FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 2nd, 2014
DAYS 17-19 – NBC SPORTS GROUP’S EXCLUSIVE SECOND ROUND COVERAGE OF STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS CONTINUES WITH DOUBLEHEADER TONIGHT ON NBCSN
Game 1 – Rangers-Penguins Tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Game 1 – Wild-Blackhawks Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Canadiens-Bruins Double-Overtime Game 1 Thriller Delivers Record Viewership
All Games on NBC, NBCSN and CNBC Will Be Streamed Live Via NBC Sports Live Extra
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 2, 2014 – NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues tonight with a Game 1 doubleheader on NBCSN, starting at 7 p.m. ET with the (2) New York Rangers and the (1) Pittsburgh Penguins, followed by the (4) Minnesota Wild and (1) Chicago Blackhawks at 9:30 p.m. ET. Coverage begins tonight with NHL Live at 6 p.m. ET, hosted by Liam McHugh, alongside analysts and former NHL players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.
NBC Sports Group’s second-round coverage continues on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC, when the (1) Boston Bruins look to even their series with the (3) Montreal Canadiens in Game 2, following Montreal’s double-overtime victory in Game 1 last night. NBCSN will present Game 1 between the (3) Los Angeles Kings and (1) Anaheim Ducks at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night.
Sunday’s coverage starts on NBC at 3 p.m. ET with Game 2 between the Wild and Blackhawks from Chicago, followed by Game 2 of Rangers-Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
THE PASS – FRIDAY, MAY 2 – SUNDAY, MAY 4 (All times ET)
|
FRIDAY, MAY 2 |
|||
| Time | Coverage | Network | Commentators |
| 6 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones |
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 – (2) N.Y. Rangers at (1) Pittsburgh | NBCSN | Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (4) Minnesota at (1) Chicago | NBCSN | Dave Strader, Brian Engblom |
|
SATURDAY, MAY 3 |
|||
| 12:30 p.m. | Game 2 – (3) Montreal at (1) Boston | NBC | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| NHL Live (Intermission Reports) | NBC | Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones |
|
| 7:30 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones |
| 8 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Los Angeles at (1) Anaheim | NBCSN | John Forslund, Brian Hayward |
|
SUNDAY, MAY 4 |
|||
| 3 p.m. | Game 2 – (4) Minnesota at (1) Chicago | NBC | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| NHL Live (Intermission Reports) | NBC | Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones |
|
| 6:30 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 2 – (2) N.Y. Rangers at (1) Pittsburgh | NBCSN | Dave Strader, Brian Engblom |
******************************************************************************
“NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of NBC Sports Group’s Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, plus information and highlights. The Pass will be published weekdays to preview that evening’s games. On Fridays, a weekend edition will be posted.
******************************************************************************
For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here.
TODAY – MAY 2
The Rangers and Penguins face off tonight for the fifth time in Stanley Cup Playoff history, with Pittsburgh winning each of the previous four series. Their last meeting came in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, when the Penguins won the series in five games. Daniel Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot scored in the Rangers’ 2-1 victory over the Flyers in Game 7 on Wednesday to advance, while the Penguins defeated the Blue Jackets in six games. Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will call the action from CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Game 1 between the Wild and Blackhawks follows Rangers-Penguins on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Nino Niederreiter scored 5:02 into overtime on Wednesday night to give the Wild a 5-4 series-clinching win in Game 7 over the Avalanche, while the Blackhawks erased a 0-2 series deficit with four straight victories over the Blues to advance. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will have the call from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
NBC will present coverage of Game 2 between the Canadiens and Bruins at 12:30 p.m. ET, as Boston looks to even the series. Last night, Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk scored with 1:58 left in regulation to force overtime, before Montreal defenseman P.K. Subban scored a power-play goal 4:17 into double overtime to give the Canadiens a 4-3 win. Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike “Doc” Emrick will call the action alongside analyst Eddie Olczyk and McGuire from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
Coverage continues at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Game 1 between the Kings and Ducks, in the first ever postseason meeting between the two franchises separated just 30 miles from each other. The Ducks defeated the Stars in six games to advance, while the Kings staged an improbable first-round comeback, erasing a 0-3 deficit to the Sharks with four straight victories to become just the fourth team in Stanley Cup Playoff history to win after falling behind 0-3 in a series. John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Hayward (analyst) will call Game 1 from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
SUNDAY, MAY 4
NBC’s second-round coverage continues at 3 p.m. ET, as the Blackhawks host the Wild in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series. Emrick, Olczyk, and McGuire will call the action from United Center in Chicago. Coverage continues on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET, as the Penguins host the Rangers in Game 2 of their series. Strader and Engblom will provide live commentary from CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.
