The Carolina Hurricanes’ Max Domi, center, is tripped up by the Boston Bruins’ Erik Haula, right, during the first period of Game 5 of their NHL playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday. (AP photo)

BOSTON — The players dream of it. The fans look forward to it.

Game 7.

And today, there are three of them.

The NHL is wrapping up the first round of the playoffs with a rare treat: back-to-back-to-back seventh games that will go a long way toward shaping the conference semifinals.

The Carolina Hurricanes host Boston at 4:30 p.m., followed by the two-time defending champion Lightning at Toronto and the Kings in Edmonton. It’s the first Game 7 tripleheader since 2014.

The Boston Bruins' Nick Foligno controls the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period of Game 5 of an NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday. (AP photo)

“It’s going to be juicy,” Oilers forward Evander Kane said after scoring twice in a 4-2 win that forced Game 7 against the Kings.

There could be more Game 7s on Sunday, with three other series that were at 3-2 heading to Friday night.

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BRUINS AT HURRICANES

4:30 p.m., ESPN

The Bruins and Hurricanes are loaded with Game 7 experience — everyplace but in goal.

Boston rookie Jeremy Swayman is expected to be back in net on Saturday. He made his first career postseason start in Game 3, after Linus Ullmark gave up eight goals in the first two games.

“It’s a dream come true. I can’t wait,” the 23-year-old Alaska native said. “It’s no bigger or smaller than any game I’ve played before. I want to make sure I’m coming with that mentality.”

Carolina’s Antti Raanta had never started a postseason game before this year.

Elsewhere, experience abounds.

Ten players remain from the Boston roster that beat Toronto in seven games in the first round of the 2019 playoffs (and lost in seven to the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final that year). A victory would be the franchise’s 16th Game 7 win — an NHL record the team currently shares with Montreal.

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7 p.m., TNT

The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime in Game 6 to keep their hopes of a three-peat alive, but it’s another streak on the minds of the Maple Leafs as they host their winner-take-all series finale.

Toronto has lost nine straight potential clinchers, including Thursday night against Tampa Bay and three in a row after taking a 3-1 series lead against Montreal last year.

The Original Six franchise, which is going on 55 years since it last put its name on the Stanley Cup, hasn’t won a playoff series since 2004. Included in that span are some colossal collapses, including a 2013 Game 7 loss to Boston in which the Leafs blew a 4-1 lead with 11 minutes left in regulation.

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KINGS at OILERS

10 p.m., ESPN

Kane kicked off the Game 7 hype by holding up seven fingers after his empty-net clincher on Thursday night. But he also could have been referring to his seven playoff goals this year, tied with Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov and Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel for the league lead.

“I didn’t even realize that,” he said with a laugh.

Kane is the seventh Edmonton player to score at least seven times in a series and the first since Esa Tikkanen in 1991. He trails only Jari Kurri and Mark Messier for the most in a series in franchise history.

“The older guys haven’t been there in a few years, and we have a few guys that haven’t experienced this at all,” Kings forward Anze Kopitar said. “But if you told us that we’ve got to win one game to advance, we’d certainly take the opportunity. So it’s not all that bad.”