FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 6th, 2015

SEVEN NHL MATCHUPS ON NBC & NBCSN HIGHLIGHT FINAL WEEK OF NHL REGULAR SEASON

Bruins-Capitals on Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Western Conference-Leading Ducks Host Stars on Wednesday Nightcap at 10:30 p.m. ET

NBC Regional Coverage Saturday at 3 p.m. ET – Blues Host Wild & Sharks Visit Kings

Blackhawks Host Wild Tomorrow Night at 8:30 p.m. ET; Visit Blues Thursday Night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Regular-Season Coverage Concludes Saturday Night at 7:30 p.m. ET with Bruins-Lightning in Potential First-Round Preview

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 6, 2015 – NBC Sports Group concludes its NHL regular-season coverage this week by featuring seven matchups with potential playoff implications, highlighted by a Wednesday Night Rivalry showdown between Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, and Milan Lucic and the Boston Bruins.

NBC and NBCSN will present three games this Saturday, the final day of the NHL regular season. Regional coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, when T.J. Oshie and the Central Division-leading Blues host Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild, and Jonathan Quick’s Los Angeles Kings welcome Logan Couture and the San Jose Sharks. Saturday’s coverage shifts to NBCSN at 7:30 p.m. ET with a potential first-round preview, when the Bruins travel to Tampa Bay to face Steven Stamkos and the Lightning.

Coverage begins tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the Wild visit Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks and Blues will exchange pleasantries once more Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, as both teams jockey for playoff position in the Central Division.

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage of this week’s NHL matchups.

NHL Live, NBCSN’s pre- and post-game NHL studio show, begins one hour prior to this week’s matchups on NBCSN. Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will host this week’s coverage alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick.

 

BRUINS-CAPITALS – WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Bruins travel to Washington on Wednesday Night Rivalry aiming to cement their place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, while the Capitals hope to earn home ice in the first round. Boston (41-25-13, 95 pts) has won five straight games to move into a three-way tie with potential Wild Card clubs Pittsburgh and Detroit, but currently owns a tiebreak over Detroit in the division. Boston’s surge has been led by goaltender Tuukka Rask, who has allowed only six goals in his last five starts in net.

Washington (44-25-11, 99 pts) clinched a playoff spot on Sunday following a 2-1 win over Detroit, and currently holds a one-point lead over the New York Islanders for second place in the Metropolitan Division, and home-ice advantage in the first round. The Capitals boast an 8-2-1 record in their last 11 games, including wins over the Division-leading Rangers and Canadiens.

Alex Ovechkin is likely to finish the regular season as the league’s leading goal-scorer, as his 52 goals are 10 clear of Steven Stamkos and the Rangers’ Rick Nash. In addition, Ovechkin’s 80 points are tied with the Islanders’ John Tavares, and one shy of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby for tops in the league.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk, and Inside-the-Glass analyst and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire will call have the call from Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C.

 

WILD-BLUES – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC (REGIONAL COVERAGE)

The Blues and Wild close out the regular season Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC in a potential first-round preview. If the season ended today, the Central Division-leading Blues (49-23-7, 105 pts) would host the Wild, who are currently in the first Wild Card spot. St. Louis overtook Nashville for first in the Central last night, earning a 2-1 victory in Chicago against the Blackhawks on NBCSN.

Minnesota (44-26-8, 96 pts) is closing in on its third straight playoff appearance, led by a 26-7-2 record by goaltender Devan Dubnyk, who has started 36 straight games since joining the Wild in mid-January. Zach Parise leads the club in goals (32) and points (60), and scored twice in Minnesota’s 3-2 shootout loss to Detroit on Saturday.

Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Inside-the-Glass analyst Brian Engblom will have the call from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.


SHARKS-KINGS – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBC (REGIONAL COVERAGE)

The Sharks visit Los Angeles on Saturday in hopes of spoiling the Kings’ bid to qualify for the playoffs. Los Angeles (39-25-14, 92 pts) is one point behind Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division with a game in hand, and currently holds a tiebreak advantage over Winnipeg for the final Wild Card position. The Kings have won five of seven contests, including road victories against the Rangers and Islanders. Jonathan Quick has made 17 straight starts between the pipes (10-5-2), and Jeff Carter has posted at least one point in five of his last six games (3g/4a).

Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Pierre McGuire (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call have the call from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

 

BRUINS-LIGHTNING – SATURDAY NIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Steven Stamkos and the Lightning host the Bruins in a potential first-round preview. Tampa Bay and Boston would be matched up in a first-round series, if the season ended today, and the Lightning (48-24-8, 104 pts) still have hopes of overtaking Montreal for the Atlantic Division title, trailing the Canadiens by two points with two games remaining. Boston has won two of three meetings against Tampa Bay, but the Lightning won the most recent meeting by a score of 5-3 on March 22.

Rick Peckham will handle play-by-play duties of Saturday night’s regular-season finale on NBCSN.

 

WILD-BLACKHAWKS – TOMORROW AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

This week’s coverage begins tomorrow night in Chicago, as the Wild and Blackhawks look to solidify their playoff positioning. Chicago (48-25-6, 102 pts) trails Nashville by two points for second place in the Central Division, following its loss to St. Louis on Sunday night. Chicago has won three of four meetings this season, but Minnesota earned a 3-0 shutout victory over the Blackhawks in their most recent matchup on Feb. 3.

Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Inside-the-Glass analyst Brian Engblom will have the call from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

 

BLACKHAWKS-BLUES – THURSDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Thursday night’s matchup between the Blackhawks and Blues in both teams’ penultimate game of the regular season will likely have an impact on the Central Division playoff race, with St. Louis currently leading Chicago by three points. St. Louis goaltender Jake Allen stymied the Blackhawks in Chicago last night, stopping 38 of 39 shots and earning first-star honors in the win.

Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call the action from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHTCAP – STARS-DUCKS – WEDNESDAY AT 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Ducks host the Stars on NBCSN’s Wednesday Nightcap matchup, eyeing the top record in the Western Conference and potential home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference Final. Anaheim (50-23-7, 107 pts) is tied with the Rangers for the top point total in the NHL, and has clinched its third straight Pacific Division title. Anaheim had its four-game winning streak snapped by Colorado last Friday, but has won both matchups with Dallas this season.

Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Mike Johnson (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will have the call from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Following is this week’s hockey schedule on NBC and NBCSN. Games are subject to local blackout.

 

Date Coverage Network Time (ET)
Tues., April 7 NHL Live NBCSN 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago NBCSN 8:30 p.m.
Wed., April 8 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Wednesday Night Rivalry – Boston at Washington NBCSN 8 p.m.
Wednesday Nightcap – Dallas at Anaheim NBCSN 10:30 p.m.
Thurs., April 9 NHL Live NBCSN 7 p.m.
Chicago at St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m.
Sat., April 11 Minnesota at St. Louis (Regional Coverage) NBC 3 p.m.
San Jose at Los Angeles (Regional Coverage) NBC 3 p.m.
NHL Live NBCSN 6:30 p.m.
Boston at Tampa Bay NBCSN 7:30 p.m.

 

2014-15 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2014-15 season, featuring 14 games on NBC and 89 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. 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 2014-15 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream this week’s NHL coverage NBC Sports Live Extra 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 available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store.

-NBC SPORTS GROUP-