Wednesday Night Rivalry – 90 Years of Bruins-Rangers – 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Sunday Night Hockey – Penguins-Rangers – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
This Week’s Coverage Begins Tonight with Flyers-Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Wild Host Kings Tomorrow Night at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Florida Panthers’ Jaromir Jagr Profiled by Joe Posnanski on NBC SportsWorld
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 21, 2016 – NBC Sports Group’s NHL “Push For The Playoffs” features four matchups with all seven teams in contention for the postseason, highlighted by an Original Six showdown on Wednesday Night Rivalry, when Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers host Patrice Bergeron and the Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey showdown is a clash of Metropolitan Division foes, as the Rangers face off against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET. This week’s NHL coverage kicks off tonight with another pivotal Metro Division matchup, when John Tavares and the New York Islanders host Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers, and continues tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET, when Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild host Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings.
Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick and Emmy Award-winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call of this week’s Bruins-Rangers Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and McGuire will call NBCSN’s Penguins-Rangers Sunday Night Hockey contest in New York. Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Keith Jones (analyst) will provide commentary for Flyers-Islanders from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call for Kings-Wild from Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will anchor this week’s NHL Live studio coverage, alongside analysts and former players 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.
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 airing on NBCSN.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – BRUINS-RANGERS – 8 P.M ET ON NBCSN
This week’s edition of Wednesday Night Rivalry showcases an Original Six matchup with a pair of teams with 90 years of history between them and are in a battle for playoff positioning in their respective divisions. The Rangers (40-24-8, 88 pts) are currently tied with Pittsburgh for second place in the Metropolitan Division, just three points ahead of the Islanders. New York has one win in its last five games (1-2-2) and dropped a 4-1 decision to the Sharks in San Jose on Saturday, despite 43 saves from Lundqvist, who was pulled midway through the third period.
Boston (39-26-8, 86 pts) sits in third place in the crowded Atlantic Division, just three points behind first-place Florida (89 pts) and one point behind Tampa Bay (87 pts). The Bruins are looking to bounce back from three straight losses on their California road trip in which they scored just three goals. Brad Marchand has shouldered the offensive load for the Bruins this season with a team-leading 34 goals, six more than his previous career-high of 28. In their most recent matchup in New York, Jesper Fast scored with 1:42 remaining in regulation to give the Rangers a 2-1 win on Jan. 11.
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – PENGUINS-RANGERS – 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Penguins enter the week as the hottest club in the league with six consecutive wins, despite losing Evgeni Malkin to injury on March 11. Pittsburgh (40-24-8, 88 pts) defeated the league-leading Capitals 6-2 on NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey last night, as six different Penguins scored in an offensive onslaught that chased Washington goaltender Braden Holtby in the third period. Sidney Crosby recorded a pair of assists, and is on a 12-game point streak (6g/14a). Crosby has 57 points since head coach Mike Sullivan took over on Dec. 12, the most in the league in that span.
Sunday’s matchup marks the third game between New York and Pittsburgh this month, and the Pens have had the Rangers’ number in both contests. Crosby scored in the Penguins’ 4-1 win against the Rangers on March 3 in Pittsburgh, and Conor Sheary scored a pair of goals in the Pens’ 5-3 win in New York on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week on March 13.
FLYERS-ISLANDERS – TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Tonight’s Flyers-Islanders matchup on NBCSN boasts considerable playoff implications for both teams. The Flyers (34-24-12, 80 pts) are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, currently in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and three points behind Detroit (83 pts) for the final Wild Card spot. Philadelphia lost to the Penguins 4-1 on Saturday, but boasts an 8-2-1 record in its last 11 games, and has scored at least three goals in nine of those matchups. Claude Giroux leads the club with 59 points (18g/41a).
The Islanders (38-23-9, 85 pts) are fourth in the Metropolitan Division, and are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Stars in Dallas on Saturday. New York will lean on goaltender Thomas Greiss down the stretch following an injury to Jaroslav Halak. Greiss is currently tied for second in the NHL with a .928 save percentage, and boasts a 19-9-4 record this season. The last time the two teams met on Jan. 9, Matt Read scored a goal and added two assists, while Steve Mason stopped 20 shots in a 4-0 Flyers victory.
KINGS-WILD – TOMORROW AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Kings (44-22-5, 93 pts) are four points ahead of rival Anaheim for first place in the Pacific Division, and just two points behind Dallas (95 pts) for tops in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is 6-0-1 in its last seven games, including victories against Washington, Chicago, Dallas, Boston and the N.Y. Rangers. Jonathan Quick stopped 27 of 28 shots in the Kings’ 2-1 win against Boston on Saturday, which clinched a playoff berth for Los Angeles. The Kings’ goaltender is 5-0-1 in his last six starts, and ranks second in the NHL with 37 wins this season.
Minnesota (34-28-11, 79 pts) is currently in sixth place in the Central Division, one point behind Colorado (80 pts) for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. The Wild are coming off a 3-2 shootout win against the Blackhawks on NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey, and have gone 4-0-0 against the defending Stanley Cup Champs this year. Minnesota is 7-3-1 in its last 11 games, and forward Erik Haula is currently on a five-game point streak.
FLORIDA PANTHERS’ JAROMIR JAGR PROFILED BY JOE POSNANSKI ON NBC SPORTSWORLD
Even at 44, Jaromir Jagr is having a stellar season for the surprise Florida Panthers, and, surprise, he’s having more fun than ever. Joe Posnanski caught up with the ageless wonder to find out what makes him tick. Jagr currently leads the Panthers with 55 points (24g/31a) and passed Gordie Howe (1,850 points) for third place on the NHL’s all-time points list two weeks ago. Jagr currently has 1,857 points (746g/1,111a), and is 30 points behind Mark Messier (1,887 pts) for second in NHL history.
Following is this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Mon., March 21 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Philadelphia at N.Y. Islanders** | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| Tues., March 22 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Los Angeles at Minnesota | NBCSN | 8:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 11 p.m. | |
| Wed., March 23 | NHL Rivals – Rangers-Bruins | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. | |
| Wednesday Night Rivalry – Boston at N.Y. Rangers | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Sun., March 27 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Pittsburgh at N.Y. Rangers | 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 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 Keith Jones, 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-