NHL Playoffs 2019: Schedule, Stanley Cup Bracket Format and Predictions

For hockey fans, things are about to get very exciting. The NHL playoffs open on Wednesday night, beginning a seven-week period of the top teams around the league battling for the Stanley Cup.

Some teams are looking to live up to expectations and make a deep run through the postseason, while lower-seeded teams, particularly the wild cards, are hoping to pull off some upsets and contend for the championship.

It all starts with five first-round matchups on Wednesday night, beginning with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the heavy favorites to win it all, hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Here's everything you need to know about the NHL playoffs entering the start of the first round.

1st-Round Schedule (All Times ET)

*If necessary

Games can be live-streamed on NBC Sports Live

Wednesday, April 10

Game 1: Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m., USA Network

Game 1: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 1: St. Louis at Winnipeg, 8 p.m., NHL Network

Game 1: Dallas at Nashville, 9:30 p.m., USA Network

Game 1: Vegas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Thursday, April 11

Game 1: Toronto at Boston, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 1: Carolina at Washington, 7:30 p.m., USA Network

Game 1: Colorado at Calgary, 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Friday, April 12

Game 2: Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m., CNBC

Game 2: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 2: St. Louis at Winnipeg, 9:30 p.m., CNBC

Game 2: Vegas at San Jose, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Saturday, April 13

Game 2: Carolina at Washington, 3 p.m., NBC

Game 2: Dallas at Nashville, 6 p.m., CNBC

Game 2: Toronto at Boston, 8 p.m., NBC

Game 2: Colorado at Calgary, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Sunday, April 14

Game 3: N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 12 p.m., NBC

Game 3: Tampa Bay at Columbus, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 3: Winnipeg at St. Louis, 7:30 p.m., CNBC

Game 3: San Jose at Vegas, 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Monday, April 15

Game 3: Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 3: Washington at Carolina, 7 p.m., CNBC

Game 3: Nashville at Dallas, 9:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 3: Calgary at Colorado, 10 p.m., CNBC

Tuesday, April 16

Game 4: Tampa Bay at Columbus, 7 p.m., CNBC

Game 4: N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 4: Winnipeg at St. Louis, 9:30 p.m., CNBC

Game 4: San Jose at Vegas, 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Wednesday, April 17

Game 4: Boston at Toronto, 7 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 4: Nashville at Dallas, 8 p.m., USA Network

Game 4: Calgary at Colorado, 10 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Thursday, April 18

Game 4: Washington at Carolina, 7 p.m.

Game 5: Vegas at San Jose, TBD*

Game 5: St. Louis at Winnipeg, TBD*

Game 5: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, TBD*

Friday, April 19

Game 5: Columbus at Tampa Bay, TBD*

Game 5: Toronto at Boston, TBD*

Game 5: Colorado at Calgary, TBD*

Saturday, April 20

Game 5: Carolina at Washington, TBD*

Game 5: Dallas at Nashville, TBD*

Game 6: Winnipeg at St. Louis, TBD*

Game 6: N.Y. Islanders at Pittsburgh, TBD*

Sunday, April 21

Game 6: Tampa Bay at Columbus, TBD*

Game 6: Boston at Toronto, TBD*

Game 6: San Jose at Vegas, TBD*

Game 6: Calgary at Colorado, TBD*

Monday, April 22

Game 6: Washington at Carolina, TBD*

Game 6: Nashville at Dallas, TBD*

Game 7: St. Louis at Winnipeg, TBD*

Game 7: Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, TBD*

Tuesday, April 23

Game 7: Columbus at Tampa Bay, TBD*

Game 7: Toronto at Boston, TBD*

Game 7: Vegas at San Jose, TBD*

Game 7: Colorado at Calgary, TBD*

Wednesday, April 24

Game 7: Carolina at Washington, TBD*

Game 7: Dallas at Nashville, TBD*

1st-Round Predictions

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay over Columbus in four games

Boston over Toronto in six games

Washington over Carolina in five games

Pittsburgh over N.Y. Islanders in seven games

Western Conference

Calgary over Colorado in five games

San Jose over Vegas in seven games

Nashville over Dallas in six games

Winnipeg over St. Louis in seven games

Playoff Format, Favorites

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Since 1987, all four rounds have consisted of best-of-seven series, and this year isn't any different. To win the Stanley Cup, a team will have to win 16 games, while avoiding losing four games in any single series.

The winners of each of the four divisions are taking on a wild-card team, while the second- and third-place teams from each division are going head-to-head. The top teams in each conference—the Tampa Bay Lightning and Calgary Flames—will have home-ice advantage on their respective sides of the bracket.

The two top teams to watch are the Lightning, the Presidents' Trophy winner, and the Washington Capitals, who won the Stanley Cup last year. When these teams met in last year's Eastern Conference Final, the Capitals pulled out the win in seven games.

If Tampa Bay and Washington meet again with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line, expect some of the best games of the postseason.

However, the Flames, the top seed in the Western Conference, could also be a threat to win the trophy. It wouldn't be surprising to see them taking on the Lightning or Capitals in this year's finals.

But the Lightning weren't just the best team in the NHL this season, they were dominant, leading the league in points (128), wins (62) and goals (325). They had three players score more than 40 goals, including Nikita Kucherov, who led the NHL with 128 points.

So, while there should be some competitive series throughout the postseason, expect to see the Lightning players hoisting the Stanley Cup to end the 2018-19 season.