NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: TV Coverage, Live Stream Guide and Monday Game Times

The 2015 NHL playoffs are almost through the opening round, but there are several series still to conclude. With three of the four teams in action Monday facing elimination, it almost cannot get any better than that.

A decisive Game 7 is on tap between the hosting Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET. The puck drops just half an hour before then in a Game 6 showdown between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Detroit Red Wings, who are seeking to finish the job at home.

Below is a table featuring the TV and live stream information for both games, along with breakdowns and predictions for each contest.

Game	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream Info
6	Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings	7 p.m.	CNBC	NBC Sports Live Extra
7	New York Islanders at Washington Capitals	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live Extra

Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings (Detroit Leads 3-2)

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

The NHL's No. 1 offense during the 2014-15 campaign has been stymied for the most part by Detroit.

Star center Steven Stamkos has yet to light the lamp and has just two assists in five prior contests. In two of the past three games, the Lightning have been shut out completely.

A lot of credit goes to Petr Mrazek, who has done a stupendous job between the pipes for the Red Wings in his first taste of playoff action. John Buccigross of ESPN put Mrazek's performance in context:

The 23-year-old phenom seems oblivious to the big stage, as Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader suggested in his comments on the young, rising star, per MLive.com's Ansar Khan:

"

He's been a winner wherever he's been. He's done a terrific job here, in Grand Rapids, at the junior level. He's really confident in his ability. He's ultra-competitive. He kind of has a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove people wrong, people that think that maybe he should've been in the minors earlier this year. His ability backs it up.

"

As encouraging as it is to see Mrazek thrive and show no fear, for that very reason, the reality of closing out Tampa Bay may begin to kick in. With how talented Stamkos and the Lightning's loaded lineup is, it's hard to imagine them coming out flat despite their recent struggles.

When Mrazek is faced with adversity, will he be able to shake off a desperate onslaught from Tampa Bay as it tries to stave off elimination? If he does, then there's no question Mrazek and the Wings can go the distance as long as he keeps standing on his head.

The saying, "lightning doesn't strike twice," applies here in a unique way. Look for the Lightning to bounce back in a big way and give Mrazek something to think about as a Game 7 is forced in fabulous fashion.

Prediction: Lightning 4, Red Wings 2

New York Islanders at Washington Capitals (Series Tied 3-3)

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Not to single out one player on a collective team, but the pressure is on for Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin to lead his team deep into the playoffs. Ovechkin, who has never won a Stanley Cup, is one of the NHL's best players and is now in danger of another postseason disappointment.

ESPN Stats & Info noted how much of a struggle it's been for the Caps to close when they're in a position of leverage in a series:

It will be interesting to see whether the Game 6 loss has a carryover effect. Washington may have been complacent to a degree after crushing New York 5-1 to go up 3-2 in the series. Now, this is a win-or-go-home scenario.

What does work in the Capitals' favor is that the Islanders had the pressure of playing perhaps their last game at Nassau Coliseum. They needed to recover from a demoralizing defeat to ensure the series would go the distance.

Daniel Friedman of CBS New York hinted at how Ovechkin and Co. will be eager to rebound from a previously blown opportunity to eliminate the Islanders:

Given the shortcomings in the recent past, Washington has no shortage of motivation to achieve the desired result this time around. With a league-leading power play facing the Isles' 26th-ranked penalty-killing unit, there's some surprise that this series has been so evenly matched given how lethal Washington tends to be with the man advantage.

That should reveal itself, with Ovechkin contributing to multiple power-play goals, whether it be scoring or assisting.

Caps goaltender Braden Holtby has a slight edge over his counterpart, Jaroslav Halak. In a Game 7 that figures to come down to the wire, Washington's home ice and superior special teams will help it advance to the conference semifinals.

Prediction: Capitals 3, Islanders 2