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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, December 17th, 2019

NATHAN MACKINNON AND COLORADO AVALANCHE FACE OFF WITH PATRICK KANE AND CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ON “WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY” THIS WEEK ON NBCSN

Wednesday Night Hockey – Avalanche-Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET; Pre-Game Coverage Begins with NHL Live at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Eddie Olczyk Joins Brian Boucher ‘Inside-the-Glass’ for Avs-Hawks

NHL Leading Scorer David Pastrnak & Boston Bruins Host N.Y. Islanders Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Jack Eichel and Buffalo Sabres Visit Auston Matthews and Toronto Maple Leafs Tonight at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Our Line Starts – NBC Sports New Weekly NHL Podcast – Available Now

STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 17, 2019 – Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche make their second consecutive Wednesday Night Hockey appearance this week when they travel to Chicago to face Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference clash on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when NHL leading goal-scorer scorer David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins host Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders.

This week’s NHL coverage on NBCSN kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. ET, when Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres visit Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kathryn Tappen will host Wednesday’s coverage on NHL Live alongside analysts Mike Milbury and Keith Jones and NHL insider Darren Dreger. Tuesday night’s studio coverage will be hosted by Paul Burmeister alongside analysts Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. Tappen will anchor Thursday night’s studio coverage with Milbury and Roenick.

Following is this week’s NHL schedule on NBCSN:

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Tues., December 17	NHL Live	NBCSN	6 p.m.
	Buffalo at Toronto	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	NHL Overtime	NBCSN	9:45 p.m.
Wed., December 18	NHL Live	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	Wednesday Night Hockey – Colorado at Chicago	NBCSN	8 p.m.
	NHL Overtime*	NBCSN	10:45 p.m.
Thurs., December 19	NHL Live	NBCSN	6:30 p.m.
	N.Y. Islanders at Boston^	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	NHL Overtime*	NBCSN	9:45 p.m.

*Immediately following game coverage
^blacked out in Boston

 

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY – AVALANCHE-BLACKHAWKS AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Avalanche (21-9-3) boast an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, including a 3-1 victory against the Flyers last week on Wednesday Night Hockey. Nathan MacKinnon is third in the NHL in points (51). The Blackhawks (13-15-6) enter Wednesday night’s game following a 5-3 win against the Wild, as Patrick Kane (18g/22a) helped propel the Blackhawks to victory with his sixth career hat trick.

For the first time, NBC Sports will feature two ‘Inside-the-Glass’ commentators on this week’s Wednesday Night Hockey broadcast, as U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk will join analyst Brian Boucher to call the action from ice-level. John Forslund will handle play-by-play duties for Avs-Hawks from United Center in Chicago, Ill.

THURSDAY – ISLANDERS-BRUINS AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Boston (21-7-6) snapped a five-game winless streak with a 4-2 win in Florida against the Panthers on Saturday.  Pastrnak scored twice in the win and now leads the NHL with 28 goals. The Islanders (22-7-2) beat the Sabres, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday afternoon, capped by Anthony Beauvillier’s game-winner. New York has allowed the fewest goals in the NHL (72). The Isles face the Predators tonight, while Boston hosts Los Angeles.

Brendan Burke (play-by-play), AJ Mleczko (analyst) and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’) will call the action from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

TONIGHT – SABRES-MAPLE LEAFS AT 7 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Buffalo (16-11-7) has registered points in nine of its last 10 games, including its overtime loss to the Islanders on Saturday. Jack Eichel scored late in the third period of Saturday’s loss and ranks second in the NHL in goals (23). Toronto (16-14-4) is coming off a 4-1 win against Edmonton, as goalie Frederik Andersen made 36 saves for his 200^th NHL win.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst) will call Sabres-Maple Leafs from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

OUR LINE STARTS – NBC SPORTS’ NEW WEEKLY NHL PODCAST – AVAILABLE NOW

NBC Sports’ new weekly NHL podcast – Our Line Starts – has launched and is available now on all podcast platforms. New episodes of Our Line Starts will be released each Wednesday and will highlight the top stories of each week, including behind-the-scenes content and interviews conducted by NBC Sports’ NHL commentators.

Kathryn Tappen, Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp discuss the surprise firing of Stars coach Jim Montgomery and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman’s four-point conduct plan to address inappropriate conduct. Pierre McGuire sits down with Sabres coach Ralph Krueger to talk about his time in Europe and his path from the Premier League back to the NHL. Click here to listen to the show.

Our Line Starts joins NBC Sports’ growing roster of podcasts spanning the NFL, Premier League, NASCAR, and much more. Click here for more information.

2019-20 REGULAR SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports is scheduled to present 109 games during the 2019-20 NHL regular season. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere. Click here for more info.

STREAMING COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming platforms for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox, and Chromecast.

–NBC SPORTS–