GAME 5: NEW JERSEY DEVILS @ NEW YORK RANGERS, 8 P.M. ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK

NEW YORK – May 23, 2012 – Day 43 – The NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 NHL Conference Finals continues tonight on NBC Sports Network with a crucial Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. With the series tied 2-2, the #1 New York Rangers host the #6 New Jersey Devils at Madison Square Garden tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live.

Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-glass’ analyst) will call the action

REMAINING EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE

*If Necessary

KINGS OF THE WEST

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Phoenix Coyotes last night, 4-3, in overtime to win the Western Conference and advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1993. Last night’s coverage of the game received the highest local rating ever in both Los Angeles (2.9 HH rating) and Phoenix (5.8 HH rating) for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network. NBC Sports Network was the highest-rated cable network in both Los Angeles and Phoenix, during the telecast of the game. The national rating will be available later today.

The Kings will meet the winner of the Eastern Conference for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday, May 30at 8 p.m. on NBC at either Madison Square Garden in New York City or the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

A few facts about the Los Angeles Kings, 2012 Western Conference Champions:

• The Kings became the first team ever to win eight straight road playoff games in a single year. This was also their 10th win in a row away from Los Angeles dating back to last postseason, which eclipses the Islanders old mark of nine straight road wins established in 1982-83.
• The Kings are the first team ever to eliminate the No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds in their conference. They are just the second eighth seed to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The Oilers did it in 2006.
• Twitter reactions to the L.A. Kings moving on to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final:
  • “Hey Los Angeles Kings! Welcome to the Stanley Cup Final!!!!!!!!!!” – Matthew Perry, Actor
  • “Way to go #LAKINGS…. Congrats” – Michael Strahan, Former NFL player
  • “Congrats to the @LAKings!!! – Chris Paul, NBA player
  • “The Western Conference Champion @LAKings. While that sounds nice, I can think of an even better title. #Fourmorewins” – Colin Hanks, Actor

2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE

All 2012 Stanley Cup Final games will air exclusively on NBC or the NBC Sports Network. Following is the schedule as released by the NHL (all times ET and subject to change):

* If Necessary

CHANNEL FINDER

With all 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games airing nationally for the first time, the NBC Sports Group created a channel finder to help fans find NBC and NBC Sports Network in their area by simply entering a zip code.

Click here for the channel finder.

PRE-GAME & POST-GAME COVERAGE

NHL Live, NBC Sports Network’s NHL pre-game show, will air every game night before the puck drops. NHL Post-Game will air 30 minutes following the conclusion of game coverage every night of the playoffs.

GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR

For the first time in the 95-year history of the NHL, every Stanley Cup Playoff game will be televised nationally. The NBC Sports Group is providing unprecedented access to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in April, May and June, televising as many as 91 playoff games and possibly more than 262.5 hours of programming. Games will be presented on NBC, the NBC Sports Network, the NHL Network, and NBCUniversal’s business channel CNBC in primetime.

* Includes Devils-Panthers Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 that was joined in progress