The Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to continue with half the playoff field eliminated, as Round 2 gets going Thursday night.
Just one Canadian team remains and the Winnipeg Jets are the last remaining hope for Canada to end a Stanley Cup drought that dates back to the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. They’ll face the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Nashville Predators, who were pushed harder by the Colorado Avalanche than many assumed.
There continue to be many intriguing storylines and matchups, including another Crosby-Ocechkin second-round showdown. We’ve previewed each series to give you some insight and perspective into the next round.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs. 
BOSTON BRUINS
These teams had the top two spots in the Atlantic Division locked down for months and just one point separated them in the standings. Each lineup is loaded and features finalists for some major awards including the Selke, Jack Adams, Vezina and Calder. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, Boston won a thrilling seven-gamer in the Eastern Conference final and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
| GAME | DATE | TIME | STATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Sat., April 28 | Boston @ Tampa Bay, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT | SN |
| G2 | Mon., April 30 | Boston @ Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G3 | Wed., May 2 | Tampa Bay @ Boston, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G4 | Fri., May 4 | Tampa Bay @ Boston, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G5* | Sun., May 6 | Boston @ Tampa Bay, TBD | TBD |
| G6* | Tues., May 8 | Tampa Bay @ Boston, TBD | TBD |
| G7* | Thurs., May 10 | Boston @ Tampa Bay, TBD | TBD |
WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. 
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
These two teams meet in the second round for the third season in a row, but it’s been a very one-sided rivalry as the Capitals have won just one of the 10 series these teams have ever played. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have defined a generation with their output, but Ovechkin has not yet gotten past the second round of the playoffs. This is the monkey Washington needs to get off its back and it comes in hot, winning four in a row to knock off Columbus and battling out of a 2-0 series deficit.
| GAME | DATE | TIME | STATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Thurs., April 26 | Pittsburgh @ Washington, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT | SN, CBC |
| G2 | Sun., April 29 | Pittsburgh @ Washington, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT | CBC |
| G3 | Tues., May 1 | Washington @ Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT | SN |
| G4 | Thurs., May 3 | Washington @ Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT | SN |
| G5* | Sat., May 5 | Pittsburgh @ Washington, TBD | TBD |
| G6* | Mon., May 7 | Washington @ Pittsburgh, TBD | TBD |
| G7* | Wed., May 9 | Pittsburgh @ Washington, TBD | TBD |
WESTERN CONFERENCE
NASHVILLE PREDATORS vs. 
WINNIPEG JETS
These were the top two teams in the NHL this season and neither slowed in the first round. The beauty of this series is that Nashville and Winnipeg can play fast, heavy, they have great goaltenders, can score a pile and be tough to play against on defence. There are very few weaknesses on either side and whichever team comes out on top will be the instant favourite to win the Stanley Cup — so long as they’re healthy after four wins.
| GAME | DATE | TIME | STATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Fri., April 27 | Winnipeg @ Nashville, 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT | CBC,SN360 |
| G2 | Sun., April 29 | Winnipeg @ Nashville, 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G3 | Tues., May 1 | Nashville @ Winnipeg, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G4 | Thurs., May 3 | Nashville @ Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G5* | Sat., May 5 | Winnipeg @ Nashville, TBD | CBC, OMNI |
| G6* | Mon., May 7 | Nashville @ Winnipeg, TBD | CBC |
| G7* | Thurs., May 10 | Winnipeg @ Nashville, TBD | CBC |
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS vs. 
SAN JOSE SHARKS
With how quickly these two teams dispatched their Pacific Division rivals in Round 1, both proved their fast-paced style of play trumped slow, heavy hockey. The Golden Knights just keep surprising everyone and now run into a Sharks team that surged after the trade deadline and kept getting production from their big acquisition, Evander Kane, in the playoffs. While both teams can score, their goalies had the best two save percentages in Round 1.
| GAME | DATE | TIME | STATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| G1 | Thurs., April 26 | San Jose @ Vegas, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT | SN, CBC |
| G2 | Sat., April 28 | San Jose @ Vegas, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT | SN, CBC, OMNI |
| G3 | Mon., April 30 | Vegas @ San Jose, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G4 | Wed., May 2 | Vegas @ San Jose, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G5* | Fri., May 4 | San Jose @ Vegas, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT | CBC |
| G6* | Sun., May 6 | Vegas @ San Jose, TBD | TBD |
| G7* | Tues., May 8 | San Jose @ Vegas, TBD | TBD |
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