FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 2nd, 2016
SAN JOSE SHARKS HOST PITTSBURGH PENGUINS IN GAME 3 OF STANLEY CUP FINAL SATURDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Game 4 Airs Monday Night on NBC; Penguins Lead Series 2-0 Following Game 2 Overtime Win
Local Markets Post Strong Stanley Cup Final Ratings
“You look at where Sidney Crosby was in the beginning of the year, and where he is now – he has probably become the best player in the world.” – Jeremy Roenick
“It’s getting to be summertime, and we all hate mosquitos. I think the Sharks feel about the Penguins the same way we all feel about mosquitos.” – Mike Milbury
Notes and Quotes From Last Night’s Game 2 Overtime Thriller
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 2, 2016 – The 2016 Stanley Cup Final shifts to the west coast for a primetime showdown on NBCSN on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET, as Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks host a Stanley Cup Final game for the first time in franchise history when they welcome Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., for Game 3.
Four-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 Saturday night’s Game 3. This marks the 10th consecutive year that Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire have combined to call the Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports.
Pre-game coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live, hosted by Kathryn Tappen and Dave Briggs alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick, Anson Carter and Brian Boucher on-set outside of SAP Center. Coverage shifts inside at 7:30 p.m. ET with host Liam McHugh, who will anchor pre-game and intermission coverage alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones.
NETWORKS FOR STANLEY CUP FINAL GAMES 3 AND 4 ANNOUNCED
NBC Sports has announced the telecast schedule for Games 3 and 4 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Saturday night’s Game 3 will air on NBCSN at 8 p.m. ET, while Game 4 will be on NBC on Monday, June 6, at 8 p.m. ET. Games 5-7, if necessary, will all air on NBC. Following is the telecast schedule for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, all times Eastern and subject to change.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time | Commentators |
| Sat., June 4 | Game 3 – Pittsburgh at San Jose | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Mon., June 6 | Game 4 – Pittsburgh at San Jose | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Thurs., June 9 | Game 5 – San Jose at Pittsburgh* | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Sun., June 12 | Game 6 – Pittsburgh at San Jose* | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Wed., June 15 | Game 7 – San Jose at Pittsburgh* | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
LOCAL MARKETS POST STRONG STANLEY CUP FINAL RATINGS
The 2016 Stanley Cup Final has registered strong local ratings for the Pittsburgh and San Jose markets. For last night’s Game 2, Pittsburgh recorded a 27.5 HH rating, its best-ever for a Penguins game on NBCSN. The San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland market registered a 5.6 local rating, it’s second-best ever for a Sharks game on NBCSN. The game did a 1.89 overnight rating, which surpassed both NBCSN games during the 2012 NJ/LA series, which was the last Final to feature two non-Original Six teams.
For Game 1, Pittsburgh generated a 30.9 HH rating, its highest Stanley Cup Final Game 1 rating ever on NBC. San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland scored a 5.3 rating, its second-best rating ever for a Sharks game on NBC. The game averaged a 2.3 HH rating and 4.08 million viewers, marking the eighth straight year that a Stanley Cup Final Game 1 delivered more than four million viewers on NBC. It was the best Game 1 for a series without an Original Six team in 17 years, (1999; Buffalo/Dallas; Fox; 5.07 million). The game also posted a 1.4 rating in the advertiser-coveted P18-49 demo, helping NBC win the night in Prime among broadcast networks.
NOTES AND QUOTES FROM LAST NIGHT’S GAME 2 OVERTIME THRILLER
Following are excerpts from last night’s Game 2 telecast on NBCSN. Click here for more notes and quotes from last night.
Milbury on the Penguins: “Pittsburgh was the better team for the vast majority of the night.”
Jones on Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan: “Mike Sullivan’s fingerprints were all over this game…the Penguins were focused and ready to go. When the team was tired, Sullivan used his time out at the most appropriate time.”
Milbury on the Penguins speed: “It’s relentless. It goes from one line to the next. It’s getting to be summer time and we all hate mosquitos. I think the San Jose Sharks feel about the Penguins the same way we all feel about mosquitos.”
STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 3 – SATURDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN – PENGUINS LEAD 2-0
The Penguins took control of the series with a 2-1 overtime win in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh’s “HBK” line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel struck again, as Kessel netted his 10th goal of the postseason to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead in the second period. San Jose tied the score late in the third period when defenseman Justin Braun’s point shot through traffic beat Matt Murray for his first goal of the postseason. Overtime lasted just 2:35, as Pens rookie Conor Sheary scored following a faceoff win from Crosby to move Pittsburgh within two wins of its first Stanley Cup title since 2009. Crosby was dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 17-of-24 draws in the game, including the faceoff win that led to Sheary’s overtime winner.
The series now shifts to San Jose where the Sharks will host their first-ever Stanley Cup Final game since entering the NHL in the 1991-92 season. San Jose has been one of the best teams at home in the postseason, boasting a 7-2 record at SAP Center.
NBC SPORTS RADIO TO SERVE AS EXCLUSIVE NATIONAL TERRESTRIAL RADIO PARTNER FOR THE 2016 STANLEY CUP FINAL
NBC Sports Radio, distributed by Westwood One, will serve as the exclusive national terrestrial radio partner for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, providing broadcast coverage of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final to affiliated and other terrestrial radio stations. The broadcasts will also be available via NBCSportsRadio.com, the NBC Sports Radio App and SiriusXM Satellite Radio, and the TuneIn digital radio platform. A list of stations carrying the Stanley Cup Final is available on NBCSportsRadio.com.
Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (analyst) will serve as NBC Sports Radio’s broadcast team for the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Click here for more information.
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 | 14 |
| NBCSN | 53 |
| USA Network | 6 |
| CNBC | 12 |
| NHL Network | 2 |
| Total | 87 |
One-goal Games: 48
OT games: 19
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 powered by Playmaker Media and 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–
