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The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers knew they would be meeting in the first round some time ago, with the Canadiens getting home-ice advantage by virtue of the Atlantic Division title.
With the 30 teams all seeing their regular-season campaigns at an end, the NHL has released the schedule for the opening series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Habs will kick things off at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night for the first post-season game in Montreal in two years. After two games, the series will shift to Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Canadiens (A1) - Rangers (WC1) series schedule
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
| 1 | Wed, April 12 | 7:00 | Canadiens | Rangers | Bell Centre |
| 2 | Fri, April 14 | 7:00 | Canadiens | Rangers | Bell Centre |
| 3 | Sun, April 16 | 7:00 | Rangers | Canadiens | Madison Square Garden |
| 4 | Tues, April 18 | 7:00 | Rangers | Canadiens | Madison Square Garden |
| 5* | Thu, April 20 | TBD | Canadiens | Rangers | Bell Centre |
| 6* | Sat, April 22 | TBD | Rangers | Canadiens | Madison Square Garden |
| 7* | Mon, April 24 | TBD | Canadiens | Rangers | Bell Centre |
At the same time, the other three Eastern series schedules were released.
Capitals (M1) - Maple Leafs (WC2) series schedule
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
| 1 | Thu, April 13 | 7:00 | Capitals | Maple Leafs | Verizon Center |
| 2 | Sat, April 15 | 7:00 | Capitals | Maple Leafs | Verizon Center |
| 3 | Mon, April 17 | 7:00 | Maple Leafs | Capitals | Air Canada Centre |
| 4 | Wed, April 19 | 7:00 | Maple Leafs | Capitals | Air Canada Centre |
| 5* | Fri, April 21 | TBD | Capitals | Maple Leafs | Verizon Center |
| 6* | Sun, April 23 | TBD | Maple Leafs | Capitals | Air Canada Centre |
| 7* | Tue, April 25 | TBD | Capitals | Maple Leafs | Verizon Center |
Senators (A2) - Bruins (A3) series schedule
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
| 1 | Wed, April 12 | 7:00 | Senators | Bruins | Canadian Tire Centre |
| 2 | Sat, April 15 | 3:00 | Senators | Bruins | Canadian Tire Centre |
| 3 | Mon, April 17 | 7:00 | Bruins | Senators | TD Garden |
| 4 | Wed, April 19 | 7:30 | Bruins | Senators | TD Garden |
| 5* | Fri, April 21 | TBD | Senators | Bruins | Canadian Tire Centre |
| 6* | Sun, April 23 | TBD | Bruins | Senators | TD Garden |
| 7* | Wed, April 26 | TBD | Senators | Bruins | Canadian Tire Centre |
Penguins (M2) - Blue Jackets (M3) series schedule
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game | Date | Time (EDT) | Home Team | Away Team | Venue |
| 1 | Wed, April 12 | 7:30 | Penguins | Blue Jackets | PPG Paints Arena |
| 2 | Fri, April 14 | 7:00 | Penguins | Blue Jackets | PPG Paints Arena |
| 3 | Sun, April 16 | 6:00 | Blue Jackets | Penguins | Nationwide Arena |
| 4 | Tue, April 18 | 7:30 | Blue Jackets | Penguins | Nationwide Arena |
| 5* | Thu, April 20 | TBD | Penguins | Blue Jackets | PPG Paints Arena |
| 6* | Sun, April 23 | TBD | Blue Jackets | Penguins | Nationwide Arena |
| 7* | Tue, April 25 | TBD | Penguins | Blue Jackets | PPG Paints Arena |