NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: TV, Live Stream Guide for Friday's Round 1 Matchups

The NHL playoffs enter its third day of action on Friday, when four more first-round matchups grace the schedule.

Two home teams can jump out to a 2-0 advantage before hitting the road, and one will try to avoid coming up empty-handed in front of its home crowd. An odd quirk to the schedule also has a Western Conference series starting later than everyone else.

Before welcoming a hectic weekend of hockey, let's take a closer look at all four of Friday night's playoff games.

Time (ET)	Away	Home	Series	TV
7 p.m.	Detroit Red Wings	Tampa Bay Lightning	1-0 TB	CNBC
7:30 p.m.	New York Islanders	Florida Panthers	1-0 NY	NHL Network
8 p.m.	Chicago Blackhawks	St. Louis Blues	1-0 STL	NBCSN
10:30 p.m.	Nashville Predators	Anaheim Ducks	Game 1	NBCSN

Live Stream: NBC Live Extra, NHL.TV (subscription required)

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Picking up right where last year's opening-round meeting left off, the Tampa Bay Lightning edged out the Detroit Lightning, 3-2, in a combative Game 1 showdown. Each team committed nine penalties on Wednesday night, but every score—including Alex Killorn's game-winner in the third period—came on even strength.

"This is turning into a great rivalry between both teams," Red Wings winger Justin Abdelkader told MLive.com's Ansar Khan after the game. "It's a lot of fun. This is what you want to be a part of."

Playing without renown scorer Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay displayed its depth. Nikita Kucherov delivered a pair of goals, and Victor Hedman seemingly scored one before an offside call wiped it off. The reigning Eastern Conference champions have accrued 16 goals in six games since Stamkos' season ended due to a blood clot. 

Although Detroit outshout Tampa Bay, 38-36, it also finished the season with the worst goal differential (minus-13) of any playoff participant. The Associated Press' Fred Goodall also highlighted the importance of Game 1, citing Detroit's 50-15 record when taking the opening game as opposed to a 19-35 mark when dropping it.

The Lightning have not recently experienced similar trouble when falling behind, but they can make things easier than last year's seven-game series by leaving Amalie Arena up 2-0.

Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

The New York Islanders and Florida Panthers might not have saved any offense for Friday night.

Both squads traded blows during Thursday night’s Game 1, which the Islanders claimed with a 5-4 victory. Captain John Tavares delivered a valiant effort, registering a goal and two assists for the road underdogs.

Although they fell short on the scoreboard, the Panthers amounted 20 more shot attempts (46) than their opponent. While Thomas Greiss garnered 42 saves in his second career postseason game, Roberto Luongo faltered in his 65th career playoff matchup.

So much for experience making all the difference. The 37-year-old goalie has now lost his last seven postseason starts. In order to even the series, he must break a five-year drought the night after a disastrous performance.

St. Louis Blues vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

The Chicago Blackhawks had numerous opportunities to steal Game 1 on the road, firing 35 shots to the St. Louis Blues' 18. Yet the No. 6 offense in the league during the regular season could not find the net despite dominating the puck, and the Hawks' No. 2 power-play attack abandoned them in five opportunities during Wednesday's 1-0 overtime loss.

Fortunately for the defending champions, help is on the way. Duncan Keith, who sat out the last of his six-game suspension, will return on Friday night. Per the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus, the star defenseman does not plan on toning down his physical style after getting punished for high-sticking Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle in the face:

The 32-year-old has recorded 75 points over 116 career playoff games. Last year, he guided Chicago to a Stanley Cup title with 18 assists and a plus-16 rating in 23 bouts. After the Blues stockpiled 41 hits in Game 1, the Blackhawks will welcome back their tenacious leader with open arms.

Hoping to exit their home ice with a 2-0 advantage, the Blues will again rely on Brian Elliott. The star goalie earned his first career postseason shutout with 35 saves. As noted by The Athletic's Scott Powers, many of them came under heavy duress:

With Elliott (.930 save percentage) shielding the net, St. Louis posted the NHL's second-best penalty kill percentage (85.1) during the season. He extinguished several fires on Wednesday night and will probably need to do so again to widen the lead.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

By the time the other three matchups each wrap up Game 2, the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators will finally begin their first-round slate. One of the more interesting collisions should prove worth the wait.

The Ducks secured the Pacific by ranking first in the power play and the penalty kill. They bounced back from a shaky start to go 34-10-5 after the Christmas break, finishing the season with the premier scoring defense.

The Predators, however, yielded the fewest shots per game (27.3). Goalie Pekka Rinne had an off season by his standards, allowing 2.48 goals per game with a .908 save percentage. For them to upset the red-hot Ducks, they'll need Rinne to lead them through low-scoring victories. Per the Tennessean's Adam Vingan, he understands his importance to the series.

"It’s always in the back of your head," Rinne said. "You know it’s a fact that (the) goalie plays a big role in the playoffs. For some guys, it helps if you start putting more pressure on yourself, but I try not to put too much extra pressure on myself. Just try to believe in my skill and what I can do.”

Tim Sharp/Associated Press

On the other end, Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau hasn't committed to John Gibson or Frederik Andersen as his starting goalie. "Heads is Freddie, tails is Gibby," he said during a Monday conference-call, per the Los Angeles Times' Curtis Zupke.

Gibson allowed 2.07 goals per game this season, but Andersen returned from a five-game absence to shut out the Washington Capitals on Saturday. The Ducks are in capable hands either way.