FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 15th, 2015
NBC SPORTS GROUP’S “NHL PLAYOFF PASS” – DAY 1
Game 1 – (3) Islanders-(2) Capitals at 7 p.m. ET on USA Network
Game 1 – (4) Senators-(1) Canadiens at 7 p.m. ET on NHL Network
Game 1 – (3) Blackhawks-(2) Predators at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Game 1 – (3) Flames-(2) Canucks at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network
Live Pre-game Coverage Begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with NHL Live
STAMFORD, Conn. – April 15, 2015 – NBC Sports Group’s comprehensive coverage of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins tonight with four Game 1 matchups across NBCSN, USA Network and NHL Network, starting with NHL Live at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Game coverage begins with a pair matchups at 7 p.m. ET, when the (3) New York Islanders visit the (2) Washington Capitals on USA Network, and the (1) Montreal Canadiens host the (4) Ottawa Senators on NHL Network. NBCSN’s game coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. ET, when the (2) Nashville Predators host the (3) Chicago Blackhawks. The final Game 1 matchup of the night features the (3) Calgary Flames against the (2) Vancouver Canucks at 10 p.m. ET on USA Network.
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“NHL Playoff Pass” on NBC Sports Group Press Box provides a quick daily overview of Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, plus information and highlights. The Pass will be published weekdays to preview that evening’s games. Friday editions will include weekend information.
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All Stanley Cup Playoff games will be presented on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage of games airing on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC via “TV Everywhere.”
For more information on NBC Sports Group’s overall NHL Playoff coverage, please click here.
THE PASS – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 (All times ET)
| Time | Coverage | Network | Commentators |
| 6:30 p.m. | NHL Live | NBCSN | Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury, Keith Jones |
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) N.Y. Islanders at (2) Washington | USA Network | Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire |
| NHL Live (Intermission Reports) | USA Network | Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick, Anson Carter |
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| 7 p.m. | Game 1 – (4) Ottawa at (1) Montreal | NHL Network | Paul Romanuk, Mike Johnson, Glenn Healy, David Amber |
| 8:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Chicago at (2) Nashville | NBCSN | Gord Miller, Joe Micheletti |
| 10 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Calgary at (2) Vancouver | USA Network | Chris Cuthbert, Bret Hedican |
TONIGHT – APRIL 15 – NHL LIVE BEGINS AT 6:30 P.M ET ON NBCSN
NHL Live, hosted by Liam McHugh, Mike Milbury and Keith Jones, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Kathryn Tappen, Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter will host USA Network’s studio coverage.
GAME 1 – (3) ISLANDERS AT (2) CAPITALS – 7 P.M. ET ON USA NETWORK
Playoff coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET tonight on USA Network with Alex Ovechkin and the (2) Washington Capitals hosting John Tavares and the (3) New York Islanders in Game 1 of their first-round series. Ovechkin led the league with 53 goals, his sixth season with at least 50 goals, while Tavares finished the season with 86 points, one shy of league-leader Jamie Benn (87). This marks the seventh playoff series all-time between the Islanders and Capitals, and their first postseason meeting since 1993. The Isles own the playoff series edge over the Caps, with five series wins in six attempts.
Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C.
GAME 1 – (4) SENATORS AT (1) CANADIENS – 7 P.M. ET ON NHL NETWORK
NHL Network’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Game 1 between the (4) Ottawa Senators and the (1) Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa posted a 23-4-4 record over its last 31 games to reach the postseason, led by rookie goaltender Andrew Hammond, who went 20-1-2 in net during that span and popularized his widely-recognized nickname, “The Hamburglar.” Montreal earned the Atlantic Division title, led by goaltender Carey Price, who topped all goaltenders in goals against average (1.96), save percentage (.933), and wins (44). The series also features two of the most dynamic defenseman in hockey; Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson led all defensemen with 66 points, while Montreal’s P.K. Subban finished the year tied for second among blue-liners (60 pts). The two teams last met in the first round in 2012-13, when Ottawa defeated Montreal in five games.
Paul Romanuk, Mike Johnson, Glenn Healy and David Amber will have the call from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Que.
GAME 1 – (3) BLACKHAWKS AT (2) PREDATORS – 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBCSN drops the puck on its Stanley Cup Playoff game coverage Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET, when Jonathan Toews and the (3) Chicago Blackhawks visit Shea Weber and the (2) Nashville Predators. Chicago won three of four matchups against Nashville this season, including a 5-4 shootout victory in their most recent matchup on Dec. 29. The Blackhawks and Predators have met once before in the Stanley Cup Playoffs; Chicago defeated Nashville in the first round of the 2010 postseason, en route to its Stanley Cup win over Philadelphia. Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Joe Micheletti (Inside-The-Glass analyst) will call the action from Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville, Tenn.
GAME 1 – (3) FLAMES AT (2) CANUCKS – 10 P.M. ET ON USA NETWORK
USA Network’s coverage continues Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, following Islanders-Capitals, as rookie forward Johnny Gaudreau and the (3) Calgary Flames visit Daniel Sedin and the (2) Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 of their first-round series. The Flames return to the postseason for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign, led by Gaudreau, who finished tied with Ottawa’s Mark Stone for most points by a rookie this season (64). Vancouver’s duo of Daniel and Henrik Sedin led the club with 76 and 73 points, respectively, in their 14th seasons with the Canucks. Calgary and Vancouver have met six times in the playoffs, with this year’s series marking their first postseason matchup since 2004, when Calgary beat Vancouver in the first round. Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and Bret Hedican (Inside-the-Glass analyst) will call the action from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C.
