NHL Playoffs 2016: TV, Live Stream Schedule and Stanley Cup Bracket Predictions

After a pair of drama-filled opening games in the Western Conference's second round, the action will pick back up Sunday with the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators looking to even their respective series against the Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks.

Perceived top contenders such as the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks were all ousted in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, which leaves the Western Conference wide open and there for the taking.

Here is a rundown of Sunday's NHL playoff schedule, along with predictions for each game and a look ahead at how each second-round series may ultimately play out.

Sunday's Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Game	Away Team	Home Team	TV	Live Stream
Sunday, May 1	3 p.m.	Western Conference 2nd Round Game 2	St. Louis Blues	Dallas Stars	NBC	NBC Sports Live Extra
Sunday, May 1	8 p.m.	Western Conference 2nd Round Game 2	Nashville Predators	San Jose Sharks	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live Extra

Bracket Predictions

Conference	Team 1	Team 2	Prediction
Eastern	Pittsburgh Penguins	Washington Capitals	Capitals in 6
Eastern	New York Islanders	Tampa Bay Lightning	Lightning in 7
Western	St. Louis Blues	Dallas Stars	Blues in 7
Western	Nashville Predators	San Jose Sharks	Sharks in 5

Blues vs. Stars Game 2

The Dallas Stars needed a late, third-period goal from Radek Faksa in order to beat the Blues in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal, but there is no question Dallas was the better team throughout.

They peppered Blues goalie Brian Elliott with 42 shots, and while he only yielded a pair of goals, that total was enough to lift the top-seeded Stars to a 1-0 series advantage.

According to former NHL goalie and current Sportsnet analyst Corey Hirsch, Elliott's play in Game 1 was among the biggest positives St. Louis could take away from the losing effort:

"

I think it's time to give @KidElls1 respect. True elite NHL goalie. Score should be 6-0. #Stars #Blues

— Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) April 30, 2016"

The Blues didn't come anywhere close to turning in their best effort, yet they were one bounce away from stealing a game on Dallas' home ice.

Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk told Fox Sports Midwest he believed the team left some opportunities on the table and didn't take advantage of what was sometimes shaky goaltending from Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen:

St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock wasn't at all happy with the way his team played in Game 1, but he was somewhat encouraged by the fact they came to life in the latter stages of the contest, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"

We're not going to beat anybody giving up 40 shots on goal. We're not going to beat anybody giving up the scoring chances we did today. So we've got some areas that we've got to clean up. We're capable of cleaning it up.

We've had a real good push in the third period, that's kind of the formula that we need to follow and get back to our game. But we've got to find the energy to play our game, and we've got to find it quickly in the next 48 hours.

"

If Elliott's level of play carries over to Game 2 and the skaters respond to Hitchcock's challenge, the Blues should be in great position to even the series.

St. Louis has enjoyed extremely balanced scoring throughout the playoffs, with forwards Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko and Robby Fabbri all posting five points or more through eight games.

Assuming that depth is apparent and the effort level is better in Game 2, the Blues will leave Dallas with a 3-2 triumph.

Predators vs. Sharks Game 2

After dispatching of the Kings in five games the first round, the San Jose Sharks continued to roll in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinal, defeating the Preds 5-2 on home ice.

The final margin didn't do the competitiveness of the game justice, as San Jose scored a pair of empty-net goals to ice it. In fact, Nashville was in fairly firm control of the game for the first two periods until the Sharks exploded for five tallies in the third, as seen in this video, courtesy of NHL on NBC:

Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer acknowledged that his team was somewhat sluggish after a long layoff, but he was ultimately happy they were able to overcome it and protect home ice, according to Ross McKeon of the San Francisco Chronicle:

"

Coming off the break we had some questions about how we would be. And I thought I saw the effects of that the first two periods. We found a way. ... [Goalie Martin Jones] made some saves and allowed us to hang around. To come out with a win even though I don't think we played our best 60 minutes is good because we'll be better in Game 2.

"

San Jose was fantastic in the first round against the rival Kings, so DeBoer's confidence the team can improve in Game 2 and beyond is understandable.

The Sharks have a ton of experience with veterans such as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau up front, and they are getting incredible production from Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Joel Ward and defenseman Brent Burns.

Predators goalie Pekka Rinne had an up-and-down season, but he entered Game 1 with a great deal of momentum. The Sharks clearly got to him in the third period, though, and the barrage is unlikely to stop because of their depth of scoring.

If the third period of Game 1 is any indication, San Jose will continue to roll in Game 2 with a 4-2 triumph that will put it in firm control of the series.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.