FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 21st, 2013

RYAN MILLER AND BUFFALO SABRES HOST MILAN LUCIC AND BOSTON BRUINS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY

“It’s the stuff that’s embedded in your brain for the rest of your life.” – Mike Milbury on Bruins-Sabres Rivalry

Showdown of Division Leaders as Avalanche Visit Penguins Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET; Followed by Predators-Wild on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET

NHL Rivals and NHL Top 10 Start at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN on Tuesday

NHL Live Starts One Hour Before All Games

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 21, 2013 – NBC Sports Group continues its NHL regular-season coverage this week with three matchups, highlighted by the Boston Bruins at the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and tonight’s matchup of division leaders when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Coverage starts with NHL Live, which begins one hour prior to all games on NBCSN.

The Sabres and Bruins face off on Wednesday for the first of five meetings this season.  Last year, Buffalo won three of its five matchups against Boston. The Sabres enter action following a 4-2 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday. The Bruins are coming off a 5-0 win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

NBCSN’s game coverage begins Monday night with a matchup of two division leaders, as first-year head coach Patrick Roy leads the Colorado Avalanche into Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET. Crosby currently has sole possession or is tied for the league lead in goals (7), assists (10) and points (17) in just eight games played, while the Avalanche have allowed the second-fewest goals in the league. Kenny Albert and McGuire will have the call from CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.

This week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN continues with a Central Division showdown on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, when the Minnesota Wild host the Nashville Predators. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will call the action from the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream all 2013-14 NHL regular season games televised on NBC and NBCSN, including this week’s Avalanche-Penguins, Predators-Wild, and Bruins-Sabres matchups.

NHL Live, NBC Sports Group live NHL pre-game and post-game studio show, begins one hour before all games on NBCSN. Liam McHugh will host NHL Live with former players and analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones from the International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn.

NHL RIVALS AND NHL TOP 10 TUESDAY STARTING AT 11 P.M. ET ON NBCSN 

NBCSN’s will debut two new episodes of NHL Rivals and NHL Top 10 this week, as NBC Sports Group continues to expand its NHL coverage with programming focused on hockey’s historic rivalries and some of the game’s most-debated topics.

NHL Rivals, which debuts this week on Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET on NBCSN, dovetails off of NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry, which Forbes dubbed “the hottest new brand in sports.” This week’s episode will feature the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres. The two teams are forever linked by memorable moments, including Buffalo forward Brad May’s “May Day” overtime game-winner in the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Bruins forward Milan Lucic’s open-ice collision with Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller in 2011.

Following are excerpts from this week’s episode of NHL Rivals.

Former Buffalo Sabres defenseman and head coach Lindy Ruff: “It wasn’t about the scores. It was about looking over there and seeing which guys you’d have to worry about beating the crap out of you.”

NBC analyst and former Bruins player/coach Mike Milbury: “It was like the ‘O.K. Corral.’ It’s the stuff that’s embedded in your brain for the rest of your life.”

Former Sabres forward Brad May: “I loved every second of it. There were uncomfortable moments and times when I was afraid, but I absolutely loved it. It was so easy to get up for those games. You couldn’t sleep in the afternoon, or you’d sleep with the lights on.”

NHL Top 10, which debuts this week on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. ET, will dive deep into some of the most timeless debates hockey fans have discussed for decades. This week’s installment of the countdown program highlights the top 10 defensemen in NHL history.

Following is this week’s NBCSN NHL programming:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Mon., October 21 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  Colorado at Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Tues., October 22 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Nashville at Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m.
NHL Rivals – Bruins/Sabres NBCSN 11 p.m.
  NHL Top 10 NBCSN 11:30 p.m.
Wed., October 23 NHL Rivals – Bruins/Sabres (Encore) NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
  Boston at Buffalo NBCSN 8 p.m.


In addition to its NHL coverage, NBCSN will present live college hockey coverage this Friday when Maine hosts Massachusetts at 8 p.m. ET. Dave Goucher (play-by-play) and Ken Hodge (analyst) will have the call from Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra, All NBCSN games will be live streamed via “TV Everywhere,” the media industry’s effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Games airing on:

  • NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
  • NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via “TV Everywhere,” which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

In addition to its coverage of the opening week of the NHL’s 2013-14 regular season, NBC Sports Group will present comprehensive pre-game and post-game coverage, the NHL Winter Classic, the NHL Stadium Series, and new shoulder programming.

2013-14 REGULAR-SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2013-14 season, featuring 13 games on NBC and 90 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive NHL coverage this season.

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS 

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NHL markets such as Boston (Bruins), Philadelphia (Flyers), Washington D.C. (Capitals), Chicago (Blackhawks) and the Bay Area (Sharks), will air more than 300 live NHL games and surround the 2013-14 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

NBC SPORTS GROUP’S DIGITAL AND SOCIAL NHL COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group will continue to provide hockey fans with up-to-the-minute news, video, and information on the NHL and hockey from around the world via its digital and social properties, including NBCSports.com, Twitter and Facebook. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s Digital and Social NHL coverage.

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–