FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 7th, 2016
DAVID BACKES AND ST. LOUIS BLUES HOST PATRICK KANE AND CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ON NBCSN’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY
Wednesday Night Rivalry – Blackhawks-Blues – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN
300th Regular-Season Meeting
NHL Game of the Week – Penguins-Rangers – Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC
Sunday Night Hockey – Maple Leafs-Red Wings – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
This Week’s Coverage Begins Tonight with Coyotes-Avalanche at 9 p.m. ET, Followed by Penguins-Islanders Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 7, 2016 – Division rivalries headline this week’s NHL coverage on NBC and NBCSN, highlighted by the 300th all-time regular-season meeting between Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks, and David Backes and the St. Louis Blues on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET.
This week’s NHL Game of the Week features a pivotal Metropolitan Division showdown, when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins visit Ryan McDonagh and the New York Rangers on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC in a rematch of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey matchup showcases a classic Original Six matchup, when Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings host Nazem Kadri and the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 p.m. ET.
This week’s coverage on NBCSN starts tonight at 9 p.m. ET, as Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche host Oliver Ekman-Larsson and the Arizona Coyotes, and continues tomorrow night in Brooklyn, N.Y., when John Tavares and the New York Islanders host the Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will call Penguins-Rangers from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call of this week’s Blackhawks-Blues Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and John Forslund (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will provide commentary for NBCSN’s Maple Leafs-Red Wings Sunday Night Hockey matchup from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.
Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call tonight’s Avs-Coyotes game at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo., and Gord Miller (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call of Penguins-Islanders from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will anchor this week’s NHL Live studio coverage, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, Jeremy Roenick, Anson Carter and Brian Boucher. NHL insider Darren Dreger 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-BLUES – 8 P.M ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN presents the 300th all-time regular-season meeting between the Blackhawks and Blues on Wednesday Night Rivalry this week. The Blackhawks hold the edge in the all-time regular-season series with a 144-112-43 record (W-L-OTL/T), and have recorded at least one point in all three games this season against the Blues (2-0-1).
Chicago (41-21-5, 87 pts) and St. Louis (38-20-9, 85 pts) are in a three-team race along with Dallas (87 pts) for the best record in the Central Division, and currently have the top three records in the Western Conference. Chicago has won three of its last four games, including a 3-2 win against Washington, and a pair of wins against Detroit. Patrick Kane continues to lead the NHL with 89 points, while Artemi Panarin leads rookies with 61 points. The Blues have won three straight games, boast a 9-3-1 record in their last 12 contests, and are led offensively by Vladimir Tarasenko, who ranks sixth in the NHL with 30 goals.
NHL GAME OF THE WEEK – PENGUINS-RANGERS – SUNDAY AT 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBC
The Rangers and Penguins face off on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week this Sunday, as both teams look to secure their playoff positioning heading into the final month of the regular season. Pittsburgh (34-23-8, 76 pts) is currently fourth in the Metropolitan Division and hold the first Wild Card spot, one point ahead of Detroit. The Pens are coming off a 6-1 win against the Devils in New Jersey on Sunday, as Evgeni Malkin scored twice and Crosby added a pair of helpers.
The Rangers (38-22-6, 82 pts) are currently second in the Metropolitan Division, and are coming off a 6-4 loss to the rival Islanders on Sunday evening. Newly-acquired forward Eric Staal scored his first goal for the Rangers since being traded from Carolina, and, despite the defeat, the Rangers boast the third-best home record in the NHL (23-7-3).
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – MAPLE LEAFS-RED WINGS – 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Detroit (32-22-11, 75 pts) sits fourth in the Atlantic Division, four points ahead of Philadelphia for the second Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings have enjoyed a balanced scoring attack with six forwards eclipsing at least 30 points thus far, led by Henrik Zetterberg (41).
Toronto (21-33-10, 52 pts) sits eighth in the Atlantic Division and has seen numerous roster changes following multiple trades leading into the NHL trade deadline last Monday. Many of Toronto’s top prospects made their NHL debuts last week, including 2014 first-round pick William Nylander, who scored his first career NHL goal in Toronto’s 3-2 loss against Ottawa on Saturday.
COYOTES-AVALANCHE – TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Mikkel Boedker faces his former team tonight when the Colorado Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes in Denver. Boedker was traded by Arizona to Colorado last Monday prior to the trade deadline, and netted his first goal with the Avalanche in their 3-2 win against Florida on Thursday night. The Avalanche (33-30-4, 70 pts) are in sixth in the Central Division, two points behind Minnesota for the final Wild Card spot.
Arizona (28-31-6, 62 pts) is fifth in the Pacific division, and is coming off a 5-1 win against the Panthers on Saturday to snap a seven-game losing streak. Alex Tanguay, who was traded to Arizona in exchange for Boedker, scored twice and added an assist in the win over Florida, while Antoine Vermette had a goal and three assists.
PENGUINS-ISLANDERS – TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The New York Islanders (36-20-7, 79 pts) are third in the Metropolitan Division, three points behind the Rangers with three games in hand. The Islanders finished their recent road trip with a 6-1-0 record, capped by a 6-4 victory against the rival Rangers on Sunday evening, as Cal Clutterbuck snapped a 4-4 tie late in regulation. This is the second of four meetings between the teams this season – Pittsburgh notched a 5-2 win against the Islanders on Jan. 2.
Following is this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Mon., March 7 | Colorado at Arizona | NBCSN | 9 p.m. |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 11:30 p.m. | |
| Tues., March 8 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders** | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| Wed., March 9 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday Night Rivalry – Chicago at St. Louis | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., March 13 | NHL Live | NBC | Noon |
| NHL Game of the Week – Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers | NBC | 12:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Toronto at Detroit | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| NHL Sunday Shootout – The Week In Review | NBCSN | 11 p.m. |
*immediately following game coverage
**subject to blackout in Pittsburgh
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-
