NHL Playoffs 2015: Game 1 TV Schedule and Prediction for Blackhawks vs. Ducks

Two of the NHL's high-octane forces will meet for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final out West, as the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks are set to begin their star-studded series with Sunday's Game 1.

The Blackhawks have become regulars deep in the postseason, making their fifth appearance in the conference finals in the last seven years. Anaheim hasn't made it this far since its only Stanley Cup triumph in 2007, and the Ducks will attempt to be a thorn in the side of Chicago's playoff greatness, which they will be hoping to emulate with a Cup run of their own.

These two teams have never met in the postseason, but that's about to change in a big way. Let's take a closer look at Game 1, including a prediction.

Game 1: Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks

When: Sunday, May 17

Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California

Start Time (ET): 3 p.m.

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Game 1 Preview

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

Teams such as the Blues, Wild and Predators looked like threats at one point or another, but nothing could stop the inevitable first postseason meeting between these two similarly matched teams.

The Ducks rummaged through the Western Conference during the regular season, only amassing a plus-10 goal differential but hanging their hats on comeback victories. They notched a record-breaking 18 victories from behind in the third period and have won eight of their nine games in the playoffs thus far.

The Blackhawks struggled between the pipes in their opening-round series against Nashville but reigned supreme in six games before sweeping Minnesota. With Patrick Kane firing on all cylinders and the defense finding its way in the previous series, they are set for another run at the Cup.

The core of the roster is aiming for its third Stanley Cup, but the success has only made Chicago hungrier, as the team's captain told Eric Lear of Blackhawks TV:

Rust versus rest figures to play a big part in Sunday's Game 1. By the time the puck drops, Anaheim will have gone a week without playing. Chicago hasn't played since May 7, making it a 10-day layoff for the Blackhawks.

Chicago head coach Joel Quenneville is among those who believe the layover will only amplify the level of play:

The Blackhawks will ride their established core and hope that goaltender Corey Crawford plays more like he did against Minnesota than he did in the first round against Nashville, when Scott Darling temporarily overtook him as starter. With Ducks goalie Frederik Andersen logging consistent play in Anaheim's net, Crawford will need to show the poise gained from his 2013 Cup victory.

Anaheim's big-bodied attack, led by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf—who helped Anaheim win its only Cup in 2007—will need to be active in front of a stout Blackhawks blue line. None of them have experience in the postseason against Chicago, but Ryan Kesler does from his days with the Vancouver Canucks.

Let's just say that Kesler will be exchanging pleasantries with his long-time foes, as the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus noted:

But while the one-on-one matchups are plentiful in nature and are awfully interesting to dissect, hockey is the ultimate team game. The team that prevails from this series will be the one that plays with the most togetherness and is able to link up the proper chances.

Considering both teams have been able to do that magnificently throughout the postseason thus far, Game 1 promises to be just the start of what should develop into a back-and-forth series between two Cup-worthy clubs.

Prediction: Ducks Win, 3-2

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

The Blackhawks come into this series red-hot having won five straight games and seven of eight in the postseason, but a long layoff should take enough wind out of their sails to make Game 1 at the Honda Center a tough ask. Add that to a fresh Ducks team that has the size and physicality to give Chicago trouble in front of the net, and Anaheim is in pole position to take an early series lead.

The Ducks have yet to lose at home in the postseason, in which they have won all five of their contests by a total of 12 goals. Andersen is much better on home ice than away, and that will be the difference in Game 1.