Game 7s on NHL playoff schedule

It's win or go home in two NHL playoff series on Tuesday night as the Canucks and Blackhawks and Sabres and Flyers face off in their respective Game 7s.

The Blackhawks actually forcing Game 7 versus the Canucks is pretty shocking. Vancouver won the first three games of the series and looked to be on their way to a quick series sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Since then Chicago has outscored the Canucks 16-5 to win three straight and tie the series.

Game 6 of the series on Sunday added even more shockwaves to the series as Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault benched starting goalie Roberto Luongo in favor of backup Cory Schneider. The switch didn't last though as Schneider was injured on a penalty shot and Luongo was forced back into the nets. Luongo was pretty steady, holding down the fort to send the game to overtime, but in sudden death Chicago's Ben Smith broke the deadlock with his third goal of the series.

Vancouver may have dropped three in a row in horrible fashion, but the oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com still think they will prevail in Game 7. The Canucks are -170 home favorite in the game, while Chicago is a +150 underdog. Don't get too confident, though, Canucks fans. Vancouver was a -195 home favorite in Game 5 and lost 5-0.

In Tuesday night's other Game 7 it's do or die for the Sabres and the Flyers. Philadelphia lived to play another day on Sunday with a 5-4 overtime win in Game 6. Ville Leino netted the OT marker as the Flyers recovered after falling behind 2-0 early in the first period.

The Flyers' shaky goaltending continued to be a problem in Game 6 as Michael Leighton got the hook early after allowing three goals on eight shots. Brian Boucher settled things down and stopped 24 of 25 shots the rest of the way, while the Flyers peppered Sabres goalie Ryan Miller with 49 shots.

Injuries have been a big concern for both sides in this series, and the injury bug continued to bite in Game 6. Philadelphia got some good news on the injury front with the return of Chris Pronger; he only played four minutes, all on the power play, and is being brought back into the lineup slowly. The Sabres, already missing Jason Pominville due to a skate cut on his leg, lost Tim Connolly in Game 6 after he took a hard hit from Mike Richards. Help could be on the way, though, as Derek Roy could play in Game 7 for the first time since tearing a tendon in his leg in December.

With Game 7 taking place in Philadelphia the Flyers are a -160 favorite. The Sabres, meanwhile, are a +140 underdog, the same odds they were given when they won Game 1 and Game 5.