The NHL’s dream series will not have much broadcast exposure.
NHL stars Sidney Crosby of the Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Capitals will meet in the playoffs for the first time ever. The buzz for the Penguins/Capitals series is already strong by NHL standards, with Sidney Crosby even appearing live on SportsCenter Thursday morning.
Despite the high-profile nature of the series, only one game will be carried on NBC — and potentially, not even a full game. Because of the Players’ Championship the weekend of May 9-10, NBC will only air one weekend of NHL second round coverage. As a result, only Game 1 between the Penguins and Capitals will air on NBC, with the remaining games airing on Versus.
Furthermore, Game 1 will air prior to the Kentucky Derby — and NBC will only commit to airing the game through the first overtime.
In other words, the NHL’s biggest showcase in over a decade will get a maximum of four periods of action on network television.
