NHL Playoff Schedule 2012: Dates, Times & TV Info for Bruins vs. Capitals Series

The Boston Bruins will start the defense of their Stanley Cup title against the Washington Capitals, a team that many experts picked to win the Stanley Cup before the season.

The Capitals struggled for much of the year, but a strong late-season surge helped them climb into the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

This will be a tough matchup for the Capitals, who have some questions marks at the goaltender position. 

Likely the Game 1 starter, Braden Holtby has never played in the Stanley Cup playoffs and has only played in 21 NHL games in his career. He will be opposed by Bruins star goaltender Tim Thomas, who is coming off another fantastic season. Thomas was last season's Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP, and he will once again be a huge reason for Boston's playoff success.

With the Bruins' advantage over the Capitals in defensive depth and goaltending skill, I expect that Boston will win this series in five games and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the fourth straight season.

Here is the complete dates, times and TV information for the Bruins and Capitals first round series:

Game	Location	Date	Time (ET)	TV Info
1	TD Garden (BOS)	Thursday, April 12	7:30 p.m.	NESN, NBCSN, CBC
2	TD Garden (BOS)	Saturday, April 14	3:00 p.m.	NESN, NBC, CBC
3	Verizon Center (WSH)	Monday, April 16	7:30 p.m.	NESN, NBCSN, CBC
4	Verizon Center (WSH)	Thursday, April 19	7:30 p.m.	NESN, NBCSN, CBC
5*	TD Garden (BOS)	Saturday, April 21	3:00 p.m.	NESN, NBC, CBC
6*	Verizon Center (WSH)	TBD	TBD	TBD
7*	TD Garden (BOS)	TBD	TBD	TBD

*If necessary

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Nicholas Goss is a Boston Bruins Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and was the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals in Boston.