FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 14th, 2016
FLYERS-BLACKHAWKS “WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY” SHOWDOWN HIGHLIGHTS MORE THAN 30 HOURS OF NHL AND COLLEGE HOCKEY COVERAGE ON NBCSN THIS WEEK
Wednesday Night Rivalry – Flyers-Blackhawks – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Sunday Night Hockey Doubleheader on NBCSN – Capitals-Penguins at 6 p.m. ET, Followed by Wild-Blackhawks at 8:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday Night Doubleheader on NBCSN Starts with Red Wings-Flyers at 7:30 p.m. ET, Followed by Bruins-Sharks at 10 p.m. ET
This Week’s Coverage Begins Tonight with Kings-Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET
NBCSN Presents Coverage of the 2015-16 Hockey East Championship March 18-19 From Boston, Mass.
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 14, 2016 – NBC Sports Group’s NHL “Push For The Playoffs” features 30 hours of hockey coverage this week, including a trio of doubleheaders and a Stanley Cup Final rematch on Wednesday Night Rivalry, when Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers visit Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET.
One of NBCSN’s hockey doubleheaders features a pair of Sunday Night Hockey showdowns, beginning at 6 p.m. ET, when Alex Ovechkin and the league-leading Washington Capitals face off against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sunday night’s coverage continues at 8:30 p.m. ET, when the Blackhawks host Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild.
This week’s coverage on NBCSN starts tonight at 8 p.m. ET, when the Blackhawks host Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings. Tomorrow night’s NHL coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the Flyers host Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings, and continues at 10 p.m. ET, when Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks host Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins.
In addition to this week’s NHL slate, NBCSN presents live coverage of the Hockey East Men’s Championship, culminating with the Championship Game on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
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 have the call of Flyers-Blackhawks from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
Emrick and McGuire will also call Capitals-Penguins on Sunday night from CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., while Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Olczyk (analyst), and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will provide commentary for Wild-Blackhawks in Chicago.
Albert and McGuire handle the call for tonight’s Kings-Blackhawks matchup in Chicago, Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Keith Jones (analyst) will call Red Wings-Flyers from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, and Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Jamie Baker (analyst) will provide commentary of Bruins-Sharks from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) and Anson Carter (analyst) will call this weekend’s Hockey East Men’s Championship from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
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 and Anson Carter. 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 and college hockey coverage on NBCSN.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – FLYERS-BLACKAHWKS – 8 P.M ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN presents a rematch of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday Night Rivalry when the Blackhawks host the Flyers. Chicago (41-22-6, 88 pts), which defeated Philadelphia in six games in the 2010 Final, sits in third place in a crowded Central Division, three points behind Dallas and St. Louis, who are tied for first in the division and Western Conference with 91 points. The Blackhawks lost to St. Louis on Wednesday Night Rivalry last week 3-2 in a shootout, and dropped a 5-2 decision to the Stars in Dallas on Friday night. Patrick Kane continues to lead the league with 89 points, but was held scoreless in both of those losses.
The Flyers (32-23-12, 76 pts) have re-entered the playoff conversation with a 7-2-1 hot streak over their last 10 games to move within three points of Detroit (79 pts) for the final Wild Card spot, and have played two fewer games. Claude Giroux leads the club with 57 points, while rookie Shayne Gostisbehere has provided a spark from the blue line. Gostisbehere has recorded 38 points in 49 games, and set the NHL record for consecutive games with a least one point (15) by a rookie defenseman.
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – CAPITALS-PENGUINS – 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Capitals (49-14-5, 103 pts) continue to lead the NHL by a wide margin, 12 points clear of Dallas and St. Louis. Washington lost a pair of games in Los Angeles and San Jose to wrap up a western swing last week. Alex Ovechkin still leads the league in goals (41), but has not scored in his last five games.
The Penguins (36-24-8, 80 pts) hold the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, and are coming off a key 5-3 win against the Rangers in the NHL Game of the Week on NBC. Pittsburgh suffered a blow to its playoff hopes this week after announcing Evgeni Malkin would miss the next 6-8 weeks with an upper-body injury. Sidney Crosby has shouldered the load for the Penguins offensively, and enters the week on an eight-game point streak (4g/9a). Washington has won two of its three matchups against Pittsburgh this season.