CANADIENS-BRUINS DOUBLE-OVERTIME GAME 1 THRILLER DELIVERS RECORD VIEWERSHIP
Last night’s double-overtime Game 1 of the Canadiens-Bruins series on NBCSN, averaged 1.925 million viewers, setting numerous NBCSN records: the most-watched second-round Game 1 ever; the most-watched second-round game featuring a Canadian team ever; and the third-most watched second-round game ever, trailing only Game 6 and Game 7 of last year’s Detroit-Chicago series, according to The Nielsen Company.
The game, in which the Canadiens won 4-3 to take a 1-0 series lead, peaked with 2.547 million viewers in the 10 p.m. ET quarter-hour, when the Bruins tied the game towards the end of regulation. NBCSN ranked No. 3 among all networks among M18-49 in primetime (8-11 p.m. ET), behind only TNT and CBS.
Beginning in the second round, NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is exclusive and hometown markets are no longer blacked out on cable. In Boston, the game drew a 17.6 HH rating, the market’s second-best second-round rating ever on NBCSN, trailing only Game 5 of Rangers-Bruins last year (17.9 HH rating).
The double-overtime game also generated massive digital consumption on NBC Sports Live Extra with 3.8 million minutes and 65,000 unique viewers, according to Adobe Reports & Analytics. The 3.8 million minutes are not only a record for a second-round game, but are the most minutes for any NHL authentication-required game ever, beating last year’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks (3.2 million). The 65,000 unique viewers are the most for an authentication-required second-round game, and second-most for any authentication-required NHL game behind only last year’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 (71,000).
PIERRE MCGUIRE – 17 GAMES IN 17 DAYS, FROM L.A. TO SOCHI
Following tonight’s Rangers-Penguins game, Emmy-Award winning analyst Pierre McGuire will have called 17 Stanley Cup Playoff games on 17 consecutive days. Overall, McGuire has called games from seven different cities, which have included five different Game 1 matchups, four overtime games, more than 1,000 minutes of hockey, and over 6,000 miles traveled – roughly the same distance from Los Angeles to Sochi, Russia, site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games where McGuire called 29 hockey games this year.
| Date | Game | Arena | Distance Traveled |
| April 16 | Game 1 – Columbus at Pittsburgh | CONSOL Energy Center | 0 |
| April 17 | Game 1 – Philadelphia at New York | Madison Square Garden | 370 miles |
| April 18 | Game 1 – Detroit at Boston | TD Garden | 585 miles |
| April 19 | Game 2 – Columbus at Pittsburgh | CONSOL Energy Center | 1,165 miles |
| April 20 | Game 2 – Detroit at Boston | TD Garden | 1,745 miles |
| April 21 | Game 3 – Pittsburgh at Columbus | Nationwide Arena | 2,495 miles |
| April 22 | Game 3 – Boston at Detroit | Joe Louis Arena | 2,685 miles |
| April 23 | Game 4 – Pittsburgh at Columbus | Nationwide Arena | 2,875miles |
| April 24 | Game 4 – Boston at Detroit | Joe Louis Arena | 3,065 miles |
| April 25 | Game 4 – New York at Philadelphia | Wells Fargo Center | 3,615 miles |
| April 26 | Game 5 – Detroit at Boston | TD Garden | 3,925 miles |
| April 27 | Game 6 – St. Louis at Chicago | United Center | 4,905 miles |
| April 28 | Game 6 – Pittsburgh at Columbus | Nationwide Arena | 5,225 miles |
| April 29 | Game 6 – New York at Philadelphia | Wells Fargo Center | 5,700 miles |
| April 30 | Game 7 – Philadelphia at New York | Madison Square Garden | 5,800 miles |
| May 1 | Game 1 – Montreal at Boston | TD Garden | 6,015 miles |
| May 2 | Game 1 – New York at Pittsburgh | CONSOL Energy Center | 6,595 miles |
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the third consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.
| Network | Games |
| NBC | 6 |
| NBCSN | 29 |
| CNBC | 12 |
| NHL-N | 2 |
| Total | 49 |
One-goal Games: 26
OT games: 15
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets — will stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games that air on NBC, NBCSN and CNBC, including the comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final. The vast majority of 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;
- CNBC will live stream exclusively through NBC Sports Live Extra via “TV Everywhere.”
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 —
