Pre-Game Coverage on NHL Live Starts Tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
Pre-Game Includes Features on “Smashville” Phenomenon, Predators’ Head Coach Peter Laviolette, and Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin
Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final Averages More Than 3.2 Million Viewers, Up 27% vs. Last Year; 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs Up 9% vs. Last Year
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 2, 2017 – The Nashville Predators host their first-ever Stanley Cup Final game in franchise history on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when P.K. Subban and the Preds face off against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3. The Penguins lead the series 2-0. Pre-game coverage begins tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN with a special two-hour edition of NHL Live.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will provide streaming coverage of 2017 Stanley Cup Final.
Five-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 provide commentary from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. This marks the 11th consecutive year that Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire will combine to call the Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports.
Host Liam McHugh will anchor pre-game, intermission and studio coverage on-site throughout the series, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury and Keith Jones. In addition, Kathryn Tappen and Paul Burmeister and will host coverage from an outdoor set outside Bridgestone Arena, alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick, Brian Boucher, and Anson Carter.
Game 2 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final on NBCSN, in which the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators 4-1 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 3.278 million viewers, up 27% vs. last year’s Game 2 between the Penguins and San Jose Sharks (2.579 million), according to The Nielsen Company. Game 2 was also the most-watched program on cable on Wednesday (daytime and primetime) among average viewers, and the A18-49 and A25-54 demos.
Despite neither Nashville (#29) nor Pittsburgh (#23) being a Top 20 TV market, the contest was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on cable since 2002 (Carolina-Detroit, ESPN, 3.782 million), behind only Boston-Chicago in 2013 (3.964 million), which are the #9 and #3 TV markets.
Through two games, the 2017 Stanley Cup Final is averaging a TAD of 4.076 million viewers, up 23% vs. last year (3.316 million). Through 80 games, the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the networks of NBCUniversal are averaging a TAD of 1.202 million viewers, up 9% vs. 2016 (1.103 million). Click here for more information.
STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 3 – PENGUINS-PREDATORS – SATURDAY AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins won Game 2 by a score of 4-1 on Wednesday night, courtesy of an early third-period onslaught to pull away from the Predators. Jake Guentzel scored his second goal of the game just 10 seconds into the third period to break a 1-1 tie, followed minutes later by goals from Scott Wilson and Evgeni Malkin just 15 seconds apart to put the game out of reach. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne was pulled after the Malkin goal, having allowed four goals on 25 shots.
The series now shifts to Nashville where the Predators will host their first Stanley Cup Final game in franchise history. Bridgestone Arena has proven to be one of the toughest places to play in the league in the postseason. The Predators have gone 7-1 at home, with their only loss coming in overtime against Anaheim in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.
Nashville has gone “all-in” on the city’s first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance. National anthem performances have included country stars Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and Trisha Yearwood. Multiple members of the Tennessee Titans, and other celebrities like Nicole Kidman, have attended Preds playoff games.
Following is the full telecast schedule for the remainder of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final with networks and start times. Pre-game coverage will begin each night with NHL Live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Sat., June 3 | Game 3 – Pittsburgh at Nashville | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
| Mon., June 5 | Game 4 – Pittsburgh at Nashville | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Thur., June 8 | Game 5 – Nashville at Pittsburgh* | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Sun., June 11 | Game 6 – Pittsburgh at Nashville* | NBC | 8 p.m. |
| Wed., June 14 | Game 7 – Nashville at Pittsburgh * | NBC | 8 p.m. |
*if necessary
NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games to desktops, tablets, and connected TVs. The NBC Sports app will stream coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high-quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. Powered by Playmaker Media, the NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.
--NBC SPORTS GROUP--