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – WILD-BLACKHAWKS – 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Wild (32-27-10, 74 pts) are clinging to the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, tied with Colorado for the final postseason position. Minnesota is coming off a 4-1 win against Montreal on Saturday, and has gotten offensive contribution up and down its lineup, as 10 players boast at least 10 goals. Minnesota has had Chicago’s number this season, winning all three matchups against the Blackhawks to this point, including a 6-1 rout in their Stadium Series game on Feb. 21.
KINGS-BLACKHAWKS – TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Kings (40-22-5, 85 pts) are two points ahead of rival Anaheim for first place in the Pacific Division. Los Angeles is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games, but its two regulation losses came against the Ducks. Anze Kopitar leads the club with 59 points, and scored the Kings’ only goal in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Devils on Saturday. The Kings have been one of the best defensive teams in the league this season, and have allowed the fewest goals (152). Chicago and Los Angeles have split their previous two matchups this season.
RED WINGS-FLYERS – TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Detroit (34-24-11, 79 pts) visits Philadelphia in a key matchup with potential playoff implications in the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings currently hold the final Wild Card spot in the East, three points ahead of the Flyers, but Philadelphia has two games in hand. The Red Wings are coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss to Toronto last night on NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey, and are hoping to make their 25th consecutive Stanley Cup Playoff appearance. The Flyers won the only previous matchup between the two clubs this season, a 2-1 shootout win on Jan. 17.
BRUINS-SHARKS – TOMORROW AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Two of the NHL’s hottest teams face off tomorrow night in the second half of NBCSN’s doubleheader when the Sharks host the Bruins. San Jose (38-24-6, 82 pts) is 10-4-1 in its last 15 games and currently sits third in the Pacific Division, just three points behind first-place L.A. The Sharks are coming off an impressive 5-2 win against Washington on Saturday night, as Joe Pavelski scored the first of three third-period goals to snap a 2-2 tie.
Boston (39-23-8, 86 pts) leads a crowded Atlantic Division, just one point ahead of Florida and Tampa Bay. The Bruins are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, including a 3-1 win against the New York Islanders on Saturday night. Boston has the fewest regulation losses on the road this season (7), and is 11-2-0 in its last 13 road contests, dating back to Jan. 15.
NBCSN PRESENTS COVERAGE OF THE 2015-16 HOCKEY EAST CHAMPIONSHIP MARCH 18-19 FROM BOSTON, MASS.
For the fourth consecutive year, NBC Sports Group will present more than eight hours of live coverage of the Hockey East Men’s Championship from TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Coverage of the 2015-16 Championship Game and Semifinals will be televised on NBCSN and will also be streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra.
Coverage of the Hockey East Men’s Championship begins Friday, March 18 at 5 p.m. ET with Game 1 of the Semifinals, featuring (2) Providence vs. (4) UMass Lowell, followed by (1) Boston College vs. (6) Northeastern in Game 2 of the Semifinals at 8 p.m. ET. Winners of the two semifinal games will then move on to the 32nd annual Hockey East Championship Game, Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Following is this week’s NHL and college hockey coverage on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Mon., March 14 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Los Angeles at Chicago** | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 11 p.m. | |
| Tues., March 15 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Detroit at Philadelphia** | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Boston at San Jose** | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 12:30 p.m. | |
| Wed., March 16 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday Night Rivalry – Philadelphia at Chicago | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., March 18 | Hockey East Championship – Providence v. UMass Lowell | NBCSN | 5 p.m. |
| Hockey East Championship – Boston College v. Northeastern | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Sat., March 19 | Hockey East Men’s Championship Game | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Sun., March 20 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6 p.m. |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Washington at Pittsburgh | NBCSN | 6 p.m. | |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Minnesota at Chicago | NBCSN | 8:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 11 p.m. | |
| NHL Sunday Shootout – The Week In Review | NBCSN | 11:30 p.m. |
*immediately following game coverage
**subject to local blackouts
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-
