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TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING WIN SECOND STRAIGHT STANLEY CUP ON NBC AND PEACOCK – NOTES AND QUOTES

July 7, 2021 By admin

“Lightning strikes twice! The Tampa Bay Lightning win their second straight Stanley Cup!” – Kenny Albert

“Any time you can be in a sentence or a graphic with Ken Dryden — that’s what you call a heck of a run.” – Eddie Olczyk on Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy

“Everything he touches turns to gold.” – Brian Boucher on Lightning head coach Jon Cooper

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 7, 2021 – The Tampa Bay Lightning won their second consecutive Stanley Cup tonight by defeating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on NBC and Peacock.

Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher called the game on-site from Amalie Arena along with Kathryn Tappen and Pierre McGuire providing reports and contributing to pre-game and intermission coverage.

Liam McHugh, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp provided studio commentary during intermissions and post-game coverage on NBCSN from NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn. First intermission studio coverage included a feature on Canadiens forward Josh Anderson, who scored the overtime-winning goal in Game 4.

Following are notes and quotes from the Lightning’s Cup-clinching victory:

POST-GAME

Boucher on Lightning head coach Jon Cooper: “Everything he touches turns to gold. When you meet him and you talk to him, he’s a down-to-earth guy, but you can see the confidence he exudes. And I think that confidence extends to his players. He gets the most out of everybody.”

Boucher on Andrei Vasilevskiy: “Considering what he was able to do in clinching scenarios — often overlooked because there’s so much star power on this Lightning team — he deserves the respect and recognition. To me, he is the Conn Smythe (Trophy) winner…This team is not the same if they don’t have Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal.”

Olczyk on Vasilevskiy: “Any time you can be in a sentence or a graphic with Ken Dryden — that’s what you call a heck of a run.”

Boucher on Vasilevskiy: “What a goalie. He is the best goalie in hockey today. His durability, his athleticism, the mind, the way he reads plays. The fact that he had not lost back-to-back games in these Playoffs is incredible. It speaks to how terrific a goaltender he really is.”

Carter: “Teams are usually hesitant to draft a goalie in the first round, well it paid off in spades for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s the best goalie in the world and he’s the reason they won the Stanley Cup.”

Sharp: “This team has been building for years, going back to the draft pick of Steven Stamkos. They have been putting pieces together year after year.”

Jones: “The NHL was in a transition where speed was going to be the No. 1 factor…some teams were moving away from some grit and some toughness. Tampa went back to grit and toughness after Columbus taught them some hard lessons…that formula has not changed to win Stanley Cups. It’s a big reason why Tampa found a way to get it done in consecutive years.”

Boucher on Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh: “He’s a goaltender’s dream to have a guy like him playing in front of you. What a Playoffs. The shotblocking, the leadership — can’t say enough about his play defensively.”

THIRD PERIOD

Albert: “Lightning strikes twice! The Tampa Bay Lightning win their second straight Stanley Cup!”

SECOND INTERMISSION

Carter on Andrei Vasilevskiy: “He’s slowly creeping up the charts as a Conn Smythe (Trophy) winner if the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup…He’s been sharp all night long in a situation where the Lightning weren’t sharp.”

Jones on Ross Colton’s second period goal: “It was a great effort play from a line that hasn’t been doing a whole lot since Alex Killorn left the building…Colton wins the one-on-one battle with (Joel) Edmundson, gets the loose puck and now Tampa is on the forecheck…Colton then beats Edmundson to the front of the net with his stick on the ice to pick up the only goal of the game to this point.”

 SECOND PERIOD

Boucher on Lightning forward Ross Colton’s goal, 1-0 Tampa Bay: “You watch Colton after that scrum — once (Ryan) McDonagh gets it, Colton goes right to the net and presents his stick. (Carey) Price has to respect (David) Savard and the shot. It’s a heads up play to find that backdoor stick. Tremendous work by the Lightning on the wall and tremendous work by Colton to get to the net.”

FIRST INTERMISSION

Sharp on attempting to win the Cup on home ice: “Different feeling with (the Cup) in the building, especially when you’re at home. The city, organization, fan base — everybody is preparing for a celebration. That’s a lot of pressure…I thought in that period, Tampa Bay looked like they were nervous with the puck.”

Jones on the Lightning: “There’s some nervous energy out there. Some bouncing pucks, some missed plays, some bad passes from Tampa’s perspective.”

PRE-GAME

Olczyk on what he’d say pre-game to the Lightning if he were head coach Jon Cooper: “It’s simple. We’re the best team in the National Hockey League. He looks at Andrei Vasilevskiy and says, ‘You’re the best goalie in the league. Victor Hedman, you’re the best defenseman in the league. Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov, you’re two of the top ten forwards in the league. We’re going to win tonight and we’re going to do it in front of our fans.’”

Olczyk on what he’d say pre-game to the Canadiens if he were head coach Dominique Ducharme: “He walks around that room and says, ‘Look – there is nobody in the hockey world that thinks that we can do this. But I do. And you do. So let’s go do it.’”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING LOOK TO WIN THE STANLEY CUP TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK

July 7, 2021 By admin

Lightning Lead Montreal Canadiens 3-1

NHL Overtime Begins Immediately Following Game 5 Coverage on NBCSN

Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick Reflects on the NHL on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 7, 2021 – The Montreal Canadiens fought off elimination in their 3-2 overtime Game 4 victory and forced Game 5 tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. The Lightning, leading the series 3-1, look to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup and third in franchise history with a victory. Kenny Albert will handle play-by-play duties alongside U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and former NHL goalie Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst).

Liam McHugh will anchor studio coverage alongside studio analysts Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp. Kathryn Tappen and Pierre McGuire will provide on-site reports from Tampa. NHL Overtime will begin immediately following the conclusion of Game 5 on NBCSN.

Intermission studio coverage during Game 4 featured Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, one of the most acclaimed sportscasters of all time, narrating a piece that reflects on NBC Sports’ contributions to the game of hockey during the past 16 years as the exclusive U.S. media partner of the NHL. Click here to view.

All Stanley Cup Final games are available to stream on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Following is NBC Sports’ remaining coverage schedule of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final:

Date Coverage Network/Platform Time (ET)
Wed., July 7 Game 5 – Montreal at Tampa Bay NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Fri., July 9 Game 6 – Tampa Bay at Montreal* NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Sun., July 11 Game 7 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC/Peacock 7 p.m.

