NHL Playoffs 2016: Updated 1st-Round Schedule, Dates, Times and Predictions

It's desperation time in all three NHL playoff games that are scheduled for Monday.

Two teams that failed to win either of their first two road playoff games, the Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers, will return home knowing they need to get wins in their respective games or they will face a chasm-like 3-0 deficit.

The Los Angeles Kings are in a worse situation, as they'll go on the road to face the San Jose Sharks after losing two games at Staples Center to open the series.

No team is in a worse position than the Kings. Losing the first two games at home is usually the formula for a quick exit in any sport's postseason.

If the Sharks can win Game 3 at the Shark Tank, they will put the Kings on the brink of elimination.

As bad as a 3-0 deficit is, the Flyers and Kings have rebounded from those huge holes before. The Flyers trailed the Boston Bruins 3-0 in 2010, but they came back to win the series. Not only did they overcome the three-game deficit, but they were also down 3-0 in the seventh game before coming back to win.

Conference	Series	Standing	Prediction
Eastern	Washington-Philadelphia	Washington, 2-0	Washington, 4-1
Eastern	Pittsburgh-NY Rangers	1-1	Pittsburgh, 4-3
Eastern	Florida-NY Islanders	NYI, 2-1	NY Islanders, 4-2
Eastern	Tampa Bay-Detroit	TB, 2-1	Detroit, 4-3
Western	Dallas-Minnesota	Dallas, 2-0	Dallas, 4-1
Western	St. Louis-Chicago	St. Louis, 2-1	St. Louis, 4-2
Western	Anaheim-Nashville	Nashville, 2-0	Nashville, 4-2
Western	Los Angeles-San Jose	San Jose, 2-0	San Jose, 4-2

Two years ago, the Sharks had a 3-0 lead on the Kings and appeared to be pushing Los Angeles all over the ice. The Kings then reeled off four straight wins, which triggered a run to their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

Having had success in the most desperate situations would give either team hope if it finds itself in that position again, but it is not the way either team wants to operate.

The Flyers may have the most challenging task of any team in the postseason. While they surged during the final weeks of the regular season, they have to find a way to overcome the Washington Capitals.

Washington was the best team in the regular season by a wide margin, but it faces new pressure in the playoffs because expectations are high. The Capitals appeared to be nervous in the series opener, but they won 2-0 and whipped the Flyers 4-1 in Game 2.

The Flyers and their fans will be emotional as they remember their late owner, Ed Snider, on Monday, but the Capitals have overwhelming talent.

The Flyers will need high-level games from Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds, and goalie Steve Mason can't have any more miscues like he did Saturday night, as NHL on NBC showed:

The Kings have been frustrated by the Sharks' overall defensive play and Joe Pavelski's ability to score key goals.

Pavelski scored two goals for San Jose in the series opener, and his second snipe was a brilliant wraparound shot early in the third period that proved to be the game-winner.

He also scored the opening goal early in Game 2 on a wrist shot that beat Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick on the short side.

The Sharks eventually built their lead to 2-0 and hung on to win by a 2-1 margin after Vincent Lecavalier scored a late goal for the Kings.

The Kings are not all about coming close and making a game of it. They won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014 because they understand how to play the shutdown game thanks to their aggressive and mobile defense along with the stellar play of Quick.

With a solid defensive baseline, the offense has been all about scoring big goals. Players such as Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty often shine the brightest at the biggest moments, and that's the formula that head coach Darryl Sutter's team has used to find success during its Stanley Cup runs.

The Kings may be on the road and in an uncomfortable situation, but they know how to win and should have a strong response as the series moves to Northern California.

The Wild were more competitive in their Game 2 loss against Dallas than they were in the series opener.

Head coach John Torchetti knows that staying close to the high-scoring Stars is not his team's goal. He needs a better all-around effort from his short-handed team, and he believes that it starts with more physical play, per the Wild:

That is a big part of it, but with Zach Parise out after suffering an upper-body injury, it may be difficult for the Wild to muster enough offense.

Parise does not appear to be ready to return for Game 3, according to the (St. Paul) Pioneer Press' Chad Graff, which will make the task difficult for the Wild.

Minnesota scored just one goal in the first two games of the series, and it won't be easy to find offense in Game 3.

However, Torchetti believes the team has to be ready to come out with a tone-setting start in the first period to defend home ice.

"It's a home game, so you've got to hold court; that's the No. 1 thing," he said, per Dan Myers of NHL.com. "It's not a changed series until you lose a game at home. It's always like that. We have to make sure that we come in here, again, we talk about the first period; that's about it for me."

Three key games are on tap Monday night, and three teams are desperate to avoid their third straight loss in their series. Look for the Flyers, Kings and Wild to leave it all on the ice in an effort to get their first win of the playoffs.