NHL Playoff Schedule 2016: Latest Times, TV Info for Stanley Cup Bracket

Round 2 of the 2016 NHL playoffs is almost in the books, with six teams fighting to advance to the conference finals.

In a thrilling turn of events, two matchups are already set to go all the way to Game 7 to determine which teams move on to the next round of the playoffs. 

The Tampa Bay Lightning were already able to secure their spot in the conference finals by defeating the New York Islanders 4-1 in their series.

The Dallas Stars staved off elimination Monday night against the St. Louis Blues, winning 3-2, and the Nashville Predators did the same with a 4-3 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks. 

Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins are scheduled to meet in Game 6 on Tuesday, with Pittsburgh holding a 3-2 advantage.

All the information you need to know regarding the upcoming schedule, matchups and television broadcasts is contained below.

Date	Matchup	Series	Time	TV Info
Tuesday, May 10	Capitals at Penguins	PIT 3-2	8 p.m. ET	NBCSN
Wednesday, May 11	Blues at Stars	3-3	8 p.m. ET	NBCSN
Thursday, May 12	Predators at Sharks	3-3	TBA	TBA

Game Previews

Nick Wass/Associated Press

The Penguins have an opportunity to wrap up their series against the Capitals at home Tuesday.

Washington forced Game 6 in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs with a thrilling 3-1 win Saturday night thanks to goals by Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams. Meanwhile, goaltender Braden Holtby was in shutdown mode, as he stopped 30 of 31 shots.

Hockey writer Ted Starkey noted Washington has been in this situation before:

Though they trail in the series, the Capitals showed why they have made it this far into the playoffs with their win in Game 5.

Washington was on the offensive for most of the night and took advantage of the opportunities the Penguins presented it with—such as when Oshie scored on the power play following Penguins defenseman Ian Cole's slashing penalty to take the lead.

The Caps will also get Brooks Orpik, who has been serving a three-game suspension, back for Game 6. Head coach Barry Trotz couldn't stress enough how important that could be for the team. 

"He brings those intangibles to the room, and it also gives us a really good body on the back end that I think is consistent and reliable, and in the playoffs, a lot of times, that's what you need," Trotz said, per ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun. 

On the Penguins' side, the team will be sticking with goalie Matt Murray for Game 6, as head coach Mike Sullivan announced Monday, per ESPN.com.

Murray let Williams' goal through in Game 5 and took a lot of heat for it, but he has a 1.96 goals-against average in eight straight playoff starts. 

Veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, for whom Murray has been filling in, is healthy, but Sullivan defended his choice to start Murray in Game 6 with a strong vote of confidence. 

"I thought Matt played an extremely solid game; he's provided the timely save for us throughout this playoff series," Sullivan said, per LeBrun. "We feel strongly that he gives us a chance to win when he's in goal right now."

Meanwhile, the Stars defeated the Blues 3-2 on Monday night and staved off elimination. The two teams will meet again Wednesday in Game 7.

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

The momentum is in the Stars' favor; Dallas scored two goals in 20 seconds early against St. Louis and held off a Blues rally.

Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen had a whopping 35 saves in the game.

In a thrilling overtime finish, the Predators pulled ahead of the Sharks 4-3 to force Game 7 with a game-winning goal by forward Viktor Arvidsson. 

This is the second time this postseason Nashville has won Game 6 to avoid elimination.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Predators are 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason: 

The most exciting part of this postseason is the fact that neither the Sharks nor the Predators have ever reached a Stanley Cup Final, while the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals have yet to ever win the Cup.