NHL Playoffs 2015: Latest Stanley Cup Odds and Predictions for Saturday Games

Time	Matchup	Series	Odds
3 p.m. ET	Capitals vs. Islanders	3-2 WSH	NYI -1.5
6 p.m. ET	Red Wings vs. Lightning	Tied 2-2	TB -1.5
8 p.m. ET	Predators vs. Blackhawks	3-2 CHI	CHI -1.5
9 p.m. ET	Canucks vs. Flames	3-2 CGY	CAL -1.5

In the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, no series lead is ever safe. Well, at the very least, tell that to the three teams facing elimination on Saturday. 

Th New York Islanders, Nashville Predators and Vancouver Canucks are all on the brink of seeing their seasons come to an end in their respective Game 6s, while the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning face off with their series tied at two games a piece. 

With the postseason's first round drawing near a close, let's break down Saturday's odds and predictions, with several teams' seasons on the line. 

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Predictions

Capitals vs. Islanders

In what could be the final game at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Islanders face elimination against the third-seeded Capitals after both teams finished deadlocked in the Metropolitan Division with 101 points.

Washington blew out the Isles at the Verizon Center in Game 5 by a score of 5-1, thanks to a pair of Evgeny Kuznetsov goals and a combined four assists between Jay Beagle and Marcus Johansson. Alexander Ovechkin was a minus-one in the contest. 

The Isles are now down three defensemen after Calvin de Haan joined Lubomir Visnovsky and Travis Hamonic on the injury report Thursday. De Haan left Game 5 after suffering an undisclosed injury on a hit by Washington's Troy Brouwer.

Visnovsky suffered a suspected concussion, according to Newsday's Arthur Staple, which could possibly be career-threatening for the 38-year-old D-man with a history of head trauma. Hamonic has been down since April 10, suffering a leg injury in the regular season's penultimate game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Healthy Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey spoke about the team's unfortunate situation after Thursday's loss (via Staple):

"I guess it's a little discouraging to go with five D again," Hickey said, "but whether it was 5-1, 10-1 or 1-0, the series is 3-2 now. We're going back home, in front of our fans, and we've got to be better." 

New York fell victim to several uncharacteristically lazy opportunities with the puck in Game 5, and with an already diminished defensive line, the Isles couldn't keep up with Washington, even with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom failing to show up on the scoresheet. In their home arena, though, where they went 25-14-2 over the regular season, Jack Capuano's squad will likely be motivated to escape Nassau Coliseum with a victory. 

These two sides are as evenly matched as any in the East side of the playoff picture. And with the raucous Islanders fans steering momentum as much as possible, the Isles should be able to force a Game 7 in D.C. on Monday, so long as they're as effective with the puck as they're known to be—they ranked first in Corsi-for during the regular season, according to Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.

Prediction: Islanders 4, Capitals 2

Predators vs. Blackhawks

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

After finishing with the league's sixth-highest point total, the Predators risked falling victim to the Blackhawks in Thursday's Game 5—a team that hasn't seen a first-round exit since 2012. With their backs against the wall, down three games to one in the series, Nashville pulled out a dominant 5-2 comeback win at home Thursday to bring the series back to Chicago.

The Preds shrunk Chicago's series lead to a single game with an impressive four-goal third period, in a game that was deadlocked at one apiece after the second intermission. Filip Forsberg potted two of his three goals in the third—his first NHL hat trick—while James Neal and Colin Wilson netted the other two goals for the Preds.

Hawks goalie Scott Darling has starred in the series so far, but Nashville found a way to get the puck past him in Game 5. Forsberg gave some insight as to how after the game, via NHL.com's Robby Stanley:

"

We look at the games we've been playing, look at what [Darling] has been doing and what we can do better. Obviously, he's a big guy. If we can make him move, it's going to hurt every goalie in this league. I think that was a big key for us with a couple goals on the movement there.

"

The 6'6" Darling is the second-tallest goaltender to play at least two games in this year's playoffs, standing just an inch shorter than Tampa Bay's Ben Bishop, who's listed at 6'7". With just 13 NHL starts to his ledger entering this postseason, Nashville may have found a way to get around the young goalie.

Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville said Monday that it'd be difficult to switch back to previous starter Corey Crawford at this stage, via WGN Radio. But the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh speculated after Game 5 that the Blackhawks' best chance at a Cup involves a backtrack to Crawford, whom they won a championship with in 2013:

"

Hockey's not always fair. The Hawks know they can win a Stanley Cup with Crawford, but with Darling, it's still just a hunch. The Hawks know Crawford has won critical Game 6s before, and Darling simply hasn't.

In a series of unorthodox moves, conventional wisdom says putting Crawford back in net Saturday night increases the Hawks' chances of ending the series before it returns to Nashville, where the Preds are a different bunch.

"

With the series headed back to Tennessee, where the Predators went a remarkable 28-9-4 in the regular season, this series also has seven games written all over it.

With Nashville riding its momentum from a thrilling third-period surge on Thursday, and the Hawks' 26-year-old goalie in more of a stressful position than he's ever faced as a pro, look for the Predators to extend this series to a seventh game—and have Chicago on the brink of its earliest playoff elimination since 2012. 

Prediction: Predators 5, Blackhawks 4