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The Wraparound: Panthers, Penguins, Wild look to avoid elimination

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Former NHL player J.T. Brown joins Liam McHugh and Anson Carter to share how he's seen the sport of hockey change in the year since the death of George Floyd.

The Wraparound is your daily look at the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ll break down the NHL playoff games today with the all-important television and live streaming information included.

• Lightning, Islanders and Golden Knights can close out their First Round series with a win.

• The Hurricanes and Maple Leafs moved one step closer to the Second Round Monday night.

Want to catch up on Tuesday night’s action in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs? Read the NHL Playoff Buzzer.

It’s a day where three teams could go home or there could be a trio of Game 7s Friday night.

The Islanders fought to take 3-2 a series lead on Monday night and now host the Penguins, looking to advance to a Second Round matchup with the already-advanced Bruins.

Meanwhile, the Panthers fought off Tampa Bay in Game 5 to force a Game 6 at AMALIE Arena. The Lightning held a 3-1 lead in the series, but Florida hasn’t gone away just yet.

That series doesn’t feel like it’ll end easily, so even being in Tampa Bay, the Panthers aren’t done yet. Rookie goalie Spencer Knight looked sharp in his playoff debut, and perhaps injected some new life into the Panthers, despite the Lightning looking as scary as ever.

[NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2021 First Round schedule, TV info]

In the last game today, Minnesota is battling for a chance at a Game 7 with a contest at the XCel Energy Centre. Vegas went up 3-1 in the series before a, well, wild Game 5 where they outshot Minnesota 40-14, including holding the Wild to a single second period shot.

The Wild are lucky to be alive another day, and have a strong history of defeating the Golden Knights at home. Vegas put somewhat of an end to that narrative by beating the Wild in Minnesota twice earlier in the series.

Still, the Wild are the lone team facing elimination who have the opportunity to do so at home, so perhaps some of that home ice advantage that led them all season might actually help this time around.

It’s a tremendous night of triple-Game 6 action and we could have a much clearer picture of the Second Round by the end of the night -- or, much murkier. Who’s to say.

[NBC 2021 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

WEDNESDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Game 6: Penguins at Islanders (NYI leads 3-2), 6:30 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)
Game 6: Panthers at Lightning (TB leads 3-2), 8 p.m. ET - CNBC (livestream)
Game 6: Golden Knights at Wild (VGK leads 3-2), 9 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)

THURSDAY’S NHL PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

Game 5: Canadiens at Maple Leafs (TOR leads 3-1), 7 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)
Game 6: Hurricanes at Predators (CAR leads 3-2), 9:30 p.m. ET - NBCSN (livestream)

PHT’s 2021 Stanley Cup previews
Penguins vs. Islanders

Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens
Lightning vs. Panthers
Hurricanes vs. Predators
Golden Knights vs. Wild

Stanley Cup playoff predictions
Why your team can (and can not) win the Stanley Cup this season
NHL odds: Division winners, 2021 Stanley Cup champion
Which NHL playoff series has biggest upset potential?

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Marisa Ingemi is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop her a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Ingemi.