NHL Playoff Schedule 2017: Complete Dates and TV Info for Conference Finals

The home teams have been served notice in the Conference Final round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

A day after James Neal scored the winning goal in overtime for the Nashville Predators over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, Bobby Ryan did the same thing for the Ottawa Senators in the first game of their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ryan used his speed to break in alone along the right side, and he cut in on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and lifted the puck from his backhand into the top-left corner of the net to give the Senators a 2-1 overtime victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Ottawa controlled play in the series opener at PPG Paints Arena, as the Penguins did not play with the speed or sharpness they showed in the seventh game of their second-round series with the Washington Capitals. If the Penguins are going to slow down the Senators and advance to the Stanley Cup Final, they are going to have to increase their level of play quite a bit.

Head coach Mike Sullivan noted the Penguins were not aggressive enough on the offensive end.

"We're looking for that next play instead of putting pucks at the net," Sullivan said, per the Associated Press (h/t CBSSports.com).

The Penguins were also guilty of 17 giveaways in the game, and much of that was due to Ottawa's 1-3-1 trapping defense.

Western Conference Final, Nashville leads Anaheim, 1-0
Eastern Conference Final, Ottawa leads Pittsburgh, 1-0
Game Number	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Game Number
Game 2, Nashville at Anaheim	May 14	7:30 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 2, Nashville at Anaheim
Game 3, Anaheim at Nashville	May 16	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 3, Anaheim at Nashville
Game 4, Anaheim at Nashville	May 18	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 4, Anaheim at Nashville
Game 5, Nashville at Anaheim (if necessary)	May 20	7:15 p.m.	NBC	Game 5, Nashville at Anaheim (if necessary)
Game 6, Anaheim at Nashville (if necessary)	May 22	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 6, Anaheim at Nashville (if necessary)
Game 7, Nashville at Anaheim (if necessary)	May 24	9 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 7, Nashville at Anaheim (if necessary)
Game Number	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Game Number
Game 2, Ottawa at Pittsburgh	May 15	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 2, Ottawa at Pittsburgh
Game 3, Pittsburgh at Ottawa	May 17	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 3, Pittsburgh at Ottawa
Game 4, Pittsburgh at Ottawa	May 19	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 4, Pittsburgh at Ottawa
Game 5, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (if necessary)	May 21	3 p.m.	NBC	Game 5, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (if necessary)
Game 6, Pittsburgh at Ottawa (if necessary)	May 23	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 6, Pittsburgh at Ottawa (if necessary)
Game 7, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (if necessary)	May 25	8 p.m.	NBCSN	Game 7, Ottawa at Pittsburgh (if necessary)

Ryan's decisive move in overtime was his sixth goal of the playoffs. It was also his second overtime goal this spring, and the Senators improved their record to 6-1 in games that have been decided in extra time.

The 30-year-old struggled throughout the regular season and scored just 13 goals, but he has rediscovered his game in the postseason.

"I knew at some point those pucks I'd been chasing all year long, they were going to come," Ryan said, per the Associated Press (h/t CBSSports.com). "You just want to redeem yourself. That's all I'm trying to do."

Pittsburgh will get its opportunity Monday night at home at 8 p.m.

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

The Ducks will have that opportunity Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. in a game that NBCSN will broadcast.

In addition to losing the series opener to the Predators, the Ducks were outshot 46-29 and were chasing the game on the scoreboard and on the ice for much of the matchup.

Nashville took a 2-1 lead early in the second period, and they held it until Hampus Lindholm tied the game in the third period. The Ducks were unable to take advantage of the momentum they gained from the tying goal in the remainder of that period, and they appeared to be out of gas in the extra session.

Nashville registered a 7-2 advantage in shots on goal in the overtime that ended with Neal's blast past Anaheim goalie John Gibson.

"Goal scorers go in waves, go in streaks, and when you get hot, you feel confident in your game and that every puck can go in the net," Neal said, per Tim Campbell of NHL.com. "That's a great mindset. When you're playing with that mindset, you feel like you're in the zone."

The Predators have won the first game on the road in all three of their playoff series. If they can win a second straight game on the road, they will have an excellent chance of earning a spot in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.