NHL Playoff Schedule 2015: Round-by-Round Bracket Dates and Guide

Tuesday marks the first night of the 2015 NHL playoffs that doesn't include a contest, but that's no indication that the first round has lacked in any department.

Seven of the eight teams have already punched their tickets to the conference semifinals through hard-fought series, with the winner of Wednesday night's Game 7 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings joining the fold. With that said, the stage has already been set for a handful of incredible second-round affairs that are sure to move the needle.

The NHL is taking its time releasing the schedule for the next round, which isn't surprising considering the league likes to wait until one round is finished before beginning another. Venue availability also causes some last-minute problems. But go ahead and take a look below for the latest information regarding the NHL postseason.

Remaining First-Round Schedule

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Wed., April 29	Detroit Red Wings at Tampa Bay Lightning (Game 7)	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC

Second-Round Matchups

Western Conference	Reg. Season Series
Eastern Conference	Reg. Season Series
Chicago Blackhawks (3) vs. Minnesota Wild (4)	CHI 3-2-0
Anaheim Ducks (1) vs. Calgary Flames (3)	ANA 3-1-1
New York Rangers (1) vs. Washington Capitals (2)	NYR 3-1-0
Montreal Canadiens (1) vs. Tampa Bay or Detroit	-

Note: No second-round dates or times had been released by publication. NBCSports.com has an up-to-date television schedule where official game times will be posted.

Series to Watch: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild

Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

The stacked Central Division promised to deliver an incredible second-round affair no matter who made it through. That's only amplified by the fact that the two inferior seeds advanced to produce perhaps the best second-round series.

The Chicago Blackhawks withstood a test from the Nashville Predators in six games despite trailing for the vast majority of a series that included two multiple-overtime games. That may not have felt like much of an upset despite the seeding.

For the Minnesota Wild's six-game win over the St. Louis Blues, though, that was nothing short of surprising when both teams' seasons are put into focus. But Minnesota left no doubt it was the best team on the ice.

That leaves us with a 2013 postseason rematch of a series that propelled the Blackhawks to their second Stanley Cup of this era, but don't assume the Wild are backing down from the challenge again.

Zach Parise told Michael Russo of the Star Tribune:

"

These guys are, every year, they’re Cup contenders. For us to want to get in that conversation with them, we’ve got to beat them. 

It’s good for us to get another crack at them. I thought we had a good series with them last year. You want to go down and get one in Chicago and have a good start to the series.

"

If the Wild aspire to do that and escape Chicago with a win in Games 1 and 2, it will take a strong reversal of fortune. Minnesota is 0-6 on the road against the Blackhawks in their last two postseasons.

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Parise and Co. won't come in with any shortage of confidence in that department, as the Wild have turned into road warriors to the tune of winning 12 of their final 13 road games during the season. They added on two wins in three road games against St. Louis in the first round.

Another trend going in the Wild's direction is the struggling play in the Blackhawks' net. Starting goaltender Corey Crawford was peppered in Round 1 by Nashville and subsequently benched in favor of Scott Darling for most of the series. Darling was eventually jumped on in Game 6 before Crawford saved the day.

Crawford gets the call for the start of this series, and it doesn't sound like he wants to look back, as Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus reported:

Minnesota would love the opportunity to jump on Crawford in the same fashion to start this series, and it certainly could. But the Wild don't typically play a relentless, attacking style, rather leaning on defense and heady play between the blue lines to outwork their opponent.

Doing that for four victories in this series will be the ultimate test, as few teams boast the speed, elusiveness and overall ability of the Blackhawks' forwards. And with two-way players like Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa leading the charge, pucks will be hard to come by on either end of the ice.

With Devan Dubnyk repelling everything in the Wild's goal, though, it's hard not to like Minnesota's chances to at least make this a memorable series.