FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 22nd, 2016
NHL STADIUM SERIES GAME FEATURING DETROIT RED WINGS VS. COLORADO AVALANCHE SATURDAY NIGHT IN PRIMETIME ON NBC HEADLINES WALL-TO-WALL HOCKEY WEEK
NHL Stadium Series – Red Wings-Avalanche – Saturday Night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC from Coors Field in Denver, Colo.
Three Games on Sunday – Capitals-Blackhawks on NBC’s NHL Game of the Week at 12:30 p.m. ET
Sunday Night Hockey Doubleheader on NBCSN – Lightning-Bruins at 6:30 p.m. ET, Followed by Kings-Ducks at 9 p.m. ET
Wednesday Night Rivalry – Penguins-Bruins – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Followed by Sharks-Avalanche in Wednesday Nightcap at 10 p.m. ET
NHL Coverage Begins Tonight with Sharks-Blues at 8 p.m. ET; Plus Red Wings-Blue Jackets Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET, Blackhawks-Predators Thursday at 8 p.m. ET
College Hockey – No. 9 Boston University Faces No. 10 Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday Nights on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 22, 2016 – NBC Sports Group presents wall-to-wall hockey this week – 11 combined NHL and college hockey games spanning the next seven days, with at least one game every night – highlighted by NBC’s primetime presentation of the NHL Stadium Series on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, when rookie phenom Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings face off against Matt Duchene and the Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field in Denver, Colo., home of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies.
Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator 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 the Red Wings-Avalanche NHL Stadium Series matchup on NBC from Coors Field. Kathryn Tappen and Jeremy Roenick will provide pre-game and intermission coverage on-site.
NBC’s weekend hockey coverage continues Sunday with a matchup of Stanley Cup Final frontrunners in the NHL Game of the Week, as Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a showdown of conference leaders.
Following the Sunday matinee, NBCSN will present a Sunday Night Hockey doubleheader, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET, when Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Bruins. Coverage continues at 9 p.m. ET with a pivotal Pacific Division contest, when Ryan Kesler and the surging Anaheim Ducks host Jonathan Quick and the rival Los Angeles Kings.
NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry features Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Boston to face Patrice Bergeron and the Bruins at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by Sharks-Avalanche in the Wednesday Nightcap at 10 p.m. ET.
This week’s NHL coverage begins tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Vladimir Tarasenko and the St. Louis Blues host Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks, and also features Blue Jackets-Red Wings tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET, as well as Predators-Blackhawks on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
In addition to NHL action, NBCSN will present a pair of college hockey matchups featuring the No. 9 Boston University Terriers and No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish this Friday and Saturday to close out the regular season.
Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will combine to anchor this week’s NHL Live studio coverage, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, Brian Boucher, Anson Carter and Jeremy Roenick. NHL insider Bob McKenzie will join NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage to provide the latest in-depth news from around the league.
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs – will stream this week’s NHL and college hockey coverage on NBC and NBCSN.
NHL STADIUM SERIES – RED WINGS-AVALANCHE – SATURDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC
NBC showcases the NHL Stadium Series in primetime this Saturday night, as the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche face off in a matchup of former bitter rivals. The Red Wings and Avalanche became division foes in the 1995-96 season, when the Quebec Nordiques franchise moved to Colorado. The clubs met in the conference semifinals or finals in five of Colorado’s first seven seasons, and the Red Wings are the Avalanche’s most-played playoff opponent. In 2014, Detroit moved to the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division following realignment, while Colorado remained in the Central Division.
Detroit (29-20-11, 69 pts) enters the week in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, just one point behind second-place Tampa Bay and Boston. The Red Wings are coming off a 1-0 overtime loss to the Rangers on NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey, as goaltender Jimmy Howard turned in a stellar performance, stopping 29 of 30 shots.
Colorado (31-27-4, 66 pts) sits in fourth place in the Central Division, battling Nashville and Minnesota for the final playoff spots in the division. Matt Duchene leads the club with 26 goals, which ranks seventh in the NHL. Avs head coach Patrick Roy is no stranger to the rivalry; Roy was Colorado’s goaltender for all 30 playoff games between the Red Wings and Avalanche from 1996-2002.
