NHL Playoff Schedule 2017: Latest Bracket Details, TV Coverage and Picks

It started with 16 teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

After Wednesday night's Game 7 victories by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks, there are four competitors left playing for Lord Stanley's chalice.

The Penguins shook off subpar performances in Games 5 and 6 and took care of the Washington Capitals 2-0. Marc-Andre Fleury was sharp in Washington, and he got support from Bryan Rust and Patric Hornqvist with goals in the second and third periods, respectively.

While there was heartbreak in Washington as the Capitals were stopped in the second round yet again, there was joy in Anaheim as the Ducks overcame their history of seventh-game failures at home and defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1.

It didn't start out well for the home team, as the Oilers opened the scoring early in the first period on a goal by Drake Caggiula at the 3:31 mark. The Oilers took the play to the Ducks throughout the majority of the first period and could have built a bigger lead if John Gibson had not been strong in goal.

Conference	Matchup	Game 1	Date, Time (ET)	TV	Predicted winner
Eastern	Ottawa-Pittsburgh	at Pittsburgh, May 13	7 p.m.	NBC	Senators in 7 games
Western	Nashville-Anaheim	at Anaheim, May 12	9 p.m.	NBCSN	Predators in 6 games

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The game turned around in the second period as the Ducks picked up their skating pace and added a much stronger physical element. They tied the game on a goal by Andrew Cogliano following some excellent work in front of the net by Ryan Kesler, and they went ahead early in the third period on a crisp wrist shot by Nick Ritchie.

After a quick response by Edmonton that included two close-in chances by Connor McDavid, the Oilers were unable to mount any serious offensive zone time or pressure until the late stages of the third period after they pulled goaltender Cam Talbot.

The Ducks survived the late assault, and there was joy in Anaheim.

Captain Ryan Getzlaf pointed to his team's ability to contend with problems this season as one of the reasons the Ducks were able to come through in the seventh game.

"The way we've played the last half of the season where we've learned to deal with adversity, and we had to do that tonight," Getzlaf said, per Lisa Dillman of NHL.com. "Obviously we gave up an early goal. We gave up a lot of goals the other night and our team came back and played great. Our goaltender (Gibson) played unbelievable."

The Ducks earned a spot in the Western Conference Final against the Nashville Predators. The Ducks won the Pacific Division while the Preds were the No. 2 wild-card qualifier during the regular season, and Anaheim will have home-ice advantage in the series that starts Friday night at 9 p.m. ET.

The Penguins overcame injuries throughout their lineup, including a concussion that kept Sidney Crosby out midway through the series. They will face the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Final, and that series will get underway Saturday night in Pittsburgh at 7 p.m.

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Fleury made 29 saves in Game 7, including huge stops on Alex Ovechkin (3:55 mark) and T.J. Oshie that kept the Caps off the board. Fleury was the backup goalie a year ago when rookie Matt Murray backstopped the Pens to a Stanley Cup, and he didn't get a chance to take over as the primary goaltender until Murray got hurt in the warmups before Game 1 of the first round.

"We're not in this position moving on if he (Fleury) doesn't play the way he did," Crosby said, per Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. "There were times where they had sustained pressure throughout games, and he made some big saves, allowed us to stay in the game and allowed us to stay patient. He was huge for us all series long."

Fleury was not at his best when the Capitals mounted their rally in the fifth and sixth games to tie the series. However, he came through with one of the best efforts of his postseason career in Game 7, and now he is moving on to the conference final.

There was palpable heartbreak in the Washington locker room after going down against the Penguins for the ninth time in 10 series all-time. 

"Unfortunately for me and my career and for a lot of these guys, you almost wonder how much disappointment you have to put yourself through before you can find a way to get the job done," Oshie said, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.

Prediction

The defending champion Penguins and the Ducks both have home-ice advantage and are coming off seventh-game victories.

The Pens have Fleury, Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel, but the Senators have been resilient in earning a pair of six-game victories over the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers to this point.

Craig Anderson should be the equal of Fleury, and superb defenseman Erik Karlsson seems to make at least one game-changing play in every game.

Look for the Senators to get the best of the defending champions in seven games.

Anaheim and Nashville engaged in a seven-game series last year, and the Preds pulled out the series with a road victory in Game 7.

The Predators are playing even better this year in the postseason after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round and beating the St. Louis Blues in six games.

Head coach Peter Laviolette has an active defense that has been scoring clutch goals throughout the playoffs. That should continue here, as Nashville will find a way to win at least one game on the road and finish off the Ducks.

The Preds move on to their first Stanley Cup Final.