2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule for first-round matchups
The Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule is out for the first round matchups as the best postseason in sports gets underway on Wednesday night.
This year’s playoff standings went down to the final day of the regular season with a couple of spots on the line and teams jockeying for home-ice advantage in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that begin in Wednesday night.
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The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings were eliminated when the Calgary Flames beat them in the second to last game of the year and last year’s President’s Trophy winners, the Boston Bruins were passed by the red-hot Ottawa Senators.
But 16 teams did make the playoffs with the New York Rangers winning the President’s Trophy and having home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. The last time they won the President’s Trophy in 1993-1994 they won the Stanley Cup, so could history repeat itself?
They’ll have to get through the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round after they sneaked in on the last day of the season, but have the game’s best player in Sidney Crosby who is looking to overcome some recent playoff shortcomings.
In the Western Conference, there are a pair of first-round matchups that could be as good as the Western Conference Finals with the St. Louis Blues vs. the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks vs. the Nashville Predators leaving two teams with 100 points in the season done after one round.
The best postseason in sports gets underway on Wednesday night and you can see the complete schedule of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round schedule below, courtesy of NHL.com.
| EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS | |||
| SERIES A – A1 vs. W1 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Wednesday, April 15 | 7 p.m. | Ottawa at Montreal | CBC, TVA Sports, NHL Network |
| Friday, April 17 | 7 p.m. | Ottawa at Montreal | CBC, TVA Sports, CNBC |
| Sunday, April 19 | 7 p.m. | Montreal at Ottawa | CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN |
| Wednesday, April 22 | 7 p.m. | Montreal at Ottawa | CBC, TVA Sports, USA |
| *Friday, April 24 | TBD | Ottawa at Montreal | CBC |
| *Sunday, April 26 | TBD | Montreal at Ottawa | CBC |
| *Tuesday, April 28 | TBD | Ottawa at Montreal | CBC |
| SERIES B – A2 vs. A3 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Thursday, April 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Detroit at Tampa Bay | CNBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. | Detroit at Tampa Bay | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports |
| Tuesday, April 21 | 7 p.m. | Tampa Bay at Detroit | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Thursday, April 23 | 7 p.m. | Tampa Bay at Detroit | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports |
| *Saturday, April 25 | TBD | Detroit at Tampa Bay | TBD |
| *Monday, April 27 | TBD | Tampa Bay at Detroit | TBD |
| *Wednesday, April 29 | TBD | Detroit at Tampa Bay | TBD |
| SERIES C – M1 vs. W2 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Thursday, April 16 | 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh at NY Rangers | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports |
| Saturday, April 18 | 8 p.m. | Pittsburgh at NY Rangers | NBC, CBC, TVA Sports |
| Monday, April 20 | 7 p.m. | NY Rangers at Pittsburgh | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports |
| Wednesday, April 22 | 7 p.m. | NY Rangers at Pittsburgh | NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports |
| *Friday, April 24 | TBD | Pittsburgh at NY Rangers | TBD |
| *Sunday, April 26 | TBD | NY Rangers at Pittsburgh | TBD |
| *Tuesday, April 28 | TBD | Pittsburgh at NY Rangers | TBD |
| SERIES D – M2 vs. M3 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Wednesday, April 15 | 7 p.m. | NY Islanders at Washington | USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Friday, April 17 | 7 p.m. | NY Islanders at Washington | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Sunday, April 19 | Noon | Washington at NY Islanders | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Tuesday, April 21 | 7:30 p.m. | Washington at NY Islanders | USA, SN 360, TVA Sports |
| *Thursday, April 23 | TBD | NY Islanders at Washington | TBD |
| *Saturday, April 25 | TBD | Washington at NY Islanders | TBD |
| *Monday, April 27 | TBD | NY Islanders at Washington | TBD |
| WESTERN CONFERENCE FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS | |||
| SERIES E – C1 vs. W1 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Thursday, April 16 | 9:30 p.m. | Minnesota at St. Louis | NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports |
| Saturday, April 18 | 3 p.m. | Minnesota at St. Louis | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Monday, April 20 | 8 p.m. | St. Louis at Minnesota | CNBC, SN1, TVA Sports |
| Wednesday, April 22 | 9:30 p.m. | St. Louis at Minnesota | NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports |
| *Friday, April 24 | TBD | Minnesota at St. Louis | TBD |
| *Sunday, April 26 | TBD | St. Louis at Minnesota | TBD |
| *Wednesday, April 29 | TBD | Minnesota at St. Louis | TBD |
| SERIES F – C2 vs. C3 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Wednesday, April 15 | 8:30 p.m. | Chicago at Nashville | NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports |
| Friday, April 17 | 9:30 p.m. | Chicago at Nashville | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Sunday, April 19 | 3 p.m. | Nashville at Chicago | NBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Tuesday, April 21 | 9:30 p.m. | Nashville at Chicago | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| *Thursday, April 23 | TBD | Chicago at Nashville | TBD |
| *Saturday, April 25 | TBD | Nashville at Chicago | TBD |
| *Monday, April 27 | TBD | Chicago at Nashville | TBD |
| SERIES G – P1 vs. W2 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Thursday, April 16 | 10:30 p.m. | Winnipeg at Anaheim | CNBC, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Saturday, April 18 | 10:30 p.m. | Winnipeg at Anaheim | NBCSN, Sportsnet, TVA Sports |
| Monday, April 20 | 9 p.m. | Anaheim at Winnipeg | Sportsnet, TVA Sports, NBCSN |
| Wednesday, April 22 | 9:30 p.m. | Anaheim at Winnipeg | Sportsnet, TVA Sports, USA |
| *Friday, April 24 | TBD | Winnipeg at Anaheim | Sportsnet |
| *Sunday, April 26 | TBD | Anaheim at Winnipeg | Sportsnet |
| *Tuesday, April 28 | TBD | Winnipeg at Anaheim | Sportsnet |
| SERIES H – P2 vs. P3 | TIME (ET) |  vs.  | NETWORKS |
| Wednesday, April 15 | 10 p.m. | Calgary at Vancouver | CBC, TVA Sports, USA |
| Friday, April 17 | 10 p.m. | Calgary at Vancouver | CBC, TVA Sports, CNBC |
| Sunday, April 19 | 10 p.m. | Vancouver at Calgary | CBC, TVA Sports, NBCSN |
| Tuesday, April 21 | 10 p.m. | Vancouver at Calgary | CBC, TVA Sports, USA |
| *Thursday, April 23 | TBD | Calgary at Vancouver | CBC |
| *Saturday, April 25 | TBD | Vancouver at Calgary | CBC |
| *Monday, April 27 | TBD | Calgary at Vancouver | CBC |
Who do you think will be hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup later this spring?
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