*if necessary

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – 2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 4 ON NBC AND PEACOCK

July 5, 2021 By admin

“It’s what’s served them well in these Playoffs. It’s an aggressive style of play. They’re at their best when they’re throwing their bodies around, and clearly that was the message…Going after (Brayden) Point and (Nikita) Kucherov.” – Keith Jones on Canadiens’ Game 4 Performance

“Once you win a game, then you try and create a seed of doubt in the opposition. It takes time, but if you chip away slowly, it can happen.” – Brian Boucher on Canadiens’ Attempt to Comeback in Series

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 5, 2021 – NBC Sports continued its exclusive presentation of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final tonight with Game 4 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens from Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec, on NBC and Peacock. The Canadiens won the game in overtime, 3-2, trail the series 3-1, and Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final will be presented in Tampa, Fla., this Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk and Brian Boucher called the game on-site from Bell Centre along with Kathryn Tappen and Pierre McGuire providing reports and contributing to pre-game and intermission coverage.

Liam McHugh, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp provided studio commentary during intermissions and post-game coverage on NBCSN from NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Tonight’s intermission studio coverage featured Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, one of the most acclaimed sportscasters of all time, narrating a piece that reflects on NBC Sports’ contributions to the game of hockey during the past 16 years as the exclusive U.S. media partner of the NHL. Click here to view.

Following are notes and quotes from Game 4:

POST-GAME

Jones on Montreal killing off Shea Weber’s penalty in overtime: “The penalty kill is the big reason that Montreal survived…For Weber, he’s going to feel like he’s been shot out of a cannon. When you escape those situations, you come back and your team wins the game in overtime…I would keep an eye on him in the next game.”

Sharp: “I really liked Josh Anderson’s game. Very physical on the forecheck…And Corey Price — we have to pump his tires when he plays well, real big game for the Habs.”

Carter: “Nice bounce-back game for Carey Price, but (the story is) the power play not getting it done for the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s been a strong part of their game all postseason long.”

OVERTIME

Olczyk on Canadiens forward Josh Anderson’s overtime-winning goal: “The speed of Anderson creates this whole chance and Cole Caufield does an amazing job of going to the front of the net and stopping and staying in front of the net. It’s the whole play.”

THIRD PERIOD

Albert on Lightning forward Pat Maroon’s goal, tied 2-2: “Pat Maroon, looking to win his third straight Stanley Cup, has tied the game.”

Boucher on Canadiens defenseman Alexander Romanov’s goal, 2-1 Montreal: “The screen by (Artturi) Lehkonen — when Lehkonen arrives, the puck arrives. It’s the timing of the screen and a perfectly placed shot by Romanov.”

Olczyk: “We called out Lehkonen’s game a lot in that first and second period…The importance of being in front of that net. He has had an outstanding game — the little things that you need.”

SECOND INTERMISSION

Jones on Montreal’s style of play in Game 4: “It’s what’s served them well in these Playoffs. It’s an aggressive style of play. They’re at their best when they’re throwing their bodies around, and clearly that was the message — going after the star players on the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s a long list of stars so you have to continue to be aggressive…It’s been working so far for Montreal, going after (Brayden) Point and (Nikita) Kucherov.”

Sharp: “Their backs are clearly against the wall. They’re playing an angry brand of hockey, going after the right guys and they’re giving these star players (on Tampa Bay) something to think about.”

 SECOND PERIOD

Olczyk on Lightning forward Barclay Goodrow’s goal, tied 1-1: “What a play by Ryan McDonagh. Montreal is not able to clear the zone. We talked about the impact of the defense for the Tampa Bay Lighting and Ryan McDonagh makes an unbelievable play. Montreal has this puck and who steps in and shuts it down but McDonagh. Look at this pass — no chance for Carey Price.”

Boucher on Canadiens’ big hits: “It’s not too often you get a chance to line up Brayden Point like that and Shea Weber did not ease up one bit. That’s been a theme in this game — Kucherov and Point are targets.”

Boucher on Canadiens attempting to comeback in the series down 3-0: “You need something to build upon. A period, that’s where you start and that’s what Montreal did in the first period. Then, it’s about win a game and once you win a game, then you try and create a seed of doubt in the opposition. It takes time, but if you chip away slowly, it can happen.”

FIRST INTERMISSION

Sharp on the Canadiens: “I like the pushback from Montreal at the end of the period. They showed some fight, they’re engaged in this one.”

FIRST PERIOD

Boucher on Canadiens forward Josh Anderson’s goal, 1-0 Montreal: “A nice give-and-go between (Nick) Suzuki and (Cole) Caufield, and then a nice job by Caufield to occupy Erik Cernak at the net front. That left Josh Anderson open for what would have been a difficult save for Andrei Vasilevskiy.”

Olczyk on the Canadiens: “They’ve got to have a better Carey Price. He’s just been out-goaltended by Andrei Vasilevskiy. The numbers don’t lie in this series.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING CAN WIN THE STANLEY CUP TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK

July 5, 2021 By admin

Lightning Lead Montreal Canadiens 3-0

NHL Overtime Begins Immediately Following Game 4 Coverage on NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 5, 2021 – The Tampa Bay Lightning can win their second consecutive Stanley Cup tonight when they face the Montreal Canadiens in Game 4 from Bell Centre in Montreal at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Kenny Albert will handle play-by-play duties alongside U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and former NHL goalie Brian Boucher (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst). The Lightning lead the series 3-0.

Liam McHugh will anchor studio coverage alongside studio analysts Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp. Kathryn Tappen and Pierre McGuire will provide on-site reports from Montreal. NHL Overtime will begin immediately following the conclusion of Game 4 on NBCSN.

All Stanley Cup Final games are available to stream on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Following is NBC Sports’ remaining coverage schedule of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final:

Date Coverage Network/Platform Time (ET)
Mon., July 5 Game 4 – Tampa Bay at Montreal NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Wed., July 7 Game 5 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Fri., July 9 Game 6 – Tampa Bay at Montreal* NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Sun., July 11 Game 7 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC/Peacock 7 p.m.

*if necessary

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – 2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 3 ON NBC AND PEACOCK

July 2, 2021 By admin

“Tampa thinks they can win the Stanley Cup here tonight. They’ve got it going on.” – Eddie Olczyk on Lightning’s Game 3 Performance

“They are an outstanding hockey team. Love to watch greatness, and we are watching greatness right now.” – Keith Jones on Lightning

“For Montreal to beat Tampa, they have to play almost perfect hockey…They just can’t make any mistakes.” – Pierre McGuire

“The fact of the matter is that Montreal hasn’t seen a team like Tampa all Playoffs long.” – Olczyk

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 2, 2021 – NBC Sports continued its exclusive presentation of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final tonight with Game 3 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens from Bell Centre in Montreal, Québec, on NBC and Peacock. The Lightning won the game, 6-3, lead the series 3-0, and can win their second consecutive Stanley Cup on Monday night with coverage for Game 4 from Montreal beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.

Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire called the game on-site from Bell Centre along with Kathryn Tappen providing reports and contributing to pre-game and intermission coverage.

Liam McHugh, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp provided studio commentary during intermissions and post-game coverage on NBCSN from NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Following are notes and quotes from Game 3:

POST-GAME

Jones on Lightning: “We’ve seen it before from Tampa, we shouldn’t be surprised…They bounce back. They were outstanding at the right moments in this game…They are an outstanding hockey team. Love to watch greatness, and we are watching greatness right now.”

Sharp on Canadiens: “Pretty demoralizing if you’re on the other side in the Montreal locker room. Where do you go from here? You didn’t really have a chance to win this game…The chances that they come back and win four in a row are slim to none.”

Carter: “This series is over as far as I’m concerned. I know they’ve got to play one more game — but this is all done.”

THIRD PERIOD

McGuire: “For Montreal to beat Tampa, they have to play almost perfect hockey. They made too many mistakes in the first period and they’re were chasing the game from the start. They just can’t make any mistakes.”

Olczyk: “And they need Carey Price to be on par with Andrei Vasilevskiy…So far, Vaslievskiy has outplayed Carey Price without question.”

McGuire on Lightning forward Tyler Johnson’s goal, 5-2 Tampa Bay: “Jon Cooper deserves a huge assist on that goal. He put Tyler Johnson from the left wing back to center. He’s looked so much better at the tail end of Game 2 (and tonight in Game 3).”

Albert on Lightning: “Two goals early in the first period tonight and they never looked back. The Canadiens have never had a lead in this series.”

SECOND INTERMISSION

Jones on Tampa Bay’s defense: “Tampa Bay has six defensemen that are absolutely imposing physically, they are outstanding players in all situations, and they’re just too much for the Montreal Canadiens to handle. Lots of contact and lots of offensive opportunities, led by the defensemen — and it’s not just (Victor) Hedman, it’s everybody. All six guys have been involved offensively.”

SECOND PERIOD

Olczyk on Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki’s goal, 4-2 Tampa Bay: “That’s a soft goal, a bad goal and you give Montreal some life here late in the second period. But again — you shoot the puck and you never know.”

Albert on Lightning forward Tyler Johnson’s goal, 4-1 Tampa Bay: “The crowd here in Montreal is stunned. For the second straight period, the Lightning have scored two goals in the first three-and-a-half minutes.”

Olczyk: “It’s a carbon copy of period one.”

McGuire: “The Canadiens are still stunned. They just can’t figure out what’s going on right now.”

Olczyk: “The fact of the matter is that Montreal hasn’t seen a team like Tampa all Playoffs long. They’re finding out very quickly that Tampa doesn’t need a whole heck of a lot (to strike).”

Olczyk on Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov’s goal, 3-1 Tampa Bay: “A 2-on-0. Not an easy handle, not an easy play by (Ondrej) Palat. Kucherov on the backhand, finishes it into the back of the net…World-class skill level there.”

McGuire on the Canadiens: “They’re stunned. They just got punched in the mouth.”

FIRST INTERMISSION

Sharp on the Canadiens: “What do you do when you’re down 2-0 in the series and down 2-0 at home in Game 3? You just keep playing…The top line for Montreal is showing up.”

FIRST PERIOD

Olczyk on Lightning: “Tampa thinks they can win the Stanley Cup here tonight. They’ve got it going on.”

Olczyk on Canadiens forward Phillip Danault’s goal, 2-1 Tampa Bay: “I don’t think he wanted to shoot this puck, he wanted to pass the puck to (Brandan) Gallagher the whole way…He goes post and in…The Habs have found their game.”

Albert: “When that puck hit the net, it sounded like 18,000 in the building.”

Olczyk on Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman’s goal, 2-0 Tampa Bay: “No adjustment here by Montreal. (Artturi) Lehkonen is so slow to react to move up into the slot…He’s got to move out (to defend the shot). (Phillip) Danault is asking, ‘Where are you?’ He’s so worried about the one-timer by the Steven Stamkos.”

Olczyk on Lightning defenseman Jan Rutta’s goal, 1-0 Tampa Bay: “(Carey) Price never sees it…Rutta buries it top shelf and Tampa silences the crowd here in Montreal.”

McGuire on the crowd: “There’s no way there’s only 3,500 people in this building.”

Olczyk: “There’s at least 7,000 people here.”

Olczyk on the goaltender matchup: “To this point in the series, Andrei Vasilevskiy has out-goaltended Carey Price. Price has to raise his level to give his team a chance.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 3 – TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING VS. MONTREAL CANADIENS TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBC AND PEACOCK

July 2, 2021 By admin

Lightning Lead Series 2-0; Series Shifts to Montreal

NBC to Broadcast and Peacock to Stream All Remaining Stanley Cup Final Matchups

NHL Overtime Begins Immediately Following Game 3 Coverage on NBCSN

Game 4 Monday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – July 2, 2021 – The 2021 Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens continues tonight with Game 3 from Bell Centre in Montreal at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Kenny Albert will handle play-by-play duties alongside U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst). The Lightning lead the series 2-0.

Liam McHugh will anchor studio coverage alongside studio analysts Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp. Kathryn Tappen will provide on-site reports from Montreal. NHL Overtime will begin immediately following the conclusion of Game 3 on NBCSN.

Game 3 will mark the first time that Montreal has hosted a Stanley Cup Final game in 28 years. Tonight’s opening tease features Guy Carbonneau, captain of the most recent Canadiens team to win the Stanley Cup in 1993, speaking about the franchise’s quest for the Cup. Intermission studio coverage includes a player profile feature on Montreal goaltender Carey Price.

All Stanley Cup Final games airing exclusively on NBC are available to stream on Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

Following is NBC Sports’ remaining coverage schedule of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final:

Date Coverage Network/Platform Time (ET)
Fri., July 2 Game 3 – Tampa Bay at Montreal NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Mon., July 5 Game 4 – Tampa Bay at Montreal NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Wed., July 7 Game 5 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Fri., July 9 Game 6 – Tampa Bay at Montreal* NBC/Peacock 8 p.m.
Sun., July 11 Game 7 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC/Peacock 7 p.m.

