FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 21st, 2016

NEW YORK RANGERS VISIT PHILADELPHIA FLYERS IN 2016 THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN FRIDAY AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC

Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire to Call Rangers-Flyers on NBC

Studio Analyst and Former Bruin Mike Milbury to Serve as Game Analyst for Blues-Bruins Tomorrow Night at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Wednesday Night Doubleheader on NBCSN – Flyers-Lightning at 7:30 p.m. ET, Followed by Blackhawks-Sharks at 10 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 21, 2016 – NBC Sports presents the 2016 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown this Friday at 1 p.m. ET on NBC, when Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers travel to Philadelphia to face Claude Giroux and the Flyers in the first NHL matchup of the 2016-17 on NBC.

This week’s NHL coverage begins in Boston tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins host Vladimir Tarasenko and the St. Louis Blues. Former Bruins defenseman, head coach, and assistant general manager Mike Milbury will make the move from the studio to the broadcast booth and serve as a color commentator for tomorrow night’s Blues-Bruins game.

NBCSN will present an NHL doubleheader on Wednesday night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the Flyers visit Tyler Johnson and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and followed by a matchup between Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks and Joe Pavelski’s San Jose Sharks at 10 p.m. ET.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of this week’s NHL matchups on NBC and NBCSN.

Four-time Emmy Award-winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call Rangers-Flyers from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. Host Liam McHugh, Milbury and Keith Jones will provide pre-game and intermission analysis on-site in Philadelphia.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Milbury (analyst) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call of Blues-Bruins from TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Jim Jackson (play-by-play) and Bill Clement (analyst) will call Flyers-Lightning from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., and Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Bret Hedican (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will provide commentary of Blackhawks-Sharks from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.

Pre-game coverage on NHL Live begins at 6:30 p.m. ET tomorrow and Wednesday on NBCSN. Kathryn Tappen anchors tomorrow’s studio coverage with analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter, and Liam McHugh anchors Wednesday’s coverage with Roenick and Boucher.


2016 THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN – RANGERS-FLYERS – FRIDAY AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC

The Rangers lead the Metropolitan Division with a 13-5-1 record to open the 2016-17 season, powered by an offense that has scored a league-leading 76 goals. Six different Rangers forwards have scored at least seven goals, led by Michael Grabner, whose 11 goals are tied for second in the league. New York has scored at least five goals in nine of its 19 games this season.

The Flyers (8-8-3) rank second in the NHL in goals scored (60), but have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, allowing a league-high 65 goals thus far. Philadelphia’s top offensive trio of Jakub Voracek (17 points), Claude Giroux (17 points), and Wayne Simmonds (16 points) has driven the club’s offensive production this season. Friday’s Thanksgiving Showdown is the first meeting of the season between the two clubs. Last season, the Rangers won three of five matchups, and three of the five were also decided by shootout.


BLUES-BRUINS – TOMORROW AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Boston (11-7-0) is coming off a 4-1 win vs. Winnipeg on Saturday, and has allowed just seven goals in its previous six games. Goaltender Tuukka Rask has had a strong start to the 2016-17 season, and currently leads the league in wins (11) and ranks second in goals against average (1.46).

St. Louis (10-6-3) hopes to improve on its 2-5-1 road record this season tomorrow night in Boston. Vladimir Tarasenko has averaged a point per game to start the season (7g/12a), and Jake Allen has taken over the reins as the starting goaltender for the club with an 8-3-0 record.

NHL on NBC studio analyst Mike Milbury, a former defenseman, head coach, and assistant general manager for the Bruins, will join Kenny Albert and Brian Boucher for the broadcast of tomorrow night’s Blues-Bruins game.

“We are always looking for opportunities to utilize our talent in different ways and improve our game broadcast,” said John McGuinness, Coordinating Producer for the NHL on NBC. “We think Mike’s unique experience and expertise at various levels in the NHL, combined with his unfiltered enthusiasm, will make for a fun broadcast on Tuesday.”

“I’m looking forward to doing some in-game analysis again in Boston,” said Milbury. “Live game commentary provides a different challenge, and I plan to bring a sparse and pointed approach to the booth.”

 
FLYERS-LIGHTNING – WEDNESDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Lightning (12-6-1) have won four straight games heading into this week’s action, including a 3-0 shutout victory over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 32 saves in the win for his second straight shutout, while Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Jonathan Drouin each scored.

 
BLACKHAWKS-SHARKS – WEDNESDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Blackhawks lead the Western Conference with a 13-4-2 record, and boast an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games. Patrick Kane (20 points) and Artem Anisimov (18 points) are both in the top 10 in points, and Kane and defenseman Duncan Keith are tied for the league lead in assists (14).

The defending Western Conference champion Sharks (9-8-1) are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to Arizona. Captain Joe Pavelski leads the team in points (16) and is tied for the team lead in goals (6) and assists (10).

Following is this week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., November 22 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  St. Louis at Boston** NBCSN 7 p.m.
  NHL Overtime NBCSN 9:30 p.m.*
Wed., November 23 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  Philadelphia at Tampa Bay** NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
  Chicago at San Jose** NBCSN 10 p.m.
  NHL Overtime NBCSN 12:30 a.m.*
Fri., November 25 Thanksgiving Showdown – N.Y. Rangers at Philadelphia NBC 1 p.m.

*immediately following game coverage
** subject to local blackout

NHL ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP: NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the 2016-17 NHL regular season 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.

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2016-17 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 106 NHL regular-season games during the 2016-17 season, featuring 14 games on NBC and 92 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. 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 2016-17 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-