NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: TV, Live Stream Info for Wednesday's Bracket Picture

An entire season has boiled down to this day. Just 16 teams are left, and eight of which will kick off their slates of games Wednesday night. My friends, playoff hockey is finally here.

Only one No. 1 seed will skate onto the ice Wednesday, with the Montreal Canadiens looking to start their march toward their first Stanley Cup since 1993. Montreal will be facing a surging Ottawa Senators team that has one of the brightest young goaltenders in the crease.

The other East matchup will see two teams that didn't make the playoffs last year face each other when the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders drop the puck. Out on the West Coast—sort of—the Nashville Predators will host the Chicago Blackhawks and the Calgary Flames will travel to take on the Vancouver Canucks.

In anticipation of all the action, here's a look at the full schedule and one game to watch. 

Matchup	Time (ET)	Watch
Ottawa at Montreal	7 p.m.	CBC, TVA Sports, NHL Network
NY Islanders at Washington	7 p.m.	USA, Sportsnet, TVA Sports
Chicago at Nashville	8:30 p.m.	NBCSN, SN 360, TVA Sports
Calgary at Vancouver	10 p.m.	CBC, TVA Sports, USA

Official bracket can be found at NHL.com.

Game to Watch: Ottawa Senators at Montreal Canadiens

Tom Mihalek/Associated Press

Two months ago, this might not have seemed like a series that would happen at all, much less one in which Ottawa would be a potential upset pick.

Andrew Hammond changed all that.

The 27-year-old goalie finally got his chance on Feb. 18 and hasn't let go of the reins since then. Given Hammond's 20-1-2 record, .941 save percentage and 1.79 goals-against average, the Senators haven't needed to look elsewhere.

Coincidentally, that first opportunity came in a 4-2 victory over the Canadiens. With a need to play nearly perfect hockey since his first start, Hammond noted Wednesday will be nothing new in terms of pressure, via the Senators' official Twitter account:

On the Montreal side, there's another stellar goalie who has proved himself over a longer span of time. Carey Price is the same age as Hammond, but the Canadiens have depended on him since the 2007-08 season to get the job done.

This season, however, has been Price's best in several categories. His 44 wins, 1.96 GAA and .933 save percentage are all career highs for the fifth overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft. That stellar play has made him the most critical player on Montreal's roster, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

"

There isn't a team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs that relied on its goaltending more than the Montreal Canadiens did in the regular season. There wasn't a goalie better in the regular season than Montreal's Carey Price.

Do the math and it should be easy to determine who the Hart Trophy winner will be for the 2014-15 season. Price should be the first goaltender to be named the League's most valuable player since Jose Theodore did it in 2001-02 with the Canadiens.

"

This matchup will come down to which goalie cracks first.

Scoring for the Sens hasn't been an issue, as they rank ninth in the league at 2.8 goals per game. If Kyle Turris, Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson can continue the trend of finding the back of the net, this will be an entertaining showdown. All three players have over 60 points this year, so the top line will be crucial.

Either way, Canada will be able to rejoice that another Canadian team made its way to the second round of the playoffs. But with such a tight matchup in several statistical categories, predicting this one seems nearly impossible. Just strap up and expect some masterful hockey.

Follow @RCorySmith on Twitter.