NHL Playoff Schedule 2017: Game Times, TV Info and Preview for Wednesday

Game 7 is the most thrilling situation in all of sports, and there will be two Wednesday to finish off the second round of the 2017 NHL playoffs.

Two teams, the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals, will look to overcome obstacles that have long plagued each in the postseason, while the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the upstart Edmonton Oilers will rely on their generational stars to move closer to hoisting the Stanley Cup. 

Let's take a look at the game times and television information for what figure to be cant-miss Game 7s. Continue for a preview of each matchup.

Matchup	Start Time (ET)	Network	Live Stream
Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live
Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks	10 p.m.	NBCSN	NBC Sports Live

Washington vs. Pittsburgh

Once again, Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals have a chance to exorcise their playoff demons and advance past the second round for the first time since No. 8 arrived in Washington. Yet this time carries rather unique circumstances.

Granted, this is not a new situation for this franchise. As 106.7 The Fan's Brian McNally noted on Monday, Ovechkin playing in a Game 7 is almost a given at this point:

Although he is seasoned in this situation, Ovechkin is not necessarily a proven success. This also goes for his counterpart out west, via Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press:

Ovechkin's role in this series is unfamiliar territory though, as he played on the third line in the previous two contests. Despite being a world-class offensive dynamo, the Washington captain responded with arguably his best two games of the series. His teammates, such as Matt Niskanen, have certainly taken notice, and his embracing of a different role is having a positive effect on the squad, per Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post.

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I absolutely loved it. I loved that [Ovechkin] didn't take it personal. This time of year, sometimes you have to just check your ego and work harder. In Game 5, he skated his butt off, ran into people, he was a bull in a china shop again and got rewarded with a goal. His attitude hasn't changed. He wants to win and wants to come here and make a difference. That's not easy to do for a proud player that’s been a top, top player in this league for a long time. He checked his ego and that was that.

"

Ovechkin's presence on a line away from Nicklas Backstrom or Evgeny Kuznetsov forced Pittsburgh to spread out its defensive attention to all three Washington scoring lines. As a result, the Capitals have thoroughly outscored the Penguins 9-4 in the last two games while holding a 58-40 shot advantage.

Pittsburgh has plenty of stars, in Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin, who have proven to be big in the most important games, but Wednesday will be all about Ovechkin. 

All season, it has felt like the Capitals' year due to their loaded personnel at every position. They took home the Presidents' Trophy once more, but even when it seemed like it would fall back into its recent playoff funk, Washington rose up to put itself in this position.

This team just seems different than the Washington playoff clubs of the past, and Ovechkin's legacy could receive a huge boost if that turns out to be true. Expect Ovechkin to find the scoresheet in a winning effort Wednesday, lifting a huge mental weight off his shoulders and setting up a favorable Eastern Conference finals matchup with the Ottawa Senators.

Anaheim vs. Edmonton

The stars are certainly shining in this series. Ryan Getzlaf has 10 points in six games for Anaheim, and Corey Perry is starting to come alive with four points in his last two games. On the Edmonton side, Leon Draisaitl continues to feast on the Ducks, with 13 points in the series, while Connor McDavid has added five points.

Yet the goaltending has been an issue for each side in this series. Cam Talbot has been brilliant at times, particularly in Games 1 and 2 and for most of Game 5's double-overtime loss. But he's stumbled badly at times, giving him up-and-down numbers for the series:

Game	Shots Against	Saves	Save Percentage
1	36	33	.917
2	40	39	.975
3	28	22	.786
4	39	35	.897
5	64	60	.938
6	35	34	.971
Series Totals:	242	223	.921

Anaheim's John Gibson has not been any better despite his team not being outshot in a single game this series. His latest outing saw him pulled after allowing three relatively weak five-hole goals on six shots in the first eight minutes or so of Game 6. Even before that game began, Gibson had mediocre numbers for the entire postseason, per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press:

The main difference in this matchup has been scoring depth, which is a calling card for this Anaheim team.

The Ducks possess arguably the best skating defensive group in the NHL, as all six defenders can push the puck up ice to create plays for teammates and make quick reads on breakouts to send the forwards cleanly into the offensive zone. Anaheim's defense is also encouraged to jump into the play offensively to create odd-man chances.

This is resulting in supporting forwards like Rickard Rakell and Jakob Silfverberg scoring at a point per game this postseason, while defensemen Cam Fowler and Shea Theodore are producing near that clip. All six of Anaheim's main defenders this series, not including the banged-up Kevin Bieksa, are averaging over 18 minutes of ice time these playoffs.

A lack of production throughout the lineup could ultimately end the Oilers' hopes. Draisaitl and McDavid are doing their thing, while power-play specialist Mark Letestu has chipped in with 11 points. Patrick Maroon's eight points are also helpful playing with McDavid. However, other forwards are not producing up to their level of ability:

Player	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Plus/Minus
Milan Lucic	12	2	4	-6
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	12	0	4	-3
Jordan Eberle	12	0	2	-6
Drake Caggiula	12	2	0	Even

Defensively, Edmonton is also hurting a bit. Andrej Sekera is out for the remainder of the series, and Oscar Klefbom could be limited after missing Game 6, although TSN's Ryan Rishaug reported Klefbom skated with the top-six in practice on Tuesday, but not on the top pair with Adam Larsson:

Edmonton's depth disadvantage did not come into play in Game 6 due to its explosive start, but it will become evident in a close game. Anaheim has to be favored in Game 7 at home, as it should be able to wear down the Oilers. Look for the Ducks to score late, breaking their streak of four straight postseasons squandering a 3-2 series lead.

Statistics are courtesy of NHL.com.