DAYS 59-61 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING HOST CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS IN PIVOTAL GAME 5 OF STANLEY CUP FINAL SATURDAY NIGHT IN PRIMETIME ON NBC

Game 5 – Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC – Series Tied 2-2

Blackhawks-Lightning Takes Center Stage on NBC in Primetime For Remainder of Stanley Cup Final

2015 Stanley Cup Final Averaging 4.965 Million Viewers Through Four Games; Second-Most Watched To-Date in 18 Years

First Time Since 1968 First Four Games Decided by One Goal; No Team Has Held Multi-Goal Lead in Series

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 12, 2015 – One of the most tightly-contested Stanley Cup Finals in NHL history takes center stage on Saturday night in primetime on NBC, when Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning host Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 at 8 p.m. ET, with the series tied at two games apiece. Coverage begins on NBCSN tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET with a 90-minute edition of NHL Live.

The first four games of this year’s Final have been decided by one goal, the first time this has occurred in nearly 50 years (Montreal vs. St. Louis; 1968). In addition, neither team has led by more than one goal at any point in the series.

The Blackhawks evened the series on Wednesday night with a 2-1 win in Chicago, as Brandon Saad scored the eventual game-winner early in the third period, and Corey Crawford made 24 saves in net. Click here for notes and quotes from Wednesday night’s Game 4 coverage.

Three-time 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 and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will call Saturday night’s Game 5 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Host Liam McHugh will anchor NHL Live from inside the arena, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. Dave Briggs will host coverage from a set outside the arena alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. In addition, analyst and former goaltender Brian Boucher and NHL insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger will join NBC Sports Group’s pre- and post-game studio coverage throughout the Final.

BLACKHAWKS-LIGHTNING TAKES CENTER STAGE ON NBC IN PRIMETIME THROUGH REMAINDER OF STANLEY CUP FINAL

Saturday night’s primetime Game 5 showdown on NBC marks the seventh Stanley Cup Playoff primetime game on this year, and eighth primetime game on the network including the regular season, both records for NBC. Monday night’s Game 6 will be the 16^th Stanley Cup Playoff game on NBC this postseason, tying the record set in 2012.

Three postseason series have been decided on NBC, including the Blackhawks-Ducks Western Conference Final, as Chicago defeated Anaheim in Game 7 in primetime. In addition, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was the most-watched non-overtime Game 1 in 18 years (5.5 million avg. viewers), and Game 2, which immediately followed Belmont Stakes coverage, averaged 6.6 million viewers to become the most-watched Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on record.

2015 STANLEY CUP FINAL AVERAGING 4.965 VIEWERS THROUGH FOUR GAMES; SECOND-MOST WATCHED TO-DATE IN 18 YEARS

The 2015 Stanley Cup Final, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks, has averaged 4.965 million viewers on NBC/NBCSN, making it the second-most watched Stanley Cup Final through four games in 18 years, trailing only the Blackhawks-Bruins series in 2013 (5.341 million viewers). In addition, Wednesday night’s Game 4 produced the most-watched Stanley Cup Final quarter-hour ever on NBCSN (5.489 million, 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET). Over four games, this year’s Final has produced a 2.91 HH rating.

Following are the Top 5 markets through the first four games of 2015 Stanley Cup Final:

Locally, Chicago’s average rating of 24.1 through four games is up 18% vs. its four-game average rating for the 2013 Stanley Cup Final (20.5), when the Blackhawks faced the Bruins. Game 1 produced the highest rating ever in Tampa for a Lightning game on NBC (17.9), while Game 4 set the record for highest rating in the market for a Lightning game on NBCSN (13.9).

Following is the television schedule for the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, all times Eastern and subject to change.

*if necessary

GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR

For the fourth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.

One-goal Games: 47

OT games: 19

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 will provide the hometown fans of the Chicago Blackhawks with comprehensive coverage throughout their Stanley Cup Playoff run, including pre- and post-game shows and extensive on-line coverage via Comcast SportsNet’s team of NHL Insiders.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE

NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs – will stream comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final 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,Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.

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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