FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 13th, 2016
DAY 1 – NBC SPORTS GROUP BEGINS 2016 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF COVERAGE WITH GAME 1 TRIPLEHEADER ON NBCSN AND USA NETWORK
Game 1 – (3) Red Wings at (2) Lightning – 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Game 1 – (3) Rangers at (2) Penguins – 8 p.m. ET on USA Network
Game 1 – (3) Blackhawks at (2) Blues – 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Live Pre-game Coverage Begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live
“Where In The World Is Pierre McGuire?” Emmy-Award Winning ‘Inside-The-Glass’ Analyst Begins Marathon Schedule
2015-16 NHL Regular Season on NBCSN is Most-Watched Full NHL Season on Cable in 22 Years
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 13, 2016 – NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins tonight with a Game 1 tripleheader across on NBCSN and USA Network, starting with NHL Live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Game coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the (2) Tampa Bay Lightning host the (3) Detroit Red Wings. Coverage continues at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network, when the (2) Pittsburgh Penguins host the (3) N.Y. Rangers, and shifts west at 9:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the (3) Chicago Blackhawks visit the (2) St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of their first-round series.
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“NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, plus information and highlights. The Pass will be published weekdays to preview that evening’s games. Friday editions will include weekend information.
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THE PASS – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 (All times ET)
| Time | Coverage | Network | Commentators |
| 6 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones |
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Detroit at (2) Tampa Bay | NBCSN | Chris Cuthbert, Ray Ferraro |
| 8 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) N.Y. Rangers at (2) Pittsburgh | USA Network | John Forslund, Brian Boucher |
| NHL Live (Intermission Reports) | USA Network | Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick, Anson Carter |
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| 9:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Chicago at (2) St. Louis | NBCSN | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Pierre McGuire |
All Stanley Cup Playoff games will be presented on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage of games airing on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC via “TV Everywhere.”
For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here
TONIGHT – APRIL 13 – NHL LIVE BEGINS AT 6 P.M ET ON NBCSN
NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter will anchor USA Network’s studio coverage throughout the Rangers-Penguins game.
(3) DETROIT RED WINGS AT (2) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING – GAME 1 AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
This marks the second consecutive season that Detroit and Tampa Bay will meet in the first round. Last year, Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop stopped all 31 shots he faced to propel Tampa Bay to a 2-0 win in a decisive Game 7 of their first-round series. The Red Wings will look to rally around their 37-year-old veteran Pavel Datsyuk, who announced that he may retire after the postseason.
(3) NEW YORK RANGERS AT (2) PITTSBURGH PENGUINS – GAME 1 AT 8 P.M. ET ON USA NETWORK
The Rangers visit the Penguins in Game 1 of their first-round series tonight, marking the third consecutive season that the two teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 2014, the Rangers dispatched of the Penguins in seven games in their second-round series, and beat Pittsburgh in five games in their first-round series last year. The Penguins finished the season with a 14-2-0 record in their last 16 games, and defeated the Rangers three times in March. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (111 games; 54 wins) and Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (98 games; 53 wins) lead the NHL in the most playoff games and wins for all goaltenders since 2002.
(3) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS AT (2) ST. LOUIS BLUES – GAME 1 AT 9:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN’s Game 1 doubleheader continues with a classic Central Division rivalry at 9:30 p.m. ET, when Patrick Kane and the (3) Chicago Blackhawks visit David Backes and the (2) St. Louis Blues. Kane recorded 106 points this season (46g/60a) to become the first-ever American-born player to lead the NHL in points in a single season, while his linemate Artemi Panarin led all rookies with 77 points (30g/47a). The Blues have been led offensively by Vladimir Tarasenko, who netted 40 goals this season, fourth-best in the league. This is the 12th all-time playoff series between the clubs; Chicago holds an 8-3 series edge, and defeated St. Louis in six games in their 2014 first-round matchup.
**Note – all first-round games are subject to blackouts in local markets**
If tonight’s Red Wings-Lightning game on NBCSN runs past 9:45 p.m. ET into the start of Blackhawks-Blues, puck drop of Blackhawks-Blues will be shown live on NHL Network until Red Wings-Lightning has concluded. Blackhawks-Blues will return to NBCSN immediately following the conclusion of Red Wings-Lightning. As a reminder, all games on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC will be live streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra.