*if necessary

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – 2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 2 ON NBCSN AND PEACOCK

June 30, 2021 By admin

“He’s the main story here tonight and this has not been a solid game here from Tampa whatsoever. They owe a lot to their goaltender.” – Brian Boucher on Andrei Vasilevskiy

“This is a difficult loss…This was Montreal putting out a supreme effort and losing.” – Keith Jones on Canadiens

“We’re still trying to make sense of what we just saw. Perhaps the best goal and the best setup of this postseason.” – Liam McHugh on Blake Coleman’s Diving Buzzer-Beating Goal in Second Period

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 30, 2021 – NBC Sports continued its exclusive presentation of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final tonight with Game 2 between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on NBCSN and Peacock. The Lightning won the game, 3-1, and lead the series 2-0. Coverage for Game 3 from Montreal begins Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Kenny Albert, Brian Boucher and Pierre McGuire called the game on-site from Amalie Arena along with Kathryn Tappen providing reports and contributing to pre-game and intermission coverage.

Liam McHugh, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp provided studio commentary during pre-game coverage and intermissions from NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Pre-game coverage featured a Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick-narrated essay on the Stanley Cup engraver, Tappen’s interviews with Lightning captain Steven Stamkos and Canadiens forward Tyler Toffoli, as well as McGuire’s interview with Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Following are notes and quotes from Game 2:

POST-GAME

Carter on Lightning: “Tampa Bay can beat you physically, with skill hockey and they also win games they’re not supposed to win. I think (Andrei) Vasilevskiy got robbed — he should have gotten the first, second and third star tonight. There’s no way Tampa comes out of this game with a victory without Vasilevskiy.”

Jones on Canadiens: “This is a difficult loss. When you have your skating legs, when you have the jump and you are creating scoring chances, and you lose a game? This can be more difficult to come back from than a 5-1 loss. This was Montreal putting out a supreme effort and losing.”

Boucher on Canadiens: “The Canadiens can build off a game like this. Even though they didn’t get the win, they did a lot of good things in this game.”

THIRD PERIOD

Boucher on Lightning G Andrei Vasilevskiy: “There’s always a lot of talk about (Nikita) Kucherov, (Brayden) Point, (Victor) Hedman. The reality is that Andrei Vasilevskiy plays a huge role in the success of the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the timeliness of his saves. That’s what matters most. Sometimes he doesn’t get a lot of work, and sometimes he’s the main story. He’s the main story here tonight and this has not been a solid game here from Tampa whatsoever. They owe a lot to their goaltender.”

Boucher on Lightning forward Ondrej Palat’s goal, 3-1 Tampa Bay: “This is a backbreaker for the Canadiens. They had a lot of good going on and it was a harmless looking play…Communication is key. There is no reason why that play should happen with virtually no pressure. That was a gift.”

SECOND INTERMISSION

Jones on the Canadiens’ second period: “They had some great chances. Andrei Vasilevskiy was out of this world in the second period. He had one goal get by him, but then he closed the door. Montreal was all over him, quality opportunities, dangerous scoring chances coming at you and Vasilevskiy was there to make save after save.”

Sharp: “The first three periods of this series were ugly for Montreal. I liked the first period of Game 2, they looked much more comfortable. But this second period, Montreal woke up and said, ‘we’re going to dictate the terms of this game.’”

Sharp on Nick Suzuki’s improved play in Game 2: “It tells you a lot about the character of that player. He was invisible in Game 1. Well, I guess he was visible because he was a minus-3. He was on the ice for everything that was happening in the wrong direction. He listened to everyone tell him that for two days and he showed up tonight and has been the best player on the ice.”

SECOND PERIOD

McHugh on Lightning forward Blake Coleman’s goal, 2-1 Tampa Bay: “We’re still trying to make sense of what we just saw. Perhaps the best goal and the best setup of this postseason. It beats the buzzer and erases what was a great period of hockey for the Canadiens.”

Boucher on the Suzuki forward line: “The question was, were we going to see a response from the Suzuki line? We’ve seen it. It’s been a much better Game 2 for Suzuki, Toffoli and Caufield…a much more confident trio.”

Boucher on Lightning G Andrei Vasilevskiy: “The only reason the game is 1-1 is because of number 88 in blue.”

Boucher on Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki’s goal, tied 1-1: “Two goals in this hockey game that you just don’t typically expect to go in…instead of going down, assumes his defenseman would come up with it, he fans on it and so does Vasilevskiy. A gift of a goal.”

McGuire: “Look who was right in front of him. The evil menace, Corey Perry. You have to wonder if Vasilevskiy was wondering if Perry was going to do something with that puck.”

Boucher on Lightning forward Anthony Cirelli’s goal, 1-0 Tampa Bay: “It’s been a lot of Montreal in this game so far, but a harmless looking shot…eludes Carey Price…one of those shots that just seems to have eyes.”

Boucher on Montreal: “That’s the response you want to see from Montreal…They might be bent, but there’s no break in this Canadiens team so far here tonight.”

FIRST INTERMISSION

Jones on the Canadiens: “They are extremely comfortable. The (Alex) Killorn absence shouldn’t be that big of an issue, but it was an issue in the first period. The Lightning did not look comfortable out there.”

Jones on Tampa’s start to Game 2: “I think Tampa fed the Canadiens — a couple of turnovers they were able to capitalize on, get scoring chances, feel their way into the game. Careful start for Tampa and that’s not how they wanted to start against this Canadiens team.”

FIRST PERIOD

Boucher on Montreal’s 4-on-3 power play: “If Shea Weber and the one-timer is going to be taken away, at some point you’ve got to get the puck to the net…not enough movement for Montreal during the 4-on-3.”

McGuire: “And that’s why Cole Caufield should have been on the ice. You could have double-stacked the left side of the ice. They’re both right-handed shots. I don’t agree with the formula at all of having Erik Gustafsson out there instead of Caufield.”

Boucher on the Canadiens’ chances in Game 2: “Luke Richardson said the positive today was that his team knows they didn’t have their best in Game 1. They know they have a lot more to give. And when you have hope on your side, that can be fuel.”

PRE-GAME

Jones on Steven Stamkos: “He’s been the face of the franchise for a long time. He’s allowed other players to excel with him, he doesn’t try to steal the spotlight, he shares it. He really has led by terrific example of what it’s like to be the captain of a team in the NHL.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 2 – MONTREAL CANADIENS VS. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN AND PEACOCK

June 30, 2021 By admin

Hour-Long NHL Live Pre-Game Gets Underway at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN; NHL Overtime Begins Immediately Following Game 2 Coverage

Kenny Albert, Brian Boucher, Keith Jones and Producer John McGuinness Discussed 2021 Stanley Cup Final on Media Conference Call Yesterday

“This is the first goaltending matchup in over six, seven years with two guys that I think we’re going to see in the Hockey Hall of Fame.” – Brian Boucher on Matchup Between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price

Game 3 Friday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 30, 2021 – The 2021 Stanley Cup Final between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning continues tonight with Game 2 from Amalie Arena at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Peacock. Kenny Albert will handle play-by-play duties alongside former NHL goalie Brian Boucher (analyst) and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-Glass’ analyst). Eddie Olczyk is attending to a personal matter and will return for Game 3 on Friday night.

