NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: TV, Live Stream Info for Wednesday's Bracket Picture

The Stanley Cup playoffs get underway Wednesday with three games to kick off the postseason.

The first night of competition includes two Eastern Conference games and one Western Conference matchup that involves the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Detroit Red Wings in the first game of their series between the second- and third-place teams in the Atlantic Division.

The Red Wings clinched their position despite losing their last two regular-season games, but they could have an excellent chance of knocking off the Lightning, who got to the Stanley Cup Final a year ago.

The Lightning are one of the most talented teams in the league, but they won't have high-scoring forward Steven Stamkos (blood clot) or solid defenseman Anton Stralman (fractured leg).

That should give the Red Wings the advantage, but Detroit's goaltending has been shaky. If the Lightning are going to win this series, goaltender Ben Bishop is going to need a big series and outplay Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard.

This is a rematch of last year's opening-round series in which the Lightning rebounded from a 3-2 deficit and beat the Red Wings in seven games.

The two teams will get underway from Amalie Arena in Tampa at 7 p.m. (ET).

Conference	Home team	Visiting Team	Time (ET)	TV
Eastern	Tampa Bay	Detroit	7 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, FS-F, FS-D
Eastern	Pittsburgh	N.Y. Rangers	8 p.m.	USA, SN, TVAS2, ROOT, MSG
Western	St. Louis	Chicago	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN, SN360, TVA Sports, CSN-CH, FS-MW

The playoff games can be live streamed on NHL.TV.

The Pittsburgh Penguins start the playoffs on a serious roll, and they will face the New York Rangers in the opening round. 

The Penguins won 14 of their last 16 regular-season games, and Sidney Crosby returned to top form in the second half of the season after a very slow start. Crosby found his stride as he got used to new coach Mike Sullivan's system, and the Penguins have been following his lead. 

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While Crosby scored 36 goals this year, fellow superstar Evgeni Malkin has been out with an upper-body injury. While that did not slow the Penguins down in the regular season's final weeks, they could feel his absence in the postseason.

The Rangers went 6-3-1 down the stretch, and while there were some up-and-down performances, they should feel good about their recent playoff history against Pittsburgh. The Rangers have beaten the Penguins in the postseason each of the past two years, and much of that has been the result of goaltender Henrik Lundqivst's excellent play.

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Interviews (Part 1) →
Bennett: https://t.co/7QO6R7BGgu
Crosby: https://t.co/CPYJhwTCsZ
Fleury: https://t.co/yyi317njDF

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 12, 2016"

Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion) may or may not be in goal early in the series against the Rangers, but even if he does feel well enough to start, he has not excelled in the postseason in recent years.

The Penguins have home-ice advantage in this series, and Wednesday night's game at the Consol Energy Center will get underway at 8 p.m. (ET).

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The Chicago Blackhawks had a couple of hot streaks during the the regular season, but their play has been fairly uneven this year. The defending Stanley Cup champions finished third in the Central Division, and they will face the rival St. Louis Blues in the opening round.

The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups since 2010, while three different teams have defeated the Blues in the first round each of the last three seasons.

The Blues barely missed winning the Central Division, and their second-place finish means they will have home-ice advantage over the Blackhawks.

Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and head coach Joel Quenneville have overcome an opponent's home-ice advantage in the past, and if goalie Corey Crawford is on top of his game, they could do it again.

However, the Blues have high-scoring Vladimir Tarasenko (40 goals), and it may be difficult for the Blackhawks defense to slow him down. Patrick Kane led the league in scoring this year with 106 points, and his ability to find the openings and get off quick shots could be a problem for St. Louis goaltenders Brian Elliott and Jake Allen.

The Blackhawks and Blues will face off at 9:30 p.m. (ET).