FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 18th, 2018

CROSBY & OVECHKIN CONTINUE STORIED RIVALRY AS PENGUINS FACE CAPITALS ON NBCSN’S “WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY”

“Wednesday Night Hockey” Pre-Game Coverage Begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live

No. 1 Overall Pick Rasmus Dahlin and Sabres Visit Ovechkin and Capitals Friday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Predators Visit Blackhawks Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Kings Face Sharks Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Mike Tirico to Host 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® and NHL All-Star Game; NBC Sports Commentators Preview the 2019 NHL Winter Classic

STAMFORD, Conn. – December 18, 2018 – NBC Sports presents the latest edition of Crosby vs. Ovechkin this week, as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals continue their storied rivalry on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Hockey this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. Pre-game coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live.

This week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN begins tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Ryan Johansen and the Nashville Predators visit Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks. On Friday, Ovechkin and the Capitals host No. 1 overall pick Rasmus Dahlin and the upstart Buffalo Sabres in a marquee Eastern Conference clash at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Coverage concludes on Saturday, when Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings visit Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

MIKE TIRICO TO HOST 2019 BRIDGESTONE NHL WINTER CLASSIC® AND NHL ALL-STAR GAME; NBC SPORTS COMMENTATORS PREVIEW THE 2019 NHL WINTER CLASSIC

NBC Sports has announced that Mike Tirico will host NBC Sports’ coverage of the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. – set for January 1 at 1 p.m. ET on NBC — and the 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Game from SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., scheduled for primetime on Saturday, January 26, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Click here for more information.

On Tuesday, Tirico joined Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), Pierre McGuire (‘Inside the Glass’ Analyst), and executive producer Sam Flood on a media conference call to preview the upcoming NHL Winter Classic between the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Following are excerpts from the call.

Click here for the full transcript.

ON WINTER CLASSIC

Olczyk: “This is the premiere regular-season game in the entire National Hockey League. No other regular-season game is going to get the eyeballs on it like that game will on New Year’s Day at Notre Dame Stadium.”

Tirico: “To see two Original Six teams come there and play, I think if you take the combination of the opponents plus the setting, it gives you as unique a Winter Classic as perhaps has ever been played.”

Tirico on hosting the Winter Classic: “As somebody who has loved hockey, going back to the John Davidson and goalie-led New York Rangers when I was a kid growing up in Queens, it’s been a thrill for me to spend some time during the Stanley Cup Finals with our hockey team, the best in the business; and to do this and the All-Star Game, these two signature and visibility-wise, the most-watched weekends of National Hockey League action during the regular season is a treat for me.”

ON NOTRE DAME STADIUM

Emrick on visiting Notre Dame Stadium for the first time: “So, for a kid that was raised in Indiana … it’s a thrill to be able to walk inside that place and to get Mike Tirico’s tour.”

ON BRUINS

McGuire: “The Bruins are coming and coming on hard and they are going to be very relevant throughout the rest of the year, and this game will be a great departure for them for the second half of the year.”

Olczyk: “Look, if they can get that consistency in goal, regardless of who is in there, absolutely they can make a run. There’s no doubt about it.”

ON BLACKHAWKS

Olczyk: “You still have incredible star power and a team that has had great success over the course of the last eight or nine years, so to have them part of this certainly will be exciting.”

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – PENGUINS-CAPITALS AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Capitals (20-9-3, 43 pts) carry a five-game win streak into Wednesday, and currently pace the Metropolitan Division with 43 points. Through 32 games, Ovechkin leads the NHL with 29 goals. The 14-year veteran recorded back-to-back hat tricks against Detroit and Carolina last week. Ovechkin extended his point streak to a career-high 14 games with a goal against Buffalo on Saturday.

The Penguins (15-12-6, 36 pts) are 5-2-1 in their last eight games, and are currently seven points out of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Crosby, who paces the Penguins with 15 goals, has registered five multi-point games in his last 14 contests. Pittsburgh is one of three teams to boast three players with at least 36 points (Crosby, Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin).

Six-time Emmy Award-winner Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk, and ‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Kathryn Tappen hosts NHL Live ahead of Penguins-Capitals on Wednesday, alongside analysts Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and insider Darren Dreger.

PREDATORS-BLACKHAWKS – TONIGHT AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

This is the second of four meetings between the Predators and Blackhawks this season. Nashville (22-10-2, 46 pts) defeated Chicago, 5-2, on Dec. 1 in Nashville. Pekka Rinne made 19 saves, and five different Predators scored a goal. Nashville is 0-5-2 in its last seven road games.

The Blackhawks (10-19-6, 26 pts) snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 6-3 victory over the Penguins on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Hockey last week. Chicago is 4-17-4 in their last 25 games, and are 4-13-3 under new head coach Jeremy Colliton. Kane paces the team with 38 points, and ranks second on the team with 15 goals.

John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from United Center in Chicago, Ill. Tappen hosts NHL Live, which begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, alongside analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter.

SABRES-CAPITALS – FRIDAY AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Sabres (20-9-5, 45 pts) are 3-0-1 in their last four games, and rank second in the Eastern Conference with 45 points. Led by offseason acquisition Jeff Skinner, who paces the team with 24 goals, Buffalo is in search of its first postseason appearance since 2011. Through 34 games, Sabres captain Jack Eichel leads the team with 45 points. Rookie Rasmus Dahlin has contributed 19 points and three goals.

This is the second meeting this season between the two teams. Washington defeated Buffalo, 4-3, in a shootout on Dec. 15.

Joe Beninati (play-by-play) and Craig Laughlin (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Paul Burmeister hosts NHL Live, which begins at 6 p.m. ET, alongside Roenick and Carter.

KINGS-SHARKS – SATURDAY AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Sharks (18-11-5, 41 pts) are 6-1-0 in their last seven games, with wins coming against the Devils and Coyotes over that span. San Jose is five points behind Calgary for first place in the Pacific Division. Logan Couture and Brent Burns lead the team with 34 points, while teammate Joe Pavelski leads the Sharks with 20 goals.

The Kings (11-20-3, 25 pts) enter the week looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Los Angeles’ last win came against the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec. 8. The Kings host Winnipeg tonight.

Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Jim Fox (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will have the call from SAP Center San Jose. Paul Burmeister hosts studio coverage alongside analyst Mike Johnson.

Following is this week’s hockey schedule on NBCSN:

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., Dec. 18 NHL Live NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
  Nashville at Chicago^ NBCSN 8:30 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 11:15 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 19 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
  Wednesday Night Hockey – Pittsburgh at Washington NBCSN 8 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 10:45 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 21 NHL Live NBCSN 6 p.m.
  Buffalo at Washington^ NBCSN 7 p.m.
  NHL Overtime* NBCSN 9:45 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 22 Los Angeles at San Jose NBCSN 4 p.m.

*Immediately following game coverage
^subject to local blackout

2018-19 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports will deliver coverage of a record 109 regular-season games during the 2018-19 season, highlighted by the debut of “Wednesday Night Hockey” on NBCSN, which will showcase the network’s most diverse schedule since it acquired NHL rights prior to the 2005-06 season, as well as NHL’s current and rising stars. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.

Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive NHL coverage this season.

STREAMING COVERAGE 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 2018-19 NHL season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value 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, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

– NBC SPORTS –