NHL Playoffs 2017: Latest Stanley Cup Predictions and Schedule Info

We're down to eight teams and four series in the chase for the Stanley Cup. Four of those teams—the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators were in action on Tuesday.

The Rangers and Predators picked up wins.

While no team was able to advance on Tuesday, potential closeout games are coming. Here, we're going to run down the remaining dates for the second round of the playoffs, along with broadcast times and television information.

We'll also look at the latest odds—courtesy of our friends at OddsShark.com—and examine some of the latest playoff-related buzz. In addition, we'll make our predictions for the Stanley Cup Final.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule

Game	Date	Time	National TV
Ottawa Senators vs. New York Rangers
Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
St. Louis Blues vs. Nashville Predators
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers
Game 4 at New York	Thursday, May 4	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC
Game 5 at Ottawa	Saturday, May 6	TBD	CBC
Game 6 at New York	Tuesday, May 9	TBD	NBCSN, CBC
Game 7 at Ottawa	Thursday, May 11	TBD	NBCSN, CBC
Game 4 at Pittsburgh	Wednesday, May 3	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC
Game 5 at Washington	Saturday, May 6	TBD	CBC
Game 6 at Pittsburgh	Monday, May 8	TBD	NBCSN, CBC
Game 7 at Washington	Wednesday, May 10	TBD	NBCSN, CBC
Game 5 at St. Louis	Friday, May 5	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC
Game 6 at Nashville	Sunday, May 7	TBD	TBD
Game 7 at St. Louis	Tuesday, May 9	TBD	NBCSN
Game 4 at Edmonton	Wednesday, May 3	10 p.m.	NBCSN, Sportsnet
Game 5 at Anaheim	Friday, May 5	10:30 p.m.	NBCSN, Sportsnet
Game 6 at Edmonton	Sunday, May 7	TBD	TBD
Game 7 at Anaheim	Wednesday, May 10	TBD	NBCSN, Sportsnet

Odds to Win the Cup

Team	Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins	9-3
Washington Capitals	4-1
Edmonton Oilers	4-1
Nashville Predators	19-4
Ottawa Senators	13-2
Anaheim Ducks	9-1
St. Louis Blues	12-1
New York Rangers	14-1

Latest Buzz

Crosby Out Game 4

Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby won't play in Wednesday's Game 4 against the Washington Capitals because of a concussion. He suffered the injury in the first period of Game 3 after taking a cross-check from Capitals defenseman Matt Niskanen.

Pittsburgh went on to lose that game 3-2 in overtime.

The Penguins at least seem optimistic about a quick return for their standout captain.

"He's very upbeat and positive," Penguins captain Mike Sullivan said of Crosby, per Craig Custance of ESPN.com. "We're very optimistic and hopeful we'll have him back in a timely fashion."

However, Crosby has a history of concussions—he missed the first six games of the regular season with one—and some aren't so convinced a speedy recovery is likely or even a good idea. Former NFL physician David J. Chao, for example, believes there's a possibility Crosby could miss the remainder of the postseason:

Chao doesn't believe Crosby will return before the next series, which poses a problem for the Penguins, who only hold a 2-1 series lead over Washington.

Rangers Battle Back

The Rangers might not be favorites to win the Stanley Cup, and they might not even advance past Ottawa in their current series. However, they showed a lot of toughness and skill on Tuesday, picking up a decisive 4-1 victory at Madison Square Garden.

The win was important because a loss would have put New York in a 0-3 series hole. The win should also build some confidence for the Rangers, who led at some point in each of the first two games before ultimately losing.

The Rangers know they can go up on Ottawa. Now they know they can finish.

New York came into Game 3 trying to nail down a strategy and a game plan that would allow then to play a full game.

"We talk about it. We don't want to fall into certain habits that leave us vulnerable," Rangers center Derek Stepan explained, per Larry Brooks of the New York Post. "Everything happens so quickly, it's hard to stay in a structure, but there are principles we go over, like on penalty-killing."

New York must have figured something out because the team outplayed Ottawa for three full periods on Tuesday. Of course, it didn't hurt that goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed just one puck to slip past him. His play was a major concern coming in.

Lundqvist and the Rangers blew a 5-3 lead with just over three minutes in regulation in Game 2.

"I wasn't moving as well as in other games," Lundqvist said, per Brooks. "I wasn't good enough."

Lundqvist was good enough this time out, and the Rangers have newfound life because of it.

Predators on the Brink

While the Rangers were busy finding a way to keep their series alive, the Predators were busy moving a game closer to clinching their series with the Blues. They edged out St. Louis 2-1 to take a 3-1 lead in the series.

Nashville has been pretty dominant so far in the playoffs, losing just once through eight games. They've also become one of the hottest stories in the Western Conference.

Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com recently explained why the Predators are so hot, and so dangerous:

"

The Predators are the talk of their conference, and not merely because they made the Chicago Blackhawks look silly in the first round. After two scoreless periods Tuesday, Ryan Ellis and the Preds' lightning-fast attack simply made enough plays to pull away from the Blues, who didn't find the net until there was 3:49 left.

"

Nashville has only surrendered 11 goals through eight postseason contests. This is a testament to the team as a whole and to goalie Pekka Rinne, who has saved more than 95 percent of shots against this postseason.

One more win and Nashville will be moving on to the conference finals.

Predictions

Semifinal Round

Nashville over St. Louis 4-1

Anaheim over Edmonton 4-3

Ottawa over NY Rangers 4-3

Pittsburgh over Washington 4-2

Conference Finals

Nashville over Anaheim 4-3

Pittsburgh over Ottawa 4-2

Stanley Cup Final

Nashville over Pittsburgh 4-3