Tampa Bay>>	Columbus
W-L-OL	7-0	*0-5-2
Goals	31	8
PPG-PPO	8-27	0-24
>>Won only matchup this season

#4 Boston Bruins vs #6 Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina and Boston resume their Adams Division rivalry for the second straight postseason. Boston swept Carolina in the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.

Boston-Carolina
Playoff History
	Result
2019 Conference Finals	Boston 4-0
2009 East Quarters	Carolina 4-3
1999 East Quarters	Boston 4-2
1991 Adams Semis	Boston 4-2
1990 Adams Semis	Boston 4-3

The two teams only played once this season, with Boston shutting out Carolina 2-0. In the Qualifying round, Boston’s power play struggled, while Carolina held the Rangers to one goal in 14 power-play opportunities.

Qualifying Round
Boston PP vs Carolina PK
	Boston PP
PPG-PPO	0-9
	Carolina PK
PPG-PPO	1-14

West

#3 Dallas Stars vs #8 Calgary Flames

Despite both teams residing in the same conference all but three seasons since Calgary joined the NHL as the Atlanta Flames in 1972-73, this is only the second time facing each other in the postseason. Dallas, then the Minnesota North Stars, defeated Calgary in six games in the 1981 Stanley Cup Semifinals.

Dallas lost two of three of their qualifying seeding matchups, keeping a trend they established before COVID-19.

Dallas Stars
Last Nine Games
W-L-OL	*1-6-2>>
Goal Diff	-13
PPG-PPO	*4-26
PPGA-PPOO	*9-30
>>Won last qualifying seeding game

The two teams faced each other three times this season, with Calgary winning two of three (one in OT). However, dating back to 2017, the Stars own an advantage. During the qualifying round, Calgary’s power-play performed well. Their five PPG tied with Edmonton for the most.

Dallas-Calgary
Last Nine Matchups
	Dallas	Calgary>
W-L-OL	*7-1-1	*2-6-1
Goals	24	18
PPG-PPO	*8-28	*7-33>>
>2-1-0 this season
>>3-5 in last game played

Most Power-Play Goals
Qualfying Round
	PPG-PPO
Calgary	5-17
Edmonton	5-17

#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs #12 Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago, winners of three Stanley Cups since 2010, defeated #5 seed Edmonton in the qualifying round. Chicago’s 72 points represented the fewest in the Western Conference. Vegas joined the NHL in 2017-18, reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in their first season. Vegas owns a dominating advantage over Chicago in their nine regular-season matchups, winning eight of them.

Vegas-Chicago
Nine Career Matchups
	Vegas	Chicago
W-L-OL	*8-1-0	*1-6-2
Goals Scored	40	24
PPG-PPO	*6-29	*4-26

Both teams ranked among the leaders for goals scored in the qualifying round.

Most Goals PG
Qualifying Round
Vegas	5
Chicago	4
Calgary	4
Edmonton	3.75