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NHL Playoffs 2019: 1st-Round Schedule, Ranking Top Stanley Cup Contenders

Will the Tampa Bay Lightning keep dominating in the playoffs? Can the Washington Capitals repeat as Stanley Cup champions? And which team from the Western Conference has the best chance to win it all?

There are plenty of storylines as the NHL playoffs are set to get started on Wednesday. Five first-round series will begin that night, followed by three more on Thursday night.

Get ready, hockey fans, because the next seven weeks will be filled with the best teams in the NHL battling it out for the Stanley Cup.

First-Round Schedule (All Times ET)

*If necessary

Wednesday, April 10

Game 1: Columbus at Tampa Bay, 7 p.