FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 13th, 2017

SIDNEY CROSBY AND PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VISIT WAYNE SIMMONDS AND PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY

Wednesday Night Rivalry – Penguins-Flyers – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

NBCSN Flexes Into Blues-Ducks Wednesday Nightcap Matchup at 10 p.m. ET Following Penguins-Flyers

This Week’s Coverage Begins Tonight with Hurricanes-Islanders at 7:30 p.m. ET; Canadiens Host Blackhawks Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 13, 2017 – The defending Stanley Cup champions take center stage on Wednesday Night Rivalry this week in an intra-state clash, when Sidney Crosby and the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins visit Wayne Simmonds and the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Wednesday’s coverage continues at 10 p.m. ET, when Ryan Kesler and the Anaheim Ducks host Vladimir Tarasenko and the St. Louis Blues on NBCSN’s Wednesday Nightcap.

All four NHL matchups on NBCSN feature teams in the midst of playoff races in their respective divisions and conferences. This week’s coverage opens tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when John Tavares and the New York Islanders host Jeff Skinner and the Carolina Hurricanes, and continues tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET, when Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks visit Max Pacioretty and the Montreal Canadiens.

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.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play), U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call this week’s Penguins-Flyers Wednesday Night Rivalry matchup from Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

John Ahlers (play-by-play) and Brian Hayward (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call Blues-Ducks from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. John Forslund (play-by-play) and Ray Ferraro (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will provide commentary of Canes-Islanders from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., while Pat Foley (play-by-play) and Olczyk will call Blackhawks-Canadiens from Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Pre-game coverage on NHL Live begins one hour prior to games on NBCSN. Liam McHugh, Kathryn Tappen, and Paul Burmeister will anchor coverage throughout the week, joined by analysts and former players Keith Jones, Jeremy Roenick, and Anson Carter, as well as NHL insider Bob McKenzie for Wednesday Night Rivalry. Post-game coverage on NHL Overtime will air on NBCSN immediately following this week’s games.

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – PENGUINS-FLYERS – WEDNESDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Pittsburgh (43-16-8. 94 pts) is one of the league’s hottest teams, and carries a five-game winning streak into this week’s action, including a 3-0 shutout victory over Vancouver on Saturday. Sidney Crosby continues to lead the league in goals (34), and added a pair of assists in the Penguins’ win against the Canucks.

Philadelphia (31-28-8, 70 pts) is six points behind the Maple Leafs for the second Wild Card spt in the East, and hopes to rebound from a 2-1 loss to Boston on Saturday. Captain Claude Giroux is riding a three-game point streak, and Wayne Simmonds scored his team-leading 28th goal of the season in Saturday’s loss. The Flyers host Columbus tonight, while Pittsburgh visits Calgary. Pittsburgh has won both meetings with Philadelphia this season.

 

NBCSN FLEXES INTO BLUES-DUCKS WEDNESDAY NIGHTCAP – WEDNESDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBCSN has flexed into Wednesday night’s game between the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m. ET, making it a Wednesday Nightcap matchup on the network immediately following Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage. Blues-Ducks replaces NBCSN’s originally scheduled Red Wings-Avalanche telecast.

Anaheim (36-23-10, 82 pts) is coming off a 5-2 win over the league-leading Washington Capitals on Tuesday, as Ryan Kesler scored and added two assists in the victory. The Ducks currently sit in second place in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of Calgary (80) and three ahead of Edmonton (79).

St. Louis (35-27-5, 75 pts) holds the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and has won four consecutive games, including a 4-3 victory against the Islanders on Saturday. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in St. Louis’ win against New York, and is currently tied for third in the league in the category (32). The Blues defeated the Ducks 4-3 in St. Louis on Friday night, as defenseman Joel Edmundson scored the game-winner with 20 seconds left in regulation.

 

HURRICANES-ISLANDERS – TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

New York (32-24-11, 75 pts) sits one point behind Toronto for the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 15 games remaining in the regular season. The Isles return home tonight following a nine-game road trip on which they went 5-3-1. John Tavares and Anders Lee share the team lead in goals (25), and Tavares carries a four-game point streak into tonight’s game.

Carolina (27-27-11, 65 pts) lost 3-2 in overtime to Toronto on Saturday, but has won both games against the Islanders this season, including a 5-4 overtime win at Barclays Center on Feb. 4. The teams will meet twice more this season following tonight’s game, including the second-half of a home-and-home tomorrow in Raleigh.

 

BLACKHAWKS-CANADIENS – TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Chicago (43-20-5, 91 pts) is coming off a 4-2 win against division- and conference-leading Minnesota on Sunday to move within a point of the Wild atop the West. The Blackhawks are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist on Sunday and boasts 73 points this season, two behind Connor McDavid (75) for the league lead.

Montreal (39-22-8, 86 pts) retook the Atlantic Division lead with a 4-1 win against Edmonton on Sunday night. Max Pacioretty scored his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season in the win, and is one behind Sidney Crosby for most in the NHL. Chicago beat Montreal 3-2 in November, as Kane netted the eventual game-winner late in the second period.

Following is this week’s hockey coverage on NBC and NBCSN:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Mon., March 13 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  Carolina at N.Y. Islanders NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10 p.m.
Tues., March 14 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  Chicago at Montreal** NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10 p.m.
Wed., March 15 NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
  Wednesday Night Rivalry – Pittsburgh at Philadelphia NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
  Wednesday Nightcap – St. Louis at Anaheim** NBCSN 10 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 12:30 p.m.

*immediately following game coverage
**subject to local blackout in Chicago and St. Louis

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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.


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