For the first time, NBC will give primetime exposure to the early rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NBC will televise a second round Stanley Cup playoff game in primetime on May 25, the network announced Monday. Excluding the Stanley Cup Final, the telecast will be the first primetime edition of the NHL on NBC since the 2011 Winter Classic, and only the second since the network began airing games in 2006.
Based on a television schedule available on the NBC.com website, NBC is also scheduled to air Conference Final games in primetime on June 1 and June 8. However, NBC has not made an official announcement on the June 1 and June 8 games.
The primetime games are not the only change to NBC’s Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule. In a departure from the previous three years, NBC has swapped Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final for Game 4, meaning that every potential cup-clincher will air on broadcast TV.
The NBC family of networks — and NHL Network — will again combine to televise every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Coverage begins Tuesday with Wild/Blackhawks Game 1 and Red Wings/Ducks Game 1 on NBC Sports Network and Kings/Blues Game 1 on CNBC.
The NBC broadcast network will begin playoff coverage with Rangers/Capitals Game 2 on Saturday and both Penguins/Islanders Game 3 and Blackhawks/Wild Game 3 on Sunday. NBC will air additional coverage on May 18 and May 19, as well as the previously mentioned May 25 (primetime), June 1 and June 8 telecasts.
(Schedule information from NBC Sports Group Press Box; additional information from NBC.com via Steve Lepore)
