#NHLPeachy #SportyPeachy @NHL NBC Sports to Air 109 Games During 2019-20 NHL Regular Season
NBC Sports is scheduled to present 109 games during the 2019-20 NHL regular season with coverage beginning Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Ryan O’Reilly and the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues raise their championship banner to the rafters and host Alex Ovechkin and the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.
NBC Sports’ 2019-20 NHL schedule is highlighted by the second season of “Wednesday Night Hockey” on NBCSN, which will again showcase a diverse schedule of the NHL’s current and rising stars. Highlights of NBC Sports’ “Wednesday Night Hockey” schedule on NBCSN include:
Doubleheaders: 14 of 25 “Wednesday Night Hockey” showcases on NBCSN will be doubleheaders, with a nearly equal balance of Eastern and Western Conference teams;
Star Power: Established stars and young phenoms will take center stage on “Wednesday Night Hockey,” highlighted by multiple appearances from the likes of Alex Ovechkin (WSH), Sidney Crosby (PIT), Patrice Bergeron (BOS), Alex Pietrangelo (STL), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), Patrick Kane (CHI), Steven Stamkos (TBL), Claude Giroux (PHI), Henrik Lundqvist (NYR), Erik Karlsson (SJS), Joe Pavelski (DAL), Jonathan Quick (LAK), and Nathan MacKinnon (COL);
Diverse Schedule: “Wednesday Night Hockey” will showcase nearly 75% of NHL teams this season, NBCSN’s widest variety of teams to date on Wednesday nights, including multiple appearances by Tampa Bay, Los Angeles, Colorado, Dallas, and Vegas. The defending champion St. Louis Blues will make four “Wednesday Night Hockey” appearances, while the runner-up Boston Bruins will have three appearances.
This year’s schedule builds off the success we saw last year with increased diversity of teams and matchups highlighted by Wednesday Night Hockey,” said Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President, Production, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “From star-studded matchups like McDavid vs. Matthews, Ovechkin vs. Crosby, and Hughes vs. Kakko, to the southernmost Winter Classic featuring Dallas and Nashville and classic Original Six matchups, our 2019-20 schedule features something for all hockey fans across the country.”
Following are highlights of NBC Sports’ 2019-20 NHL regular-season schedule:
The season opens with a “Wednesday Night Hockey” doubleheader on Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, as the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues host the 2018 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, followed by a playoff rematch between the Vegas Golden Knights and San Jose Sharks at 10:30 p.m. ET;
NBC Sports will present the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars from Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Jan. 1, 2020, on NBC;
NBC Sports will present exclusive primetime coverage of the 2020 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche from Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC;
NBC Sports will present coverage of the 2020 NHL All-Star Weekend from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo., home of the St. Louis Blues, on Jan. 24-25, highlighted by live coverage of the All-Star Game on Saturday, Jan. 25, in primetime on NBC;
NBC Sports will present 12 NHL games on NBC, beginning with the 2019 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown on Friday, Nov. 29, when the Boston Bruins host the New York Rangers at TD Garden;
All U.S. teams will be featured on NBC or NBCSN; Canadian teams will make a combined 14 appearances on NBCSN, including four appearances for Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers and three appearances for Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs;
66 of 109 scheduled regular-season games on NBC and NBCSN – more than 60% – will feature at least one Western Conference team.
NHL WINTER CLASSIC AND NHL STADIUM SERIES
The NHL will make history this season as it puts on the southernmost Winter Classic since the annual game began in 2008. On Jan. 1, 2020, the Dallas Stars will host the Nashville Predators in the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on NBC. The NHL Winter Classic has produced the five most-watched regular-season games in NHL history. The 2020 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series will feature the Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Feb. 15, in primetime on NBC at Falcon Stadium at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY
NBCSN’s exclusive “Wednesday Night Hockey” coverage will feature the NHL’s established stars and young phenoms, and another diverse schedule. In addition, many “Wednesday Night Hockey” games and doubleheaders will feature earlier start times (7-7:30 p.m. ET). In many cases, Eastern Conference teams will be featured in the first game of the doubleheader, followed by a Western Conference matchup in the nightcap. Notable games on the “Wednesday Night Hockey” schedule include;
October 16 – Sidney Crosby and the Penguins host Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche, followed by a clash in Edmonton between Connor McDavid and the Oilers and Claude Giroux and the Flyers;
December 4 – Ryan O’Reilly and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues face off against the Penguins;
January 29 – Offseason acquisition Matt Duchene and the Nashville Predators visit Ovechkin and the Capitals, followed by a battle out west between the Lightning and the Kings in Los Angeles;
February 19 – Artemi Panarin and the Rangers travel to Chicago to face Patrick Kane and the Blackhawks in an Original Six clash;
February 26 – Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres will visit the Avalanche, followed by Penguins-Kings.
