FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 29th, 2016

PATRICK KANE AND CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS FACE OFF AGAINST DYLAN LARKIN AND DETROIT RED WINGS ON NBCSN’S “WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY”

Wednesday Night Rivalry – Blackhawks-Red Wings – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Alex Ovechkin and League-Leading Washington Capitals Host Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Sunday Night Hockey – Blues-Wild – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 29, 2016 – NBCSN presents a matchup of former division foes on this week’s Wednesday Night Rivalry showdown at 8 p.m. ET, when rookie phenom Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings host Patrick Kane and the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks.

Two of the NHL’s most iconic players of the past decade face off tomorrow night on NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET, when Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey features a rematch of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as David Backes and the St. Louis Blues visit Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET in a pivotal Central Division matchup.

Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will call Blackhawks-Red Wings from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call of tomorrow night’s Pens-Caps matchup from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., while Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call NBCSN’s Blues-Wild Sunday Night Hockey contest from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.

Liam McHugh will anchor this week’s NHL Live studio coverage, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. NHL insider Bob McKenzie will join NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage to provide the latest in-depth news from around the league.

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs – will stream this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN.

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

The Blackhawks and Red Wings enter this week’s encounter on Wednesday Night Rivalry following big victories on NBC broadcasts last weekend. The Red Wings earned a 5-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche in NBC’s primetime presentation of the Stadium Series matchup at Coors Field on Saturday night, as Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal with one minute remaining in regulation. Detroit (31-20-11, 73 pts) is currently fourth in the Atlantic Division and currently holds the first Wild Card spot, but trails first-place Florida (78 pts) by just five points. The Red Wings have recorded at least one point in nine of their last 11 games (6-2-3).

Chicago (39-20-5, 83 pts) currently holds a slight lead in the Central Division and Western Conference, one point ahead of Dallas (82 pts) and two ahead of St. Louis (81 pts). The Blackhawks are coming off a 3-2 win against Washington on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week on Sunday, as Patrick Kane scored his 36th goal of the year, adding to his league-leading 85 points. The Blackhawks made a number of acquisitions leading into today’s NHL trade deadline as they gear up for another Stanley Cup run, including former Blackhawk Andrew Ladd from Winnipeg, forwards Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann from Montreal, and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff from Los Angeles.


PENGUINS-CAPITALS – TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Tomorrow night’s matchup between the Penguins and Capitals was originally scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 24, on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week, but was postponed due to severe winter weather in Washington, D.C. The Penguins (31-21-8, 70 pts) are currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of Philadelphia and New Jersey (67 pts) for the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh is coming off a 4-1 win against the Jets in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, as Carl Hagelin scored a pair of goals in the win.

Washington (45-12-4, 94 pts) continues to maintain a comfortable cushion atop the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, currently 16 points ahead of Florida and the N.Y. Rangers (78 pts) in a distant second place in the division. Alex Ovechkin leads the NHL with 40 goals this season, and goaltender Braden Holtby’s 39 wins are six more than Corey Crawford (33) for most in the league.


SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
– BLUES-WILD – 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

This week’s Sunday Night Hockey contest on NBCSN features a matchup with playoff implications in the Central Division. St. Louis (36-20-9, 81 pts) is in third place in the division, just two points behind the division-leading Blackhawks. The Blues are coming off a 5-2 win in Carolina on Sunday, as David Backes scored and goaltender Jake Allen made 32 saves for his first win in four games since returning from injury on Feb. 22.

Minnesota (28-25-10, 66 pts) is currently sixth in the Central Division, but sits just two points behind Colorado (68 pts) for the second Wild Card position. The Wild enter the week following a 3-1 win against Florida to snap a three-game losing streak. This marks the final of five games between the clubs, with each team winning a pair of games in the season series.

Following is this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., March 1 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
Washington at Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10 p.m.
NHL Rivals NBCSN 11 p.m.
Wed., March 2 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Wednesday Night Rivalry – Chicago at Detroit NBCSN 8 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
Sun., March 6 NHL Live NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Night Hockey – St. Louis at Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m.
NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
NHL Sunday Shootout – The Week In Review NBCSN 11:30 p.m.

*immediately following game coverage

2015-16 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 105 NHL regular-season games during the 2015-16 season, featuring 12 games on NBC and 93 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. This year’s coverage includes 24 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, six Wednesday Nightcaps, 12 Sunday Night Hockey contests, and NHL All-Star coverage.

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 2015-16 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.
NHL SUNDAY SHOOTOUT

NBCSN’s NHL Sunday Shootout recaps the biggest NHL moments every week, following each of NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey matchups. The program, hosted by Dave Briggs, will feature insight and analysis from NBC Sports Group’s team of NHL commentators, including Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher, and Anson Carter.

NHL Sunday Shootout will serve as a weekly roundup for NHL fans on most Sunday nights leading into the postseason. In addition to insight and analysis recapping the week around the league, NHL Sunday Shootout will preview the upcoming week and feature recurring segments, including the NHL Live Roundtable, highlights from the Game of the Week, the NHL Best of 7 and Inside The Numbers.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-