NBC Sports to Present Coverage of Every Game of the First Round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs Across NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and Digital Platforms
Puck Drops on First Round Coverage Tomorrow with Four Games on NBCSN, Beginning with Lightning-Blue Jackets at 3 p.m. ET
Coverage of at Least 30 Games in Seven Days, Numerous Afternoon Games and 10+ Hours of Daily Coverage August 11-17
NHL Draft Lottery Phase 2 Presented Tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 10, 2020 – NBC Sports today announced start times and broadcast details for the NHL’s 2020 Stanley Cup First Round matchups, with coverage from every First Round game airing across NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and digital platforms. Beginning tomorrow, August 11, through Monday, August 17, NBC Sports will present at least 30 games, including many weekday afternoon games, totaling more than 10 hours of daily coverage of the Stanley Cup First Round.
First Round coverage kicks off tomorrow with four games on NBCSN, beginning with the Tampa Bay Lightning (2) facing the Columbus Blue Jackets (7) in Game 1 at 3 p.m. ET. The Boston Bruins (4) will take on the Carolina Hurricanes (5) in the opening game of their series in primetime tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
For the fourth consecutive postseason, NBC Sports’ coverage of Stanley Cup Playoff First Round games on NBCUniversal cable networks (NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC), as well as NHL Network, will air side-by-side and will be available for streaming on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app in local markets alongside regional sports network game telecasts (except in Las Vegas, which will be blacked out in the First Round). Games airing on NBC are exclusive. Matchups not aired in their entirety on NBCSN will air on NHL Network.
Comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs opening round, highlighted by live games, will be provided by NBC Sports Regional Networks serving the Chicago, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., markets. In addition to live Blackhawks, Flyers and Capitals games, the networks will present pregame and postgame news, analysis and commentary, as well as extensive digital content, surrounding the first-round matchups. NBC Sports Boston will also deliver multiplatform coverage of the Bruins.
Phase 2 of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery, which will award the first overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, will be presented tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN. The program will include an interview with the consensus top prospect Alexis Lafreniere.
Here are the Stanley Cup Playoff First Round matchups:
| East | West |
| Philadelphia Flyers (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8) | Vegas Golden Knights (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (8) |
| Tampa Bay Lightning (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7) | Colorado Avalanche (2) vs. Arizona Coyotes (7) |
| Washington Capitals (3) vs. N.Y. Islanders (6) | Dallas Stars (3) vs. Calgary Flames (6) |
| Boston Bruins (4) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (5) | St. Louis Blues (4) vs. Vancouver Canucks (5) |
The NHL’s 2020 Stanley Cup First Round schedule through Game 4 of each series across NBCUniversal’s cable and broadcast networks is below:
| Date | Coverage | Network | Time (ET) |
| Tues., August 11 | Game 1 – Columbus (7) vs. Tampa Bay (2) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
| Game 1 – Calgary (6) vs. Dallas (3) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Game 1 – Carolina (5) vs. Boston (4) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 1 – Chicago (8) vs. Vegas (1) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Wed., August 12 | Game 1 – N.Y. Islanders (6) vs. Washington (3) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
| Game 1 – Arizona (7) vs. Colorado (2) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Game 1 – Montreal (8) vs. Philadelphia (1) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 1 – Vancouver (5) vs. St. Louis (4) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Thurs., August 13 | Game 2 – Columbus (7) vs. Tampa Bay (2) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
| Game 2 – Chicago (8) vs. Vegas (1) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Game 2 – Carolina (5) vs. Boston (4) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 2 – Calgary (6) vs. Dallas (3) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Fri., August 14 | Game 2 – Arizona (7) vs. Colorado (2)* | NBCSN | 2 p.m. |
| Game 2 – Montreal (8) vs. Philadelphia (1) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. | |
| Game 2 – Vancouver (5) vs. St. Louis (4)* | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Game 2 – N.Y. Islanders (6) vs. Washington (3) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 3 – Dallas (3) vs. Calgary (6) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Sat., August 15 | Game 3 – Boston (4) vs. Carolina (5) | NBC | 12 p.m. |
| Game 3 – Colorado (2) vs. Arizona (7) | CNBC | 3 p.m. | |
| Game 3 – Tampa Bay (2) vs. Columbus (7) | NBCSN | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Game 3 – Vegas (1) vs. Chicago (8) | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Sun., August 16 | Game 3 – Washington (3) vs. N.Y. Islanders (6) | USA Network | 12 p.m. |
| Game 4 – Dallas (3) vs. Calgary (6) | CNBC | 2 p.m. | |
| Game 4 – Vegas (1) vs. Chicago (8) | NBCSN | 6:30 p.m. | |
| Game 3 – Philadelphia (1) vs. Montreal (8) | NBC | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 3 – St. Louis (4) vs. Vancouver (5) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Mon., August 17 | Game 4 – Tampa Bay (2) vs. Columbus (7) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
| Game 4 – Colorado (2) vs. Arizona (7) | NBCSN | 5:30 p.m. | |
| Game 4 – Boston (4) vs. Carolina (5) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. | |
| Game 4 – St. Louis (4) vs. Vancouver (5) | NBCSN | 10:30 p.m. | |
| Tues., August 18 | Game 4 – Philadelphia (1) vs. Montreal (8) | NBCSN | 3 p.m. |
| Game 4 – Washington (3) vs. N.Y. Islanders (6) | NBCSN | 8 p.m. |
*NHL Network will air the game in its entirety
--NBC SPORTS--
