FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 13th, 2016
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL BEGINS TONIGHT ON NBCSN – PITTSBURGH PENGUINS HOST TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING AT 8 P.M. ET
Western Conference Final – St. Louis Blues Host San Jose Sharks in Game 1 on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Pre-Game Coverage Tonight and Sunday Begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 13, 2016 – NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins host Ben Bishop and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
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 Game 1 of Lightning-Penguins, and will serve as the broadcast team for the entire Eastern Conference Final.
NBCSN presents Game 1 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday night at 8 p.m. ET, when David Backes and the St. Louis Blues host Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks. Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Joe Micheletti (analyst), and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will serve as the commentary team for the Western Conference Final.
Pre-game coverage begins tonight and Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live. Liam McHugh hosts tonight’s studio coverage alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick and Keith Jones, while Kathryn Tappen anchors Sunday night’s studio coverage with Roenick and Jones.
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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 – FRIDAY, MAY 13-SUNDAY, MAY 15 (All times ET)
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FRIDAY, MAY 13 |
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| Time | Coverage | Network | Commentators |
| 7 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Liam McHugh, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones |
| 8 p.m. | Game 1 – Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh | NBCSN | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
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SATURDAY, MAY 14 – NO GAMES |
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SUNDAY, MAY 15 |
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| 7 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick, Keith Jones |
| 8 p.m. | Game 1 – San Jose at St. Louis | NBCSN | Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti, Brian Boucher |
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, tablets, and connected TVs – 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.
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL GAME 1 – LIGHTNING AT PENGUINS – TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins meet for only the second time in Stanley Cup Playoff history. Tampa Bay defeated Pittsburgh in seven games in their only previous encounter in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, however, neither Sidney Crosby nor Evgeni Malkin played in that series due to injury. Tampa Bay advanced to the Eastern Conference Final with 4-1 series victories against the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, led by Nikita Kucherov, who has netted nine goals in 10 postseason games, tied for first among all skaters with San Jose’s Joe Pavelski.
Pittsburgh defeated the New York Rangers in the first round in five games, and followed that with a 4-2 series win against the Washington Capitals, despite just one goal from Crosby and Malkin combined against Washington. The line of Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin, and Nick Bonino carried the mail in the Pens’ decisive Game 6 win against the Capitals, scoring all four goals in Pittsburgh’s 4-3 overtime win. Pens rookie goaltender Matt Murray has won 16 of his 22 career NHL starts, and has not lost at CONSOL Energy Center since Dec. 30, 2015.
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL GAME 1 – SHARKS AT BLUES – SUNDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Sharks and Blues advanced to the Western Conference Final following blowout Game 7 victories in the Second Round. St. Louis defeated the Stars 6-1 in Dallas in Game 7 on Wednesday night for their second straight series win in seven games, while the Sharks beat the Nashville Predators 5-0 in San Jose on Thursday night. Sharks forward Logan Couture leads all skaters with 17 points this postseason (7g/10a), while teammate Joe Pavelski is tied with Nikita Kucherov for most goals (9). St. Louis has been led offensively by captain David Backes (6g/6a) and Vladimir Tarasenko (7g/6a).
This will mark the fifth all-time playoff meeting between the Sharks and Blues and the first since the 2012 Playoffs, with the clubs splitting the past four series. San Jose and St. Louis met three times in the regular season; the Sharks won two of the three contests, and the road team won all three meetings. San Jose has never played in the Stanley Cup Final, while St. Louis’s last Stanley Cup Final appearance came in 1970.
Following are the telecast schedules for the Conference Finals, all times ET and subject to change.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE |
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| Date | Coverage | Network | Time |
| Fri., May 13 | Game 1 – Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Mon., May 16 | Game 2 – Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Wed., May 18 | Game 3 – Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Fri., May 20 | Game 4 – Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., May 22 | Game 5 – Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh* | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Tue., May 24 | Game 6 – Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay* | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Thur., May 26 | Game 7 – Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh* | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
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WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE |
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| Date | Coverage | Network | Time |
| Sun., May 15 | Game 1 – San Jose at St. Louis | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Tue., May 17 | Game 2 – San Jose at St. Louis | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Thur., May 19 | Game 3 – St. Louis at San Jose | NBCSN | 9 p.m. |
| Sat., May 21 | Game 4 – St. Louis at San Jose | NBC | 7:15 p.m. |
| Mon. May 23 | Game 5 – San Jose at St. Louis* | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Wed., May 25 | Game 6 – St. Louis at San Jose* | NBCSN | 9 p.m. |
| Fri., May 27 | Game 7 – San Jose at St. Louis* | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
*if necessary
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the fifth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.
| Network | Games |
| NBC | 12 |
| NBCSN | 40 |
| USA Network | 6 |
| CNBC | 12 |
| NHL Network | 2 |
| Total | 72 |
One-goal Games: 41
OT games: 16
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 San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, delivering extensive pre- and post-game coverage as well as breaking news and analysis throughout both teams’ playoff runs.
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–