NHL GAME OF THE WEEK – CAPITALS-BLACKHAWKS – SUNDAY AT 12:30 P.M. ET ON NBC
This Sunday’s NHL Game of the Week matchup features a pair of Stanley Cup Final frontrunners, as Washington (43-10-4, 90 pts) and Chicago (38-19-5, 81 points) enter the week leading their respective conferences. Sunday marks the second of two meetings between the two clubs. Washington earned a 4-1 win against Chicago on Oct. 15, as Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each scored in the win. Ovechkin boasts a league-leading 38 goals, while goaltender Braden Holtby leads the NHL with 37 wins, and could break Martin Brodeur’s NHL single-season record for wins by a goaltender (48).
The Blackhawks look to bounce back from their 6-1 loss to the Wild in their NHL Stadium Series matchup at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sunday. Chicago’s stars have also amassed gaudy individual statistics this season; Patrick Kane’s league-leading 84 points are 17 more than the closest competitor (Dallas’ Jamie Benn; 67), rookie sensation and Kane linemate Artemi Panarin leads all rookies with 57 points, and goaltender Corey Crawford leads the league with seven shutouts.
John Forslund (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (‘Inside-the-Glass) will call the action from United Center in Chicago, Ill.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY – PENGUINS-BRUINS – 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Sidney Crosby leads the surging Penguins into Boston on Wednesday Night Rivalry this week following a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Hockey Day In America on NBC. Crosby leads the Penguins (30-20-8, 68 pts; 4th in Metropolitan Division) with 56 points, and has recorded 37 points (19g/18a) in his last 27 games, following a slow start to the season.
The Bruins (32-21-6, 70 pts; T-2nd in Atlantic Division) enter the week carrying momentum from a 7-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday, as Boston scored six straight goals on the road to erase a two-goal deficit. Boston swept a home-and-home series from Pittsburgh earlier this season with a 3-0 shutout win at TD Garden on Dec. 16, followed by a 6-2 victory in Pittsburgh on Dec. 18.
Forslund (play-by-play), Olczyk (analyst), and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call from Boston.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTCAP – SHARKS-AVALANCHE – 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The Sharks (31-21-5, 67 pts) enter the week in third place in the Pacific Division, battling Anaheim and Los Angeles for first place. San Jose has more road wins (20) than any team in the Western Conference, and defeated the Avalanche 4-3 in Colorado on Nov. 1. The Sharks are 13-3-3 in their last 19 games, and Joe Pavelski leads the club with 54 points (26g/28a). The last time the teams met on Dec. 28, Nathan MacKinnon snapped a 14-game goal drought with a hat trick in Colorado’s 6-3 win.
Randy Hahn (play-by-play) and Bret Hedican (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call from the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo.
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – LIGHTNING-BRUINS – 6:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Tampa Bay (33-22-4, 70 pts) and Boston are deadlocked in second place in the Atlantic Division through 59 games. The Lightning have won three straight games, including a 4-2 win against Carolina on Sunday, as Steven Stamkos scored the eventual game-winner late in the third period. Stamkos leads the club with 25 goals and scored a goal in each of the Lightning’s three wins last week. This will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs, with each team winning on the road in their previous matchups in October.
Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Ray Ferraro (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call from TD Garden.
SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – KINGS-DUCKS – 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Freeway rivals Los Angeles and Anaheim clash on Sunday Night Hockey on NBCSN in a key divisional matchup. The Ducks (31-19-8, 70 pts; 2nd in Pacific Division), who have won five straight games, are one of the hottest teams in the league over the past two months, with a 19-4-2 record dating back to Dec. 27. Ryan Getzlaf leads the club with 47 points, and has scored five goals in the last 10 games, after scoring just three times in 44 games. The Kings (34-20-4, 72 pts; 1st in Pacific Division) enter the week following a 2-1 win over Nashville on Saturday. The Kings and Ducks have allowed the fewest goals in the Western Conference this season.
Chris Cuthbert (play-by-play) and McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will have the call from Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
SHARKS-BLUES – TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
St. Louis hosts San Jose tonight at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN to open this week’s NHL coverage. The Blues (35-17-9, 79 pts; 3rd in Central Division) are just two points behind Chicago for first place in the division and conference, and have won five consecutive games. Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko is sixth in the NHL in goals (28), while goaltender Brian Elliott has posted a 12-3-3 record in 18 straight starts following an injury to fellow netminder Jake Allen. The Blues most recent regulation loss came against San Jose, a 3-1 loss to the Sharks on Feb. 4.
