“PUSH FOR THE PLAYOFFS” INCLUDES FIVE NHL GAMES ACROSS NBC SPORTS GROUP THIS WEEK

“Star Sunday” Doubleheader – Bruins-Blackhawks NHL Game of the Week at Noon ET on NBC, Followed by Flyers-Rangers at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Wednesday Night Rivalry – Penguins-Blackhawks – Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

This Week’s Coverage on NBCSN Begins Tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET with Blackhawks-Lightning 2015 Stanley Cup Final Rematch; Dallas at Boston at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday

STAMFORD, Conn. – March 27, 2017 – The NHL on NBC continues its “Push for the Playoffs” this week with five games highlighted by a “Star Sunday” doubleheader, which features the NHL Game of the Week at noon ET on NBC, as Jonathan Toews and the Western Conference-leading Chicago Blackhawks host Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins in an Original Six matchup.

NBC Sports’ “Star Sunday” doubleheader continues at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Rick Nash and the New York Rangers host Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers.

This week’s NHL action on NBCSN features a potential Stanley Cup Final preview on Wednesday Night Rivalry, when Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins host the Blackhawks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET. This week’s “Push for the Playoffs” coverage begins tonight on NBCSN at 6:30 p.m. ET with a rematch of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, when the Blackhawks visit Victor Hedman and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Coverage continues Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET when the Bruins host Jamie Benn and the Dallas Stars.

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.

Gord Miller (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 Sunday’s Bruins-Blackhawks NHL Game of the Week from United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Four-time Emmy Award-winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Olczyk, and McGuire will call Blackhawks-Penguins from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., with Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’) calling Flyers-Rangers from Madison Square Garden in New York. Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call Blackhawks-Lightning from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., and Albert and McGuire will call Stars-Bruins from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

Pre-game coverage on NHL Live begins one hour prior to games on NBCSN. Liam McHugh, and Paul Burmeister will anchor coverage throughout the week, joined by analysts and former players Keith Jones, Mike Milbury, Jeremy Roenick, and Brian Boucher, 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.

NHL GAME OF THE WEEK – BRUINS-BLACKHAWKS – SUNDAY AT NOON ET ON NBC

Boston (39-30-6, 84 pts) currently holds the second and final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with seven games remaining in their regular-season schedule. The Bruins defeated the Islanders 2-1 in Brooklyn on Saturday to move in front of New York by two points in the standings. Brad Marchand ranks third in the NHL in goals (37).

The Blackhawks (48-21-6, 102 pts) have clinched a postseason berth, and are seven points ahead of the Wild with seven games left in the regular season for the top spot in the Western Conference. Patrick Kane is third in the NHL in points (81), and leads the Blackhawks in all offensive categories. In their only matchup this season, Scott Darling made 30 saves and Marian Hossa scored with 1:26 left in regulation to give Chicago a 1-0 shutout victory.

FLYERS-RANGERS – SUNDAY AT 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

New York (46-26-4, 96 pts) currently sits in the first Wild Card position in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers boast 10 skaters with at least 10 goals, and have scored the second-most goals in the NHL (238). Henrik Lundqvist returned from injury for the Rangers last night, although the Blueshirts lost 6-3 to Anaheim.

Philadelphia (35-32-8, 78 pts) is six points behind the Bruins for the second Wild Card position in the East, and is coming off a 6-2 win against the rival Penguins on Sunday night on NBCSN. Claude Giroux recorded two assists in the Flyers’ win on Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Rangers have won two of three meetings with the Flyers this season, but Philadelphia won the most recent matchup by a score of 2-0 on Wednesday Night Rivalry on January 25.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – BLACKHAWKS-PENGUINS – WEDNESDAY AT7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

In what could be a Stanley Cup Final preview, the Penguins (46-18-11, 103 pts) are tied with Columbus for second in the Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division, three points behind Washington. The Penguins dropped a 6-2 decision to the Flyers last night on NBCSN, but have recorded points in eight of their last 10 games (5-2-3). Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in goals (42), and is second in the league in points (82), six behind league-leader Connor McDavid of Edmonton The two clubs squared off on Wednesday Night Rivalry on March 1, as Patrick Kane netted a hat trick in Chicago’s 4-1 win.

BLACKHAWKS-LIGHTNING – TONIGHT AT 6:30P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Tampa Bay (36-29-9, 81 pts) is three points behind Boston for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and is coming off a 2-1 win against the Red Wings on Friday. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov ranks second in the NHL in goals (38), and sixth in the NHL in points (78). Kucherov had a goal and an assist in Tampa Bay’s 2-1 win on Friday, notched a hat trick in the club’s win against Boston on Thursday, and has posted nine points (7g/2a) in his last four games. The Lightning beat the Blackhawks 5-2 in Chicago on Jan. 24 in their previous meeting this season.

STARS-BRUINS – THURSDAY AT 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Dallas (31-33-11, 73 pts) has won two consecutive games, including a 2-1 overtime win against the Devils in New Jersey on Sunday night, as Tyler Seguin scored the game-winner 20 seconds into the extra session. In their previous matchup this season on the NBC NHL Game of the Week on Feb. 26, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron each recorded three points in the Bruins’ 6-3 win in Dallas.

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

*immediately following game coverage
**subject to local blackout in Chicago

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.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.

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-