NHL Playoff Schedule 2018: TV, Live-Stream Info for Wednesday's Bracket Picture

After just a few days off to catch their breath and assess their first-round opponents, six NHL playoff teams will start the postseason on Wednesday night.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Philadelphia Flyers, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Los Angeles Kings and the Winnipeg Jets will host the Minnesota Wild. The other five playoff series will commence Thursday.

Wednesday's NHL playoff schedule (all times ET)

7 p.m.: Flyers @ Penguins | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports
7 p.m.: Wild @ Jets | SN, TVA Sports, CNBC
10 p.m.: Kings @ Golden Knights | NBCSN, CBC, TVA Sports

Here's the link to the full first-round schedule. Wednesday's games can be live-streamed on NBCSports.com.

The Penguins have won back-to-back Stanley Cups, and while they have not had a standout regular season, the combination of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel is capable of lighting up the scoreboard.

If the Penguins are going to make another run at a third consecutive championship, they will need a stellar effort from goaltender Matt Murray. 

"It's no secret that what we did last year hadn't been done in quite some time," Murray said, per Mike Zeisberger of NHL.com. "We now have the chance to be the first team [to three-peat] in 35 years. We're not going to shy away from it, we're not going to sweep it under the rug, we're going to go out and take it."

They are likely to get a stiff test from their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers clinched their spot in the playoff on the final day of the season when they whipped the New York Rangers 5-0. 

Philadelphia overcame a 10-game losing streak early in the season and showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.

Claude Giroux scored 102 points to lead the Flyers, while Jakub Voracek is second on the team with 85 points. Sean Couturier scored 31 goals and 76 points, and this trio is capable of lighting up a Pittsburgh defense that allowed 250 goals during the regular season.

These two teams are meeting in the playoff for the first time since 2012, and the Flyers pulled off a six-game victory in that series. This is likely to be a high-scoring, hard-fought and emotional series.

Isaac Brekken/Associated Press

The Vegas Golden Knights were an incredible story during the regular season as the expansion team won the Pacific Division and played consistently from start to finish. They were 29-10-2 when playing at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and overcoming that home-ice advantage will be a challenge throughout the postseason.

Former Penguin Marc-Andre Fleury will be in goal for the Golden Knights, and the offense is led by William Karlsson, Reilly Smith and Colin Miller.

Winning in the regular season is one thing, and finding success in the postseason against a veteran team like the Los Angeles Kings is another story.

The Kings are led by Drew Doughty, Jeff Carter and Dustin Brown, and they are core members of a team that has won two Stanley Cups. The Kings don't have home-ice advantage, but they have overcome this issue in the past. 

If goalie Jonathan Quick is in top form, the Kings should have an excellent chance to take down the division champions.

The Winnipeg Jets don't get a lot of publicity, but they finished second to the Nashville Predators in the Central Division and the Western Conference, and they have a crew of star players who are capable of dominating.

Blake Wheeler scored 91 points to lead the Jets, while Patrik Laine scored 44 goals. Nikolaj Ehlers added 29 goals and 60 points, while defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is capable of taking over any game with his size, strength and heavy shot.

The Wild may have a problem keeping up with the Jets. Star defenseman Ryan Suter is injured and done for the season, and that may keep Minnesota from having a legitimate chance in this series.