If tonight’s Islanders-Capitals game on USA Network runs past 10 p.m. ET into the start of Flames-Canucks, puck drop of Flames-Canucks will be shown live on NHL Network until Islanders-Capitals has concluded. Flames-Canucks will return to USA Network immediately following the conclusion of Islanders-Capitals. As a reminder, all games on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC will be live streamed via NBC Sports Live Extra.
NBC Sports Group’s Emmy Award-winning NHL play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Inside-the-Glass analyst and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire, and Executive Producer Sam Flood previewed the upcoming 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs on a media conference call yesterday afternoon. Click here for the full transcript.
Following are excerpts from their playoff preview conference call:
McGuire on the Rangers: “When you put the Rangers on paper, you win with your depth down the middle. They’ve got it down the middle at center, they’ve got it with depths in defense, and they’ve got it in goal. So the Rangers are in a really good spot.”
McGuire on Red Wings-Lightning: “One thing that could present problems for Tampa, and I don’t think it’s a big secret, is that Mike Babcock is one of the most creative coaches in the National Hockey League. Coaching matters at this time of year. Jon Cooper got swept last year…how is he going to react to a coach like Mike Babcock who is going to present all kinds of coaching match‑up problems?…what’s interesting about this series is both starting goaltenders, Mrazek and Bishop, have yet to play in an NHL playoff game…I think this could be a tremendous series.”
Emrick on the Penguins: “Pittsburgh has struck me as a team that we’ve walked in the dressing room and it seems like a different culture…over the three‑day period that ends on Sunday, this year Saturday, and resumes on Wednesday, sometimes transformations take place. If they win one of the two games in New York, they might start thinking a little more together than they have been in these games that we’ve seen down the stretch.”
Following are NBC Sports Group’s telecast schedule and commentating assignments for the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs through Sunday’s games. First-round matchups are subject to change and local blackouts:
| THURSDAY, APRIL 16 | |||
| Time | Coverage | Network | Commentators |
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 – (4) Pittsburgh at (1) N.Y. Rangers | NBCSN | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Pierre McGuire |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (3) Detroit at (2) Tampa Bay | CNBC | John Forslund, Andy Brickley |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (4) Minnesota at (1) St. Louis | NBCSN | Dave Strader, Brian Engblom |
| 10:30 p.m. | Game 1 – (4) Winnipeg at (1) Anaheim | CNBC | Dave Randorf, Garry Galley, Cassie Campbell-Pascall |
| FRIDAY, APRIL 17 | |||
| 7 p.m. | Game 2 – (3) N.Y. Islanders at (2) Washington | NBCSN | Kenny Albert, Pierre McGuire |
| 7 p.m. | Game 2 – (4) Ottawa at (1) Montreal | CNBC | Chris Cuthbert, Bret Hedican |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 2 – (3) Chicago at (2) Nashville | NBCSN | Gord Miller, Joe Micheletti |
| 10 p.m. | Game 2 – (3) Calgary at (2) Vancouver | CNBC | Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Scott Oake |
| SATURDAY, APRIL 18 | |||
| 3 p.m. | Game 2 – (3) Detroit at (2) Tampa Bay* | NBC/NBCSN | John Forslund, Andy Brickley |
| 3 p.m. | Game 2 – (4) Minnesota at (1) St. Louis* | NBC/NBCSN | Dave Strader, Brian Engblom |
| 8 p.m. | Game 2 – (4) Pittsburgh at (1) N.Y. Rangers | NBC | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| 10:30 p.m. | Game 2 – (4) Winnipeg at (1) Anaheim | NBCSN | Dave Randorf, Garry Galley, Cassie Campbell-Pascall |
| SUNDAY, APRIL 19 | |||
| Noon | Game 3 – (2) Washington at (3) N.Y. Islanders | NBC | Mike “Doc” Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| 3 p.m. | Game 3 – (2) Nashville at (3) Chicago | NBC | Kenny Albert, Brian Engblom, Joe Micheletti |
| 7 p.m. | Game 3 – (1) Montreal at (4) Ottawa | NBCSN | Chris Cuthbert, Bret Hedican |
| 10 p.m. | Game 2 – (2) Vancouver at (3) Calgary | NBCSN | Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Scott Oake |
*Regionalized coverage. On Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, select markets will receive Red Wings-Lightning on NBC and Wild-Blues on NBCSN. Remaining markets will receive Wild-Blues on NBC and Red Wings-Lightning on NBCSN.
COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE
Comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be provided daily via NBC Sports Regional Networks, available in more than 50 million U.S. households. Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic will provide the hometown fans of the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, respectively, with comprehensive coverage throughout their teams’ Stanley Cup Playoff runs, including exclusive regional coverage of first-round games, pre- and post-game shows and extensive on-line coverage via Comcast SportsNet’s team of NHL Insiders.
For teams that advance past the first round, NBC Sports Regional Networks will deliver extensive pre- and post-game coverage as well as breaking news and analysis throughout each team’s playoff run.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream comprehensive coverage of games airing on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC on 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.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
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