NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: TV, Live Sream Guide for Friday's Round 1 Matchups
Has everybody caught his breath yet from an all-systems-go start to the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs?
As if there were any doubt, the postseason started in epic fashion and has already taken viewers by surprise despite being just one game into each series. Whether it's been teams fighting back from huge deficits to win in overtime or one of a few shocking upsets to begin a series, there's no shortage of storylines entering the rest of the first round.
Round 1 may be just the table-setter for the remainder of the playoffs, but with the NHL's 16 best fighting in eight mouth-watering series, it just may also be the best time of the hockey season. Take a look below to make sure you are in the loop for Friday's Game 2 action across four series.
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Friday's NHL Playoff Schedule
| 7 p.m. | Ottawa at Montreal (MON leads 1-0) | CNBC, CBC |
| 7 p.m. | New York Islanders at Washington (NYI leads 1-0) | NBCSN, SN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Chicago at Nashville (CHI leads 1-0) | NBCSN, SN |
| 10 p.m. | Calgary at Vancouver (CAL leads 1-0) | CNBC, CBC |
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Friday's Game to Watch: Ottawa vs. Montreal (Game 2)
Things don't seem like they could get much hotter in an all-Canadian playoff series between Ottawa and Montreal, and it's only Game 2.
The Canadiens started things off in style on home ice with a 4-3 win in Game 1, but the way in which it happened will leave Montreal watching its back heading into Friday's encore edition. During the game, star Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban got ejected for slashing Mark Stone, stirring up a pot of vitriol before one game was in the books.
It wasn't surprising to see the Sens take offense to the questionable play, as head coach Dave Cameron issued what read to be a striking threat at the top-seeded Canadiens, as per Conor McKenna of TSN:
Of course, Subban wasn't suspended by the league. And to make matters worse for the Senators, Stone is sitting out for Game 2 and could miss the rest of the series with a fracture from the incident, per USA Today's Mike Brehm.
What sounded like a situation that may be resolved before Game 2 is now anything but.
A warning from the NHL, per SportsNet's John Shannon, should keep Cameron from going off his rocker again, but he doesn't need to. With how both teams have set the tone, this series is taking on a life of its own, per Ottawa Sun:
The Senators certainly don't feel bad about their chances even after dropping Game 1, being right there after taking an early 1-0 lead. Had they done anything to quell a four-goal second period from Montreal, Game 1 would have gone in their favor.
But for all of the momentum and confidence they seemed to build over a heavy favorite, it could all be wiped away if they keep the focus away from winning pucks and creating chances. As we saw firsthand last year when the Canadiens trumped the Boston Bruins, it can put a team out of sync, as ESPN's Pierre LeBrun observed:
Either way, it's hard to ask for more from a first-round postseason series. You have bitter geographical foes with bad blood that has gotten exponentially worse over the series' first 60 minutes. There's one of the NHL's best teams who has supremely ticked off an angry rival.
As if that weren't enough, now the best player on the ice is going to have his head on a swivel for the rest of this series while his ultratalented fellow teammates aim to take advantage.
Such is life in the NHL playoffs. Did I mention we're only at Game 2 of the first round?
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