An hour-long NHL Live pre-game show will begin at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Liam McHugh will anchor studio coverage alongside studio analysts Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp. Kathryn Tappen will provide on-site reports from Tampa.

Pre-game coverage will feature a Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick-narrated essay on the Stanley Cup engraver, examining all the tradition and work done to the greatest trophy in all of sports, including a special look into the work of current engraver, Louise St. Jacques. Click here to watch. NHL Live will also include Tappen’s interview with Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. NHL Overtime will begin immediately following the conclusion of Game 2.

Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point tallied three points apiece in Tampa Bay’s 5-1 Game 1 victory on Monday night. Kucherov leads the NHL with 30 points in the postseason, his second straight season reaching that milestone.

Yesterday, Kenny Albert, Brian Boucher, and Keith Jones, as well as coordinating producer John McGuinness, discussed the 2021 Stanley Cup Final on a media conference call. Following are excerpts from the call. Click here for a full transcript.

Boucher on the goalie matchup in the Cup Final between Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price: “This is the first goaltending matchup in over six, seven years with two guys that I think we’re going to see in the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Jones on the Lightning: “It’s something really to get behind and to enjoy watching, not just if you’re a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but a fan of the sport of hockey and a fan of watching greatness…I think we could be talking about a team that’s right back here next year and we’ll be having the same conversation.”

Jones on Nikita Kucherov: “We’re witnessing some incredible performances from Kucherov…He’s targeted on a nightly basis and he still finds a way to not just produce, but produce at an extremely high rate. It’s been phenomenal to watch.”

All Stanley Cup Final games airing exclusively on NBC or NBCSN are available to stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Peacock will stream Game 2 tonight.

Following is NBC Sports and Peacock’s coverage schedule of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final:

Date Coverage Network/Platform Time (ET)
Wed., June 30 Game 2 – Montreal at Tampa Bay NBCSN/Peacock 8 p.m.
Fri., July 2 Game 3 – Tampa Bay at Montreal NBC 8 p.m.
Mon., July 5 Game 4 – Tampa Bay at Montreal NBC 8 p.m.
Wed., July 7 Game 5 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC 8 p.m.
Fri., July 9 Game 6 – Tampa Bay at Montreal* NBC 8 p.m.
Sun., July 11 Game 7 – Montreal at Tampa Bay* NBC 7 p.m.

*if necessary

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

TRANSCRIPT – 2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL CONFERENCE CALL

June 29, 2021 By admin

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining our NBC Sports 2021 Stanley Cup Final media conference call. We’ll be joined by our NHL on NBC commentators Kenny Albert, Brian Boucher and Keith Jones, as well as our coordinating producer, John McGuinness.

It is certainly a unique season, a condensed schedule, but I think one thing that’s stayed consistent that we all agree upon is the quality of the play on the ice that we’ve seen, especially through these playoffs. And we’ve been proud to bring it all to you on the networks of NBC.

To that point, we’ll start with brief remarks from our speakers.

JOHN MCGUINNESS: Even though it’s our final season, we’re very psyched about the playoffs and the Stanley Cup Final. From our very first year when we took over, we try to do our best and we think we’ve really pushed the production of the game forward.

We’re going to finish up strong here in our final hurrah, as it would be, and we look forward to a seven-game series.

KENNY ALBERT: It was great to get underway last night here in Tampa. I think it was a closer game than the final score indicated, 2-1 in the third period before the Lightning scored the three late goals. I think Tampa is such a well-rounded team, not just the high-flying Lightning of four or five years ago. They really changed their identity following the loss to Columbus in 2019.

Then with Montreal, there’s been something magical similar to their run in the Cup Final in ’93. And just to piggyback off what John McGuinness just touched on, I just wanted to say, and obviously we’re a little bit biased, but I think NBC has done such a remarkable job over the last 15 years presenting this game to a U.S. audience, over 100 games per year.

The Vin Scully of hockey is Doc Emrick, the best analyst out there. The advent of the Winter Classic and Stadium Series Games, which NBC was such a big part of, which has meant so much to the league and the teams over the last 10 or 12 years. And also the introduction of the Inside the Glass position 15 years ago with Pierre initially.

I think that’s really, when you think about it, that’s led to about 50 jobs around the league. Every team has either a former player or a reporter inside the glass, the Canadian networks as well.

I think when the history books are written on the NBC era with the NHL over the last 15 years, the entire network has so much to be proud of.

BRIAN BOUCHER: Well said. I’m one of the beneficiaries of those 50 jobs with the Inside the Glass position being introduced by NBC. So I’m certainly grateful for that.

And I agree with you — I think NBC has done a fantastic job over this time where they have the broadcasting rights and I’ve been extremely proud to be a part of this team since retiring.

You touched on a lot of the good stuff there, Kenny. What stands out to me in this series as well as the introduction of some younger guys in the playoffs and a chance for them to kind of shine and show who they are, and I think for Montreal last night, I think we saw a little bit of nerves from some of the young guys, although (Nick) Suzuki and (Jesperi) Kotkaniemi did terrific last year in the bubble.

When you get to the Final, it’s a whole new ball game. And their first stab at the Stanley Cup Final maybe didn’t go the way they wanted, but certainly some talent in Montreal’s lineup with guys like Suzuki, (Cole) Caufield, Kotkaniemi, so looking forward to them bouncing back in Game 2.

And also when I think about this series, this is really the first goaltending matchup in over maybe six, seven years where we got two guys that I think we’re going to see in the Hockey Hall of Fame going against one another.

And for two periods it looked like it was settling into what could have been a terrific goalie matchup, if not for the Tampa Bay Lightning opening it up in the third period. But I think it’s going to be a great goalie matchup. I’m looking forward to how it plays out.

I’m sure Montreal isn’t happy with Game 1, but I’m sure they’ll make adjustments to their game. I’m sure they’ll be a lot more comfortable in Game 2. And if they can get out of Tampa with a split, I think that’s all they were looking for when they came down here to begin with. Looking forward to a great series. Thank you.

