NHL Playoff Bracket 2019: Schedule, Format and Stanley Cup Odds

The two-month race for the Stanley Cup gets underway Wednesday with five games, and it marks the start of breathless hockey that could easily go down in NHL annals.

The team that wins Lord Stanley's venerable chalice will have beaten four consecutive opponents in best-of-7 playoff series. It will take a maximum of 28 games to win the Stanley Cup, and while that's not the way it usually goes, the winner is likely to be extended and pushed to the limit at least one time.

As the playoffs get underway, all eyes are on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay won the Presidents' Trophy as the league's best regular-season team, but their 62 victories won't mean much if the Lightning are denied their second Stanley Cup.

Tampa Bay made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, and they held a 3-2 lead over the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. However, the Lightning could not close out their opponents in Game 6 or 7, and that painful finish has stayed with head coach Jon Cooper's team all season.

Now they get their opportunity to right last year's wrong.

The Lightning have been installed as 9-5 favorites to win the Stanley Cup by Vegas Insider, while the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals are 10-1 second choices.

NHL Stanley Cup Odds

Tampa Bay Lightning: 9-5
Boston Bruins: 10-1
Calgary Flames: 10-1
Washington Capitals: 10-1
Nashville Predators: 12-1
San Jose Sharks: 12-1
Vegas Golden Knights: 12-1
Pittsburgh Penguins: 15-1
St. Louis Blues: 15-1
Winnipeg Jets: 16-1
Toronto Maple Leafs: 20-1
Colorado Avalanche: 25-1
Dallas Stars: 25-1
Carolina Hurricanes: 30-1
Columbus Blue Jackets: 30-1
New York Islanders: 30-1

First-Round Schedule and Television Information (All Times Eastern)

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Game 1: Blue Jackets at Lightning at 7 p.m. on USA

Game 2: Blue Jackets at Lightning at 7 p.m. on CNBC

Game 3: Lightning at Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 4: Lightning at Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. on CNBC

*Game 5: Blue Jackets at Lightning at TBD

*Game 6: Lightning at Blue Jackets at TBD

*Game 7: Blue Jackets at Lightning at TBD

*If necessary

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Game 1: Maple Leafs at Bruins at 7 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 2: Maple Leafs at Bruins at 8 p.m. on NBC

Game 3: Bruins at Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. on CBC

Game 4: Bruins at Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. on CBC

*Game 5: Maple Leafs at Bruins at TBD

*Game 6: Bruins at Maple Leafs at TBD

*Game 7: Maple Leafs at Bruins at TBD

Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Game 1: Hurricanes at Capitals at 7:30 p.m. on USA

Game 2: Hurricanes at Capitals at 3 p.m. on NBC

Game 3: Capitals at Hurricanes at 7 p.m. on CNBC

Game 4: Capitals at Hurricanes at 7 p.m. on SN360

*Game 5: Hurricanes at Capitals at TBD

*Game 6: Capitals at Hurricanes at TBD

*Game 7: Hurricanes at Capitals at TBD

New York Islanders vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Game 1: Penguins at Islanders at 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 2: Penguins at Islanders at 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 3: Islanders at Penguins at 12 p.m. on NBC

Game 4: Islanders at Penguins at 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN

*Game 5: Penguins at Islanders at TBD

*Game 6: Islanders at Penguins at TBD

*Game 7: Penguins at Islanders at TBD

Western Conference

Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche

Game 1: Avalanche at Flames at 10 p.m. on SN

Game 2: Avalanche at Flames at 10:30 p.m. on SN

Game 3: Flames at Avalanche at 10 p.m. on CNBC

Game 4: Flames at Avalanche at 10 p.m. on NBCSN

*Game 5: Avalanche at Flames at TBD

*Game 6: Flames at Avalanche at TBD

*Game 7: Avalanche at Flames at TBD

San Jose Sharks vs. Vegas Golden Knights

Game 1: Golden Knights at Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 2: Golden Knights at Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 3: Sharks at Golden Knights at 10 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 4: Sharks at Golden Knights at 10:30 p.m. on NBCSN

