NHL Playoff Bracket 2019: Odds, TV, Live-Stream Schedule for Wednesday

On Wednesday night, the battle for this year's Stanley Cup begins. Five first-round matchups will open the NHL playoffs, followed by Game 1 of each of the other three series on Thursday night.

The Tampa Bay Lightning enter the postseason as the heavy favorites after handily winning the Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the most regular-season points.

The Washington Capitals are another contender as they look to repeat after winning the franchise's first Stanley Cup last year.

It's a full slate of playoff hockey on Wednesday night, so get ready to watch some of the NHL's best teams begin their quest to end the 2018-19 season with a championship.

Wednesday Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)

Odds according to Caesars. Games can be live-streamed on NBC Sports Live.

Game 1: Columbus (+190; bet $100 to win $190) at Tampa Bay (-220; bet $220 to win $100), 7 p.m., USA Network

Game 1: Pittsburgh (+100) at N.Y. Islanders (-115), 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 1: St. Louis (+100) at Winnipeg (-115), 8 p.m., NHL Network

Game 1: Dallas (+145) at Nashville (-160), 9:30 p.m., USA Network

Game 1: Vegas (+120) at San Jose (-135), 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Top Matchups to Watch

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Two of the most competitive series in the first round will begin Wednesday: New York vs. Pittsburgh and San Jose vs. Vegas. These matchups have the lowest betting lines, and that's because it's easy to see these series going either way.

The Penguins won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, but last year, they lost to the Capitals in the second round of the playoffs. They're looking to get deeper into the postseason this year, but they immediately have a tough matchup against the Islanders.

New York finished the regular season with 103 points, fourth-most in the Eastern Conference and three more than Pittsburgh. The Islanders won six of their last eight games in the regular season, and they're led by a balanced scoring attack of four players with more than 50 points.

But the Penguins should outlast the Islanders in a competitive first-round series, perhaps starting on a strong note with a road win on Wednesday. Veteran leadership from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and others should push Pittsburgh into the second round.

"You have the benefit of experience to draw on, and I think that certainly can't hurt a group," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Kevin Gorman. "This group has a fair amount of experience. Having said that, this is a new season, this is a team, this is a new challenge and we're going to have to face that challenge together, regardless of what your experience level is in the playoffs."

The Golden Knights are back in the playoffs after reaching the Stanley Cup finals in their inaugural season last year. However, in order to make another deep postseason run, they'll have to get past the Sharks.

After a seven-game losing streak in mid-March, San Jose won three of its last five games to end the regular season. Now, the Sharks will get back on track and begin their quest for the Stanley Cup with a first-round series win over the Golden Knights.

"We're two teams that, we're not going to be inviting each other over for Sunday night dinner," San Jose left wing Evander Kane said, according to the Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka. "We played them last year, they bounced us out of the playoffs. That gives us some motivation. For us, we know they don't like us. They're going to be ready to rock as well."