Hahn (play-by-play) and Hedican (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the action from Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
BLUE JACKETS-RED WINGS – TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Detroit hosts Columbus tomorrow night on NBCSN in the first meeting of the season between the clubs. The Blue Jackets (23-29-7, 53 pts; 8th in Metropolitan Division) have posted a 6-2-2 record in their last 10 games, which included a win against Anaheim and a sweep of a home-and-home with Montreal. Brandon Saad, Cam Atkinson and Scott Hartnell are tied for the club lead with 37 points.
Hahn (play-by-play) and Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass) will have the call from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.
PREDATORS-BLACKHAWKS – THURSDAY AT 8 P.M. ET
Nashville finds itself in a three-team fight with Colorado and Minnesota for two potential playoff spots. The Predators (27-21-11, 65 pts) are currently fifth in the Central Division, a point ahead of Minnesota and a point behind Colorado. Chicago has won three of four meetings with Nashville this season. The Predators are 5-0-2 in their last seven road games, and have recorded at least one point in their last five games (2-0-3).
Pat Foley (play-by-play) and Olczyk (analyst) will have the call from United Center in Chicago.
COLLEGE HOCKEY – NO. 9 BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT NO. 10 NOTRE DAME – FRIDAY AND SATURDAY ON NBCSN
NBCSN continues its coverage of the 2015-16 college hockey season this weekend with a pair of matchups between No. 9 Boston University and No. 10 Notre Dame. Friday night’s game will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET, while puck drop for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Notre Dame (18-7-7, 14-3-3 Hockey East) fell out of first place in Hockey East this weekend after a pair of losses to Providence, while the Terriers earned win and a tie in a home-and-home series with New Hampshire.
Dan Parkhurst (play-by-play) will call both games from Compton Family Ice Arena in Notre Dame, Ind. McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass) handles analysis on Friday, while Carter will man the ‘Inside-the-Glass’ position on Saturday.
Following is this week’s NHL and college hockey coverage on NBC and NBCSN:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Mon., February 22 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| San Jose at St. Louis | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Tues.., February 23 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Columbus at Detroit** | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| Wed., February 24 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. |
| Wednesday Night Rivalry – Pittsburgh at Boston | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Wednesday Nightcap – San Jose at Colorado | NBCSN | 10 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 12:30 a.m. | |
| Thur., February 25 | NHL Live | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| Nashville at Chicago** | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., February 26 | College Hockey – No. 9 Boston U. at No. 10 Notre Dame | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sat., February 27 | College Hockey – No. 9 Boston U. at No. 10 Notre Dame | NBCSN | 7 p.m. |
| NHL Stadium Series – Detroit at Colorado | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Sun., February 28 | NHL Live | NBC | 12 p.m. |
| NHL Game of the Week – Washington at Chicago | NBC | 12:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Live | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Tampa Bay at Boston | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Sunday Night Hockey – Los Angeles at Anaheim | NBCSN | 9 p.m. | |
| NHL Overtime* | NBCSN | 11:30 p.m. | |
| NHL Sunday Shootout – The Week In Review | NBCSN | 12 a.m. |
*immediately following game coverage
**subject to blackout in Detroit and Chicago
2015-16 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN
NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 105 NHL regular-season games during the 2015-16 season, featuring 12 games on NBC and 93 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. This year’s coverage includes 24 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, six Wednesday Nightcaps, 12 Sunday Night Hockey contests, and NHL All-Star coverage.
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 2015-16 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.
NHL SUNDAY SHOOTOUT
NBCSN’s NHL Sunday Shootout recaps the biggest NHL moments every week, following each of NBCSN’s Sunday Night Hockey matchups. The program, hosted by Dave Briggs, will feature insight and analysis from NBC Sports Group’s team of NHL commentators, including Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher, and Anson Carter.
NHL Sunday Shootout will serve as a weekly roundup for NHL fans on most Sunday nights leading into the postseason. In addition to insight and analysis recapping the week around the league, NHL Sunday Shootout will preview the upcoming week and feature recurring segments, including the NHL Live Roundtable, highlights from the Game of the Week, the NHL Best of 7 and Inside The Numbers.
-NBC SPORTS GROUP-
