FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 2nd, 2015

RANGERS-RED WINGS ON “WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY,” RED WINGS-BRUINS ON NBC’S “GAME OF THE WEEK” HIGHLIGHT NBC SPORTS GROUP’S NHL COVERAGE THIS WEEK

Rick Nash and Rangers Visit Pavel Datsyuk and Red Wings on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET

Milan Lucic and Bruins Host Red Wings on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week Sunday at Noon ET

Jonathan Toews and Blackhawks Host Rangers Sunday Night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Coverage Begins Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN – Steven Stamkos and Lightning Host Sabres

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 2, 2015 – This week’s NHL coverage on NBC and NBCSN features three Original Six matchups with teams jockeying for playoff positioning, beginning with a Wednesday Night Rivalry showdown at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN between Rick Nash and the New York Rangers, and Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings will be featured on the NHL Game of the Week on NBC at Noon ET on Sunday, when they travel to Boston to face Milan Lucic and the Bruins. Sunday’s coverage also features an interconference Original Six contest at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the Rangers visit Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will call NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup between the Rangers and Red Wings. Emrick and McGuire will be on the call for Red Wings-Bruins on the NHL Game of the Week on Sunday.

This week’s coverage begins tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning host Tyler Ennis and the Buffalo Sabres.

NHL Live, NBCSN’s pre- and post-game NHL studio show, begins one hour prior to puck drop of Sabres-Lightning and Rangers-Red Wings. Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will host this week’s coverage alongside former players and analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick. NHL insider Bob McKenzie will join NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage to provide the latest in-depth news from around the league.

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – RANGERS-RED WINGS – WEDNESDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Rangers and Red Wings face off for their second Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup this season. On Nov. 5, Detroit’s Tomas Tatar scored with 7.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, but New York’s Derick Brassard scored 1:50 into the extra session to give the Rangers a 4-3 overtime win. New York (38-17-6, 82 pts) and Detroit (35-15-11, 81 pts) enter this week both battling for positioning in their respective divisions.

The Rangers lost to Philadelphia 4-2 on Saturday night on NBC, their first regulation loss three weeks, and sit two points behind the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Islanders. Detroit trails Tampa Bay by one point for second place in the Atlantic Division, and enters Wednesday night’s game following a 4-1-1 western swing, which included wins at Chicago, San Jose and Nashville.

Rick Nash currently ranks second in the NHL with 37 goals scored, four shy of his career high. In addition, Wednesday night’s matchup will likely feature newly-acquired players for both teams. The Rangers acquired defenseman Keith Yandle, who is tied for second amongst all defensemen in assists (37), from the Arizona Coyotes, while the Red Wings acquired veteran forward Erik Cole, a member of the 2006 Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes, and veteran defenseman Marek Zidlicky.

 

NHL GAME OF THE WEEK – RED WINGS-BRUINS – SUNDAY AT NOON ET ON NBC

The Red Wings’ week concludes in Boston on Sunday on NBC, as the Bruins look to hold on to the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston (31-22-9, 71 pts) enters the week following wins in three of its last four games, including back-to-back wins against New Jersey and Arizona last weekend. Boston also made an addition at the trade deadline, acquiring forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins boast eight players with at least 10 goals, including defensemen Dougie Hamilton and Torey Krug.

Sunday’s game marks the fourth of five matchups between the Red Wings and Bruins this season. Each team has won once in regulation, and Boston earned an extra point in the season series via a 3-2 shootout win on Oct. 15.

 

RANGERS-BLACKHAWKS – SUNDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Sunday’s coverage continues on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the Rangers travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks. Chicago (37-21-5, 79 pts) earned back-to-back wins in a home-and-home series with the Florida Panthers last week, but fell 4-0 to the Lightning on Friday night. The Blackhawks are in third place in the Central Division, three points ahead of Winnipeg and six points behind St. Louis. The Blackhawks, who face Carolina on Monday night, also made additions prior to the trade deadline, acquiring center Antoine Vermette from Arizona, and defenseman Kimmo Timonen from Philadelphia. Team captain Jonathan Toews leads all active Blackhawks with 50 points (19g/31a), and has scored a goal in three of his last four games.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Eddie Olczyk (analyst) will have the call from United Center in Chicago, Ill.

 

SABRES-LIGHTNING – TOMORROW NIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Sabres visit the Lightning tomorrow night on NBCSN, as Tampa Bay looks to keep pace in the competitive Atlantic Division. The Lightning (38-20-6, 82 pts) trail Eastern Conference-leading Montreal by five points, and open a three-game homestand tomorrow night against teams currently out of the playoff picture. Tampa Bay bolstered its defensive corps on Monday prior to the trade deadline, adding defenseman Braydon Coburn in a deal with Philadelphia.

Rick Peckham (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call the action from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Following is this week’s NHL telecast schedule on NBC and NBCSN. Games are subject to local blackout.

 

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., March 3 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Tampa Bay NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
NHL Rivals – Original Six (Encore) NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
NHL Top 10s (Encore) NBCSN 11 p.m.
Wed., March 4 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Wednesday Night Rivalry – N.Y. Rangers at Detroit NBCSN 8 p.m.
Sun., March 8 NHL Game of the Week – Detroit at Boston NBC Noon
N.Y. Rangers at Chicago NBCSN 7:30 p.m.

2014-15 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2014-15 season, featuring 14 games on NBC and 89 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 2014-15 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream this week’s NHL coverage NBC Sports Live Extra via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, and on select tablet devices within Google Play.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-