KEITH JONES: I guess there’s two things that really stand out to me about this series. Number one is as a kid I always enjoyed greatness watching teams like the New York Islanders and their Stanley Cup championship teams, the Edmonton Oilers after that. The Colorado Avalanche, the Detroit Red Wings. And Tampa is one of those teams that’s looking like they’re similar in many ways.

They’re great. And I think we all enjoy watching teams that are extremely well put together and have star talent that have a chance to win multiple Stanley Cups. So I think a lot of fans like watching Tampa perform.

And also I look back at being a young person watching hockey and I always loved the underdog as well. And the Montreal Canadiens are every bit of that. They’ve been since the playoffs started. They’ve become a terrific story. And they’ve got Tampa right where they want them.

Tampa is heavily favored after that first game. And that’s right where the Canadiens like to be. I think it will make for an intriguing race to the finish.

I echo John McGuinness’ thoughts; looks like this one could go seven, even though Tampa performed extremely well. And by the end of the game a lopsided victory by score, but as Kenny Albert said, it was a lot closer game than that.

So that’s what I’ve got on the series so far. I’m looking forward to the rest of it.

This is for John. Could you explain exactly what the restrictions are going to be like for your crew in Montreal and exactly what the protocols are going to be?

JOHN MCGUINNESS: Sure. The Canadian government, as you probably know, is very restrictive on who can come in and out of the country. And we are sending our announce team up there along with most of our camera crew and a production truck on site.

And we’ll be taking that feed with our announcers back to Tampa, actually, in our truck there. And the producer and director will be down in Tampa communicating with the announcers.

There’s a lot of red tape that our announcers have to go through. There’s quarantining. They can talk about it. But even in Tampa, they’re not allowed out of their hotel rooms.

The only places they can go to are the arena and their hotel room. And to put all of our crew through that was just logistically going to be a nightmare for us, to be honest with you. So that’s our plan going into the Finals.

How many people will you have in Montreal total?

JOHN MCGUINNESS: Nearly 35 people will be a part of our production in Montreal.

First question I’ve got for John and then Brian. John, when you look at obviously this being NBC’s final Stanley Cup Final under this current deal before it moves on to another network, I wanted from your perspective, when you look at the legacy of what NBC did, Kenny touched on it — from your perspective just what some of the things that NBC did that, with hockey coverage, that you think you’ll continue to see those fingerprints moving forward. Brian, you talked about Inside the Glass role. Could you expand on that, too? See how that’s evolved over the years.

JOHN MCGUINNESS: First, I think the credit has to go to Sam Flood, our executive producer, who is a hockey player. He used to play at Williams College. I don’t know if he was any good or not. If you talk to him, he’ll give you a good tale about it.

He came up with the Inside the Glass position, so full credit goes to him for that. As Bouch and Kenny said, that’s really opened up the game. We’ve heard some great things in between the benches and some firsthand information down there.

The Winter Classic, I think, is another example of us working together with the league from our programming department, the outdoor game stadium series, the All-Star Game, where it’s now gone to a 3-on-3 format as opposed to kind of a shootout that nobody — sort of lost its luster a little bit. I think that kind of added some oomph to it.

So I think those would probably be the major things. We have also covered every playoff game with our announcers. We had an all-female crew production and announcers do a game recently. I’m very proud of that.

There’s a lot of things that we did sort of behind the scenes, just with different camera angles and replays and super slow-mos and X-mos and trying to use the technology as much as we could. We had drones out at the outdoor game in Lake Tahoe.

Personally, I wish ESPN and Turner success. And hopefully they’ll push the envelope even further and make the games more enjoyable.

BRIAN BOUCHER: I think your question was how has it evolved. When this position was first introduced, I was still playing. And then I come in, I’ve been doing it now for six years.

It’s a unique area to watch the game and try to analyze from. There are times when you miss things. It’s fast down at ice level. And you can’t pretend that you see everything.

I think you certainly see the game a lot better from upstairs with regards to how plays develop and whatnot. But you also get a different feel down at ice level for the temperature of the game, the speed of the game. And as John mentioned, sometimes you hear things that you would not hear when you’re upstairs.

And I think it’s just great to be part of a three-person broadcast in the sense that you get the perspective from upstairs, but you also get a different perspective downstairs and maybe the angles where there’s traffic in front of the net or the angle coming down my side of the ice that I see, that the goalie would see and that the benches see. I think those are valuable things to highlight. I think it’s benefited the broadcast in my opinion.

As I said, Kenny mentioned it, it added 50 jobs. I’m one of those guys that it added a job to. So I’m very grateful to be able to do it.

A question about the Lightning and specifically about breaking down the (Brayden) Point line against the Suzuki-Caufield-Toffoli line. What can that line do differently, what does that line need to do differently in this series to kind of, obviously, win that matchup or at least tolerate that matchup?

KEITH JONES: It’s going to be a huge challenge. Experience, obviously, is the advantage that the Point line has. And talent is also at the top of the chart. So the mixture on that line of (Ondrej) Palat with his physicality and his ability to win puck battles makes it challenging to try to slow them down. He’s going to be able to retrieve pucks if they do turn them over. The creativity of (Nikita) Kucherov drives some of the best veteran checking players in the league nuts. So that’s going to be a challenge.

And Brayden Point simply does it all and he does it at a high rate of speed, not just with quickness but he’s really fast also. And so are his hands.

So a lot of what we’re going to see from Cole Caufield in the next five years are things that Brayden Point excels at right now and has the experience to be able to know how to get it done at the biggest moments.

Looks like Caufield is going to have that type of career but it’s a big ask for him right now to face up against that line.

If I was Montreal, I would look to try to get away from that matchup. It’s a lot more difficult on the road. But for Luke Richardson, that will be one of the challenges for him, trying to get the nose line out there against Point line as much as possible and try to disrupt Tampa’s top line, which has been very difficult for every other opponent so far in the playoffs.

As for Suzuki, he’s an extremely intelligent hockey player. I think that’s going to benefit him in that type of matchup, but he’ll be asked to play in his own end an awful lot.

I think it’s obviously an advantage for Tampa. And it’s something, if I was Montreal, I would try to do some quick changes. I would try to avoid that matchup as much as possible.

BRIAN BOUCHER: The only thing I would add to that is maybe Richardson could get creative, too, and maybe mix up the centers. So maybe Suzuki goes with Gallagher and Lehkonen, and you put Danault with Toffoli in certain situations in case you get stuck. At least you have Danault out there to kind of help out. That could be another way that you do it. Or otherwise you just quick change as fast as possible.

But if you start doing that then you get out of the flow of the game too. It will be interesting to see how Richardson handles it. There’s a problem here in Tampa no doubt about it. It’s not going to get better really until they get to Montreal.