*Game 5: Golden Knights at Sharks at TBD

*Game 6: Sharks at Golden Knights at TBD

*Game 7: Golden Knights at Sharks at TBD

Nashville Predators vs. Dallas Stars

Game 1: Stars at Predators at 9:30 p.m. on USA

Game 2: Stars at Predators at 6 p.m. on CNBC

Game 3: Predators at Stars at 9:30 p.m. on NBCSN

Game 4: Predators at Stars at 8 p.m. on USA

*Game 5: Stars at Predators at TBD

*Game 6: Predators at Stars at TBD

*Game 7: Stars at Predators at TBD

Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues

Game 1: Blues at Jets at 8 p.m. on SN

Game 2: Blues at Jets at 9:30 p.m. on SN

Game 3: Jets at Blues at 7:30 p.m. on CNBC

Game 4: Jets at Blues at 9:30 p.m. on CNBC

*Game 5: Blues at Jets at TBD

*Game 6: Jets at Blues at TBD

*Game 7: Blues at Jets at TBD

Boston vs. Toronto

The Bruins and Maple Leafs are meeting for the second year in a row, and Boston won last year's series between the two Original Six rivals in seven games.

Boston built a 3-1 lead last year before the Maple Leafs won Games 5 and 6 to tie the series. Toronto led 4-3 going into the third period of Game 7, but the Bruins closed out the series by outscoring the Leafs 4-0 to win 7-4.

These teams figure to play another close series, but Toronto struggled down the home stretch with a 4-7-3 record, while the Bruins are 22-7-4 in their last 33 games. Included in that surge was a 15-0-4 streak.

Both teams have a slew of stars who are likely to play key roles. Brad Marchand reached the 100-point mark for the Bruins, while Patrice Bergeron (79 points in 65 games) is largely regarded as one of the elite two-way centers in the league. David Pastrnak powered home 38 goals this season, while David Krejci is a proven playoff performer.

Toronto will rely on Auston Matthews (37 goals), John Tavares (47 goals) and Mitch Marner (team-high 94 points) to get the best of Boston's defense, but that unit is anchored by Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo and is capable of keeping the Toronto offense from lighting it up.

The Maple Leafs defense may not be capable of doing the same thing to the Bruins.

This should be a high-scoring series, and the Bruins were the better team in the regular season, winning three of four games between the two teams.

Goaltending will play a huge role. While Boston goalie Tuukka Rask has had some brilliant moments in the playoffs—he led the Bruins to the 2013 Stanley Cup Final—he has also had some difficulties. Rask had a 2.42 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage this season.

The Leafs are depending on Frederik Andersen to be at his best. He was early in the season, but he struggled in the season's final weeks and finished the year with a 2.77 GAA and a .917 save percentage.

Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues

The Jets were considered one of the elite teams in the league during the first half of the season, but they faltered down the stretch.

The Blues were in last place in the league with a 15-18-4 record in early January. However, St. Louis was a dynamic 23-6-4 after February 1, and it may be the biggest threat to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Jets are led by Blake Wheeler, who scored 20 goals and added 71 assists during the regular season. Mark Scheifele scored 38 goals and 84 points, while Kyle Connor scored 34 goals. Patrik Laine scored 30 goals this season, but the high-scoring Finnish star was not at his best in the second half of the year.

Vladimir Tarasenko scored a team-high 33 goals for the Blues, and 16 of them came in the final two months of the season. He is joined by Ryan O'Reilly, who had 28 goals and 49 assists; Brayden Schenn, who had 54 points; and David Perron, who scored 23 goals with 23 assists.

Winnipeg could be at a disadvantage in the goaltending department. Connor Hellebuyck was one of the hottest goaltenders in the league going into last year's playoffs, but he has a 2.90 GAA and a .913 save percentage this year. St. Louis rookie goalie Jordan Binnington helped turn the Blues season around with a 1.89 GAA and a .927 save percentage.

Schenn says the Blues are prepared because they have been in playoff form for months.

"We've been playing playoff hockey for a long time now just to clinch and get in," Schenn said, per Tim Campbell of NHL.com. "This group has come a long way, come together. We're enjoying playing for one another right now. Obviously winning makes it a whole lot easier now. We feel like we've got a good team in here and hoping to go on a run in the playoffs here."