NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: Dates, TV Guide, Bracket and Stanley Cup Standings
Steve Silverman@@profootballboy
Featured ColumnistMay 3, 2015
The NHL returns to prominence Sunday with three conference semifinal games that gives hockey fans a chance to watch a playoff tripleheader.
The Tampa Bay Lightning want to put a stranglehold on their series with the Montreal Canadiens by winning a second straight game on the road, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks are both aiming for 2-0 advantages by winning at home over the Minnesota Wild and the Calgary Flames, respectively.
The Lightning got swept by the Habs in last year's playoff meeting, and red-hot Tyler Johnson would love to return the favor. Johnson has already scored seven goals in this playoff season, and he shows no signs of slowing down.
The Blackhawks appeared to solve Devan Dubnyk in Game 1 of the series by scoring four goals against him, but Chicago goalie Corey Crawford has not been consistent in this playoff season. Anaheim rolled to a 6-1 victory in Game 1, but the beauty of the postseason is often the ability of the underdog to bounce back.
| NHL Playoff Schedule for Sunday, May 3 | ||
| Time | Matchups | TV |
| 6 p.m. ET | Tampa Bay at Montreal (TB leads, 1-0) | NBCSN |
| 8:30 p.m. ET | Minnesota at Chicago (Chi leads, 1-0) | NBCSN |
| 10 p.m. ET | Calgary at Anaheim (Ana. leads, 1-0) | CNBC |
| NHL.com | ||
Full schedule can be found at NHL.com
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
| NHL Playoff Standings | |||
| Team | W | L | Pct. |
| Anaheim | 5 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Chicago | 5 | 2 | .714 |
| N.Y. Rangers | 5 | 3 | .625 |
| Tampa Bay | 5 | 3 | .625 |
| Calgary | 4 | 3 | .571 |
| Minnesota | 4 | 3 | .571 |
| Montreal | 4 | 3 | .571 |
| Washington | 5 | 4 | .555 |
| NHL.com | |||
Sunday's Game to Watch: Minnesota at Chicago (Game 2)
The Blackhawks may have escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Wild in Game 1 of the series, but there were several encouraging moments for the visitors that they should be able to build on.
The first was the calmness and confidence they showed when they fell behind after a late-for-school first period that saw the Blackhawks jump off to a 3-0 lead. The Wild appeared to be just watching in the period as Brandon Saad gave Chicago a 1-0 lead before the first 1:30 had been played. It didn't get any better during the rest of the period, either.
However, the Wild came out with a purpose in the second round, as Jason Zucker, Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund all scored quickly to square the game. The comeback was ruined by Chicago's Teuvo Teravainen, who scored the winning goal on a long wrist shot from the boards late in the second period.
After waltzing through the first period, the Wild skated with speed and determination for the final 40 minutes. If they can get off to a quicker start, they should be able to dictate the pace of the second game.
Dubnyk has been the hero of the Wild's season to this point, and he needs to bounce back with an ordinary performance. The Blackhawks have no idea of what they will get from Crawford, who has ranged from awful to decent in his playoff appearances thus far.
The Wild will be encouraged if they can square the series at the United Center before returning home, while the Blackhawks would breathe much easier if they can go to Minnesota with a 2-0 edge.
Bracketology
The winner of the Tampa Bay-Montreal series will meet the winner of the New York Rangers-Washington series (currently tied 1-1) in the Eastern Conference Final.
The winner of the Calgary-Anaheim series will meet the winner of the Minnesota-Chicago series in the Western Conference Final.
The two teams that emerge from the respective conference finals will meet in the Stanley Cup Final, and a new champion will emerge in June.