Maybe if it comes down to that, it’s about digging in. The guys will have to make sure they manage the puck better than they did because it led to offense for Tampa.

For Kenny and Keith what will you remember most about the NBC’s coverage of the NHL? And is there a specific moment or two, maybe it’s a game or series, that stands out and why?

KENNY ALBERT: To me I’ve been affiliated with NBC since the 2002 Winter Olympics. Worked the last five calling ice hockey at the Olympics…I guess my biggest memories, a couple. As far as things I would remember is women’s gold medal game in Pyeongchang in 2018…it was a remarkable moment to be part of.

I actually was in the building for the Crosby overtime goal and T.J. Oshie shootout against Russia. I wasn’t working those games, but I did have the opportunity to attend.

As far as the NHL being involved, I’ve been a part of NBC Sports’ coverage deep into the playoffs through the Conference Final over the last eight years — the LA-Chicago game in 2014, which went to Game 7 in overtime, in the Western Conference Final. For me personally, as far as games that I called, that’s certainly, probably the greatest memory on the NHL side. Also working Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final that year in LA when “Doc” Emrick had a personal family issue to attend to.

But also being involved in the outdoor game last year in Colorado Springs and many of these All-Star weekends as well and obviously the Stanley Cup Final this year. So from a personal standpoint, those would be the biggest moments.

But from the outside, games I was not involved in, watching all the Winter Classic games and the Stadium Series Games and Stanley Cup Final games through the years, called by Doc and Eddie and Pierre and Bouch and Jonesy. So many wonderful memories both in person and watching on television over the last 15 years.

KEITH JONES: I would add to what Kenny was saying, I think some of my fondest memories are when we would travel to the Stanley Cup Final and have the studio on-site, something we missed the last couple of seasons, unfortunately. But that’s really what brought everyone together, both game broadcasters and studio broadcasters. And not just from NBC but from around the NHL. That was always a highlight for me.

And I think of some of the seven-game Stanley Cup Finals series that we were lucky enough to be at. The one that stands out for me was the 2011 Boston Bruins seven-game series against the Vancouver Canucks, and the Bruins winning that on the road in Vancouver and all the craziness that followed after that.

It was such an intense series that had so many different twists and turns. And looked like Vancouver was going to sweep them after they won the first two games and Boston dug in deep. And Tim Thomas came up with an incredible performance.

The Boston Bruins kind of willed their way to victory. That is one of the things that really stands out to me.

The other one was the run that the LA Kings made to win their first Stanley Cup in 2012. And I think they were the eighth seed when the playoffs started. And by the time they won the Stanley Cup they looked like they were the best team in the NHL. It did not look like a fluke by any means. They just caught fire at the right time. Everything came together. And they would win another Stanley Cup a couple of years later.

So it’s always been about the big events, the big moments. And nothing has been greater than attending a Stanley Cup Final and doing live studio shows with all the great fans of the NHL around.

KENNY ALBERT: You think of the three consecutive years in Nashville, Vegas and St. Louis, when those three teams went on crazy runs — Nashville in 2017, Vegas in ’18 and then St. Louis in ’19 — just the passion of the fans in those cities and the great job that NBC did, Jonesy mentioned the studio show traveling during the Final. Some of those shows outdoors, outside the arena in Nashville with thousands of fans on the streets by Broadway. And then Vegas in their first season outside the arena and St. Louis.

And the NBC cameras and production folks were able to convey the excitement in those cities to the viewers watching at home. So I think that’s something that I’ll remember.

And then again from a personal standpoint, and Bouch was there and Pierre and Eddie, the bubble last year in Edmonton. Many of us were in either Toronto or Edmonton or both for 30, 40, 50, 60 days.

And it was such a unique experience to be part of with no fans in the building, all inside the bubble. I called around 30 games. I think Bouch probably did around 50 between the two cities, Toronto and Edmonton. We called two games in a day, we called three games in a day. Bouch had the five-overtime game involving Columbus and Tampa.

When I think back — I almost forgot to mention the bubble, but for those of us who were there, it was such a unique experience calling games in the empty arena and being among the few to be a small part of it in person last year in Toronto and Edmonton.

Keith, you mentioned about how captivating these storylines are in this matchup. Wonder if you could speak to just what we’re watching here in terms of the postseason that Nikita Kucherov is having, coming off missing the entire regular season, leading everyone in points, and getting hurt in Game 6 and coming out and doing what he did last night in Game 1?

KEITH JONES: I would say we’re witnessing some incredible performances from Kucherov. And I think it’s at a time when a lot is made of superstar players not being around when the biggest games are happening, including the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s pretty remarkable that Kucherov has gone through missing an entire regular season and has battled through the issues that would come with being in game condition to get to this point in the playoffs where he’s taking hacks and whacks every night.

He’s targeted on a nightly basis and he still finds a way to not just produce, but produce at an extremely high rate. It’s been phenomenal to watch. And the way he snaps the puck around, whether he’s passing it or shooting it, is kind of Patrick Kane-like to me. And Patrick Kane is the only other player that I can think of that missed an extended period of time prior to the playoffs.

I think he injured his collarbone going back a number of years ago and arrived just in time for the playoffs and helped the Chicago Blackhawks go on to win a Stanley Cup.

I think we’re witnessing something very similar and equally as remarkable in what Kucherov is doing. And I don’t think anyone should underestimate just how difficult that is to go through what he’s been through and perform the way he has been. It’s been a joy to watch.

Keith, you touched on greatness earlier in your intro. If Tampa wins the Cup this year, with the type of roster they have and the young talent they have, do you think they have the makings of a team that can stay at the top and compete for a Cup for the next handful of years?

KEITH JONES: Without question. The way they’ve managed their cap. I know this year was a little unique with Kucherov being unavailable. But the fact that their star players have taken team-friendly long-term contracts gives me hope that we have the real possibility of talking about a dynasty-type team.

And that seems remarkable under the cap restrictive systems that we see in pro sports, to think that we might have a chance to see a team win multiple Stanley Cups is really impressive.

It’s something really to get behind and to enjoy watching, not just if you’re a fan of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but a fan of the sport of hockey and a fan of watching greatness.

And I think back to other sports, including basketball, and I wasn’t necessarily a huge fan, but I became one when I watched Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls do what they did.

And I think that attracts casual fans to watch a sport that otherwise they may not be watching. So I think we’re lucky. I think we’re lucky to have a team like Tampa and Montreal will do everything they can to try to keep them from winning consecutive Cups. But I think we could be talking about a team that’s right back here next year and we’ll be having the same conversation. They’re that good; they’re that deep; they’re that well-managed under Steve Yzerman and Julien BriseBois.

