NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: Game Times, TV Coverage and Tuesday Live Stream Guide

Coming into the postseason, the Anaheim Ducks were feeling good about their chances of making a deep run in the NHL playoffs.

They advanced all the way to the seventh game of the Western Conference Final a year ago before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, and this year, they used a strong rally in the second half of the season to overtake the Los Angeles Kings and win the Pacific Division.

That position supposedly gave them a significant advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. Instead of having to square off with the San Jose Sharks, they appeared to have a better opportunity against the Nashville Predators, but they find themselves on shaky ground ahead of Tuesday's Game 3.

The Predators are the No. 1 wild-card team in the Western Conference, and they had a fine season. But they didn't play with the same defensive effectiveness as the Ducks, and that appeared to be a significant advantage for head coach Bruce Boudreau's team.

But the Predators paid no attention to the first-round predictions and instead won the first two games of the series on Anaheim's home ice.

Now they'll go home for the first time in the series, and their raucous fans are sure to give them a rousing welcome.

Anaheim has to pick up its level of play if it's going to get back into the series. The Ducks scored just four goals in the first two games, and none of them came off the stick of star Corey Perry.

Anaheim is not a one-man team, but it would serve the Ducks well if Perry could get back on track. 

Boudreau believes it's a matter of his team playing smarter hockey, and he does not like what he has seen so far.

“We were just stupid out there. The penalties we take sometimes are just so selfish and so dumb,” he told Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times. “We're doing stupid stuff, and [the Predators are] just smiling and having a good old time.”

Game	Series Standings	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Pittsburgh at NY Rangers	1-1	7 p.m.	USA, TVAS, SN, MSG, ROOT	NHL.tv
Tampa Bay at Detroit	TB, 2-1	7 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS2, FS-D, FS-F	NHL.tv
St. Louis at Chicago	St. Louis, 2-1	9:30 p.m.	NBCSN, TVAS, SN, CSN-CH, FS-MW	NHL.tv
Anaheim at Nashville	Nashville, 2-0	9:30 p.m.	NHLN-US, FX-CA, TVAS3, FS-TN, PRIME	NHL.tv

The Chicago Blackhawks face some pressure as they attempt to even their series against the St. Louis Blues.

After the Blackhawks took Game 2 in St. Louis, the Blues returned the favor by scoring two goals in the third period and recording a 3-2 victory in Game 3 at the United Center on Sunday.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press/Associated Press

This looks like a series that could go seven games because both teams are fairly even in terms of talent, but history says the Blackhawks will find a way to survive and advance, while the Blues will find a way to lose.

St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock is aware of his team's playoff struggles, and he knows that an early advantage does not mean the Blues are on their way to a series victory.

“We have to be better. We have to get better every game,” he told Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Each game has gotten more and more intense, and the animosity and the anger’s gotten to a very high level now."

The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups since 2010, and they have a formidable roster that includes stars Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Marian Hossa and Corey Crawford. Any one of those players is capable of carrying the Blackhawks to victory.

The Blues know that Vladimir Tarasenko, Alexander Steen and Jaden Schwartz are capable of doing the same for them.

Look for Game 4 to be another hard-fought one-goal contest. Both teams understand the game could come down to a late goal or overtime, and the team that wins Tuesday's matchup is likely to be the one that executes better down the stretch.