2015-16 NHL REGULAR SEASON ON NBCSN IS MOST-WATCHED FULL NHL SEASON ON CABLE IN 22 YEARS
Led by strong Wednesday Night Rivalry and Sunday Night Hockey viewership, the 2015-16 NHL regular season on NBCSN averaged 378,000 viewers to rank as the most-watched full regular season in network history, and the most-watched on cable since the 1993-94 season, according to data provided by The Nielsen Company, NBC Sports Group announced yesterday. Click here for more information.
NBC Sports Group NHL Live studio analysts and former NHL players Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick, as well as Executive Producer Sam Flood, previewed the upcoming 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs on a media conference call yesterday afternoon. Click here for the full transcript.
Following are excerpts from their playoff preview conference call:
Milbury on the Red Wings: “If you’re a Detroit supporter, you can’t be happy with the way they finished the season. Their goaltending has been all of a sudden suspect.”
Roenick on Red Wings-Lightning: “Detroit got lucky. They backed into the playoffs…but I think that burn of them losing last year the way that they did to Tampa, I wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit comes out flying…with (Steven) Stamkos out, (Aaron) Stralman out, those are two huge holes on offense, defense, that you can’t replace. The one thing that Tampa has going for them is their goaltender. Ben Bishop was up in the top goaltenders all year in terms of stats and his play”
Milbury on the Penguins: “The ‘Johnny‑come‑lately’ has been the Pittsburgh Penguins who showed a remarkable turnaround in the middle of the season…Sidney Crosby spearheaded that sort of changeover. Nobody should underestimate them.”
Roenick on Blackhawks-Blues: “The Chicago‑St. Louis series is going to be awesome…it will be interesting to see if St. Louis can get over that Chicago Blackhawk jinx that they’ve had over them.”
Milbury on the Western Conference: “Good luck figuring this one out. Chicago stumbles to the finish line, but we’ve all season them stumble, dust themselves off, and get back in it…St. Louis is better than they’ve ever been…lots of stories in the Western Conference. Pick a favorite. Your guess is probably as good as mine, but it’s going to be fascinating to watch them unfold.”
“WHERE IN THE WORLD IS PIERRE MCGUIRE?” EMMY-AWARD WINNING ‘INSIDE-THE-GLASS’ ANALYST BEGINS MARATHON SCHEDULE
NBC Sports Group’s Emmy-Award winning ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire kicks off his marathon first-round broadcast schedule tonight in St. Louis with Game 1 of the Blackhawks-Blues series. McGuire is slated to serve as an analyst for 11 games in 11 days to begin the postseason, with more games likely added to that run as series continue. His schedule will be comprised of seven different cities, five different playoff series, and more than 13,000 miles in travel. *Note – schedule is subject to change*
| Date | Coverage | Travel |
| Wed., April 13 | Game 1 – (3) Chicago at (2) St. Louis | St. Louis > Miami |
| Thurs., April 14 | Game 1 – (WC1) N.Y. Islanders at (1) Florida | Miami > Tampa |
| Fri., April 15 | Game 2 – (3) Detroit at (2) Tampa Bay | Tampa > Pittsburgh |
| Sat., April 16 | Game 2 – (3) N.Y. Rangers at (2) Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh > Chicago |
| Sun., April 17 | Game 3 – (2) St. Louis at (3) Chicago | Chicago > Philadelphia |
| Mon., April 18 | Game 3 – (1) Washington at (WC2) Philadelphia | Philadelphia > New York |
| Tue., April 19 | Game 3 – (2) Pittsburgh at (3) N.Y. Rangers | New York |
| Wed., April 20 | Game 4 – (1) Florida at (WC1) N.Y. Islanders | New York |
| Thurs., April 21 | Game 4 – (2) Pittsburgh at (3) N.Y. Rangers | New York > Miami |
| Fri., April 22 | Game 5 – (WC1) N.Y. Islanders at (1) Florida* | Miami > Chicago |
| Sat., April 23 | Game 6 – (2) St. Louis at (3) Chicago* | TBA |
COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE
Through the NBC Sports Regional Networks, comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be provided daily via NBC Sports Regional Networks, available in more than 43 million U.S. households. NBC Sports Regional Networks serve the hometown fans of the Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, and Washington Capitals. In-depth coverage for those teams advancing to the postseason includes exclusive regional coverage of first-round games, pre- and post-game shows, and extensive on-line coverage via CSN’s team of NHL Insiders.
For teams that advance past the first round, NBC Sports Regional Networks will deliver extensive pre- and post-game coverage as well as breaking news and analysis throughout each team’s playoff run.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE
NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff coverage 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 on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
