NHL announces start times for ‘Game 7 weekend’

Toronto Maple Leafs centre Auston Matthews (34) and Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Ryan McDonagh (27) battle in front of Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88). (Frank Gunn/CP)

Buckle up, hockey fans, because here we go.

This weekend is shaping up to be something special as five first-round Stanley Cup Playoff Series will be decided by winner-take-all Game 7s between Saturday and Sunday.

The action gets underway with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Boston Bruins at PNC Arena at 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT. The game will be available on Sportsnet East, West, Pacific, 360 and streaming on Sportsnet NOW.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will then try to dethrone the Tampa Bay Lightning when they hit the ice at Scotiabank Arena at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, CBC, Omni and SN NOW — with the Hockey Central pre-game show setting up all the action beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/ 3:30 p.m. PT.

To cap the night off, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings with puck drop scheduled for 10 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. MT/ 7 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, CBC, Omni and SN NOW.

The action doesn’t end there. Sunday will see two more series-deciding Game 7s in the NHL.

The New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins from Madison Square Garden starting at 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, Pacific, Sportsnet 360 and SN NOW.

Finally, the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars wrap things up at 9:30 p.m. ET/ 7:30 p.m. MT/ 6:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet and SN NOW.

That’s not all as you can also catch the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET/ 12:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet 360 and SN NOW.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.