John, is there anything in particular you guys are adding from a production element standpoint just for the Final, be it cameras, graphics or audio elements?

JOHN MCGUINNESS: Not really, no. We’re coming in with what we did last season and the season before that in terms of the number of cameras. We certainly haven’t cut anything.

In my opening remarks I was trying to stress that we are going to put out a first-class product through the final shift of the game. And that’s been Sam Flood and my edict since the beginning of the playoffs. And so far so good and we’re just going to keep hammering it.

From an operations production standpoint, how have the playoffs gone for you guys so far up to last night, up to this point, what are some highlights and things that you’re really proud of?

JOHN MCGUINNESS: Operationally, it’s gone very well. The difficulty this year or the challenge this year was the games have been up in Canada and Montreal, having to take a feed from the host broadcaster, but we’ve been doing that for the last couple of seasons, and supplementing that with our announcers on-site. So that was a bit of a challenge, but we got through that.

Overall, we’re very happy with the way the playoffs have gone so far. We’re looking forward to a long series here.

Obviously Canada was guaranteed a team in the final four this year. Now it’s down to the final two. How important do you think it is for this sport for Canadian hockey fans to finally have a team back in the Finals, particularly a team with this pedigree?

KEITH JONES: Yeah, it matters a lot. It’s been a struggle for them to get back into position. I think Vancouver was there in 2011 and looked like they had a really legitimate chance to win.

And the Montreal Canadiens are a team that’s not only popular in Montreal, but there’s a lot of Canadien fans scattered throughout the country of Canada.

I think that’s been a really rallying cry for them. I think it’s a really important franchise, similar to the New York Yankees in baseball. And I think that there is a gigantic amount of interest in watching them play, and not just because they’re Montreal, but because they’re an underdog that’s made an incredible run to get to the Stanley Cup Final and have continued to show that they’re an extremely resilient team.

And you can be sure that Tampa is not taking them for granted here going into Game 2. But they’re a great story. And they have some great veteran players that you have to cheer for, including Shea Weber and Carey Price. Add in Corey Perry and Eric Staal and you have a nice mixture of some guys that have had outstanding NHL careers. The last two guys I just mentioned have won Cups previously, but it’s been a long time between those championships for them. And Weber and Price are both searching for their first.

So it would be an awesome thing if they could find a way to rally back in this series and knock off another team that’s heavily favored in the Tampa Bay Lightning. I think the whole entire country of Canada is enjoying watching them go at it here and also under the circumstances, where a lot of Canadians are still not able to go about doing their things like we are here in the states, I think it’s that much more important that Montreal has given them a lot to cheer about and things to look forward to and things to watch on television when they get some time to do that.

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, transcript, Uncategorized

NOTES AND QUOTES – 2021 STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 1 ON NBCSN

June 28, 2021 By admin

“Some of the top offensive players on the teams Montreal has played have been absent. No one is absent on the Tampa Bay Lightning.” – Keith Jones

“The Montreal Canadiens are going to have an easier time getting back across the Canadian border.” – Anson Carter on Tampa Bay’s play at the blue lines

“I don’t think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively. You talk about a complete team – there’s not a lot of room when they don’t have the puck.” – Eddie Olczyk on the Lightning

NBC Sports Stanley Cup Final Media Conference Call – Kenny Albert, Brian Boucher, Keith Jones, John McGuinness – Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – June 28, 2021 – NBC Sports began its exclusive presentation of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final tonight with Game 1 between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on NBCSN.

Kenny Albert, Eddie Olczyk, and Brian Boucher called the game on-site from Amalie Arena along with Kathryn Tappen and Pierre McGuire providing reports and contributing to pre-game and intermission coverage.

Liam McHugh, Keith Jones, Anson Carter and Patrick Sharp provided studio commentary during pre-game coverage and intermissions from NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Pre-game coverage also featured Tappen’s interview with Canadiens defenseman Shea Weber, McGuire’s interview with Lightning forward Ross Colton, and a feature on Lightning forward Brayden Point.

NBC Sports will host a media conference call with Albert, Boucher, Jones and coordinating producer John McGuinness tomorrow, June 29, at 3 p.m. ET to look back at Game 1 and discuss the remainder of the series. Click here for full details to join.

Following are notes and quotes from Game 1:

POST-GAME

Sharp: “It was a lot more physical than I thought it was going to be for a Game 1. Pretty dominant performance from where I was watching (for the Lightning).”

Jones: “The penalty kill streak is over for the Montreal Canadiens. If you’re Tampa Bay, you want to erase that as quickly as you can…they score on the power play and now they can move onto Game 2 feeling confident in their power play…and it takes some of the confidence away from Montreal’s penalty kill.”

THIRD PERIOD

Olczyk on Lightning forward Steven Stamkos’ goal, 5-1 Tampa Bay: “Jon Cooper started that 5-on-3 with five forwards on the ice, with a 4-1 lead – and they made Montreal pay.”

Boucher: “It seemed to me that Nikita Kucherov had one thing in mind on that power play – and that was to get Steven Stamkos a goal.”

Olczyk on the Lightning: “In Game 7 against the Islanders, there was a stretch where the Islanders only had two shots in a 26-minute span. When Tampa wants to shut it down, I don’t think they get enough credit for how good they are defensively. You talk about a complete team – there’s not a lot of room when they don’t have the puck.”

Boucher on Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov’s second goal, 4-1 Tampa Bay: “If there were any concerns about Nikita Kucherov’s health…I don’t think there’s anything wrong there.”

Olczyk on Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov’s first goal, 3-1 Tampa Bay: “You just never know what will happen when you direct a puck at the net. Ben Chiarot swats it up in the air…harmless play, right? Not so fast.”

Boucher: “The idea was to bat that well out of harm’s way. He didn’t get enough on it. Even though he got the goal in the second period, he’s going to wish he had that one back.”

SECOND INTERMISSION

Carter on the Lightning’s neutral zone play: “The Montreal Canadiens are going to have an easier time getting back across the Canadian border – Tampa Bay has been that solid at both blue lines in the first two periods.”

Jones on the Canadiens: “Brendan Gallagher has been noticeable for Montreal, as well as Josh Anderson – the speed game is starting to get going…when Anderson gets it going, he can be a real dangerous player.”

SECOND PERIOD

Olczyk on Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot’s goal, 2-1 Tampa Bay: “It’s like a pinball machine out in front of the net. Maybe off of Ryan McDonagh – bank, bank, and into the back of the net.”

Boucher on Lightning forward Yanni Gourde’s goal, 2