NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: 1st-Round Slate, Ranking Top Stanley Cup Contenders

Few things in sports can match the intensity of the NHL playoffs. Between the animosity that grows over the course of a series and the unique nature of overtime, which can last five seconds or five periods, a lot of tension is created.

The 2015 postseason may take that to another level. That's because there isn't a clear title favorite. The top five teams during the regular season were separated by just five points, and none of them were overly dominant during the stretch run.

In turn, the door remains open for basically any team to get hot at the right time and make a serious run toward the Stanley Cup. So let's check out the schedules for the opening round before taking a closer look at the top contenders in a highly competitive field.

NHL Round 1 Schedules

Eastern Conference

Date	Road	Home	Time (ET)	TV
-	(A1) Montreal	(W1) Ottawa	-	-
April 15	Ottawa	Montreal	7 p.m.	NHLN
April 17	Ottawa	Montreal	7 p.m.	CNBC
April 19	Montreal	Ottawa	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 22	Montreal	Ottawa	7 p.m.	USA
April 24*	Ottawa	Montreal	TBA	TBA
April 26*	Montreal	Ottawa	TBA	TBA
April 28*	Ottawa	Montreal	TBA	TBA
-	(A2) Tampa Bay	(A3) Detroit	-	-
April 16	Detroit	Tampa Bay	7:30 p.m.	CNBC
April 18	Detroit	Tampa Bay	3 p.m.	NBC
April 21	Tampa Bay	Detroit	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 23	Tampa Bay	Detroit	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 25*	Detroit	Tampa Bay	TBA	TBA
April 27*	Tampa Bay	Detroit	TBA	TBA
April 29*	Detroit	Tampa Bay	TBA	TBA
-	(M1) NY Rangers	(W2) Pittsburgh	-	-
April 16	Pittsburgh	NY Rangers	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 18	Pittsburgh	NY Rangers	8 p.m.	NBC
April 20	NY Rangers	Pittsburgh	7 p.m	NBCSN
April 22	NY Rangers	Pittsburgh	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 24*	Pittsburgh	NY Rangers	TBA	TBA
April 26*	NY Rangers	Pittsburgh	TBA	TBA
April 28*	Pittsburgh	NY Rangers	TBA	TBA
-	(M2) Washington	(M3) NY Islanders	-	-
April 15	NY Islanders	Washington	7 p.m.	USA
April 17	NY Islanders	Washington	7 p.m.	NBCSN
April 19	Washington	NY Islanders	12 p.m.	NBC
April 21	Washington	NY Islanders	7:30 p.m.	USA
April 23*	NY Islanders	Washington	TBA	TBA
April 25*	Washington	NY Islanders	TBA	TBA
April 27*	NY Islanders	Washington	TBA	TBA

Western Conference

Date	Road	Home	Time (ET)	TV
-	(C1) St. Louis	(W1) Minnesota	-	-
April 16	Minnesota	St. Louis	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 18	Minnesota	St. Louis	3 p.m.	NBC
April 20	St. Louis	Minnesota	8 p.m.	CNBC
April 22	St. Louis	Minnesota	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 24*	Minnesota	St. Louis	TBA	TBA
April 26*	St. Louis	Minnesota	TBA	TBA
April 29*	Minnesota	St. Louis	TBA	TBA
-	(C2) Nashville	(C3) Chicago	-	-
April 15	Chicago	Nashville	8:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 17	Chicago	Nashville	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 19	Nashville	Chicago	3 p.m.	NBC
April 21	Nashville	Chicago	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 23*	Chicago	Nashville	TBA	TBA
April 25*	Nashville	Chicago	TBA	TBA
April 27*	Chicago	Nashville	TBA	TBA
-	(P1) Anaheim	(W2) Winnipeg	-	-
April 16	Winnipeg	Anaheim	10:30 p.m.	CNBC
April 18	Winnipeg	Anaheim	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN
April 20	Anaheim	Winnipeg	9 p.m.	NBCSN
April 22	Anaheim	Winnipeg	9:30 p.m.	USA
April 24*	Winnipeg	Anaheim	TBA	TBA
April 26*	Anaheim	Winnipeg	TBA	TBA
April 28*	Winnipeg	Anaheim	TBA	TBA
-	(P2) Vancouver	(P3) Calgary	-	-
April 15	Calgary	Vancouver	10 p.m.	USA
April 17	Calgary	Vancouver	10 p.m.	CNBC
April 19	Vancouver	Calgary	10 p.m.	NBCSN
April 21	Vancouver	Calgary	10 p.m.	USA
April 23*	Calgary	Vancouver	TBA	TBA
April 25*	Vancouver	Calgary	TBA	TBA
April 27*	Calgary	Vancouver	TBA	TBA

Top Championship Contenders

1. New York Rangers

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

The Presidents' Trophy winners get top billing after finishing the regular season with the most points and the best goal differential. The combination of a top-tier goalie in Henrik Lundqvist and an elite goal scorer in Rick Nash is as good as any one-two punch in the league.

New York reached the finals last year as a middling seed in the East. It won't be sneaking up on anybody this time around after finishing atop the league, earning home ice throughout the playoffs. Jim Cerny of Blueshirts United passed along Derick Brassard's comments about being the hunted.

"Everything we've done to this point, that's gone," Brassard said. "Whatever happened is in the past. We're the No. 1 seed, everybody is going to be coming at us hard. We're going to have to be at our best."

Beyond those aforementioned stars, the Rangers also feature the secondary scoring necessary to succeed in the playoffs. Players such as Martin St. Louis, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider give the offense the necessary depth to sustain another extended playoff run.

The key may be the power play. Despite ranking third in goals scored, the Rangers rank just 23rd on the power play. Taking advantage of those opportunities is crucial in the postseason. Increasing their efficiency would significantly bolster their title hopes.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

PAUL BEATY/Associated Press

The Blackhawks are looking for their third title in the past five six years. The other winners during that span, the Los Angeles Kings (twice) and Boston Bruins, both missed the playoffs. That's a testament to the front office keeping the team together and filling any voids that did arise.

When the timetable for Patrick Kane was uncertain, the Hawks probably don't even make the top three contenders. Now that he's been cleared, they become the team to beat in the West. Travis Yost of TSN noted the game-changing nature of his return:

Kane had 64 points in 61 games before getting hurt. He provides the added scoring punch Chicago would have struggled to advance without. But between him, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa, the team's main offensive trio is once again in place.

The X-factor will once again be Corey Crawford. He remains one of the league's most underrated players. He ranked sixth in save percentage and has 32 playoff wins under his belt. A strong playoff showing from him, and the Hawks will go a long way once again.

3. Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are an interesting case. They finished tied with the St. Louis Blues for the most points in the West. Yet they only had a plus-10 goal differential. That could be viewed as a positive heading into the playoffs, however, because it shows they know how to win close games.

They can't afford to look past the Winnipeg Jets, though. The underdogs beat out the reigning champion Kings for the final spot in the West. Kevin Allen of USA Today believes their recent mojo could mean Anaheim is in for an extended fight:

"This series is dangerous for the Ducks because the Jets have momentum. They don't accept that they are supposed to lose this series. Take the Ducks to survive in seven games."

The Ducks should survive. In the big picture, they are strong up the middle with Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler and also feature 13 players who scored at least seven goals. That goes back to the secondary scoring depth needed in the postseason.

Anaheim is going to need Frederik Andersen, or perhaps John Gibson, to get hot in net to complete a Stanley Cup run. The rest of the pieces are good enough to consider the Ducks contenders. And it's clear after the regular season that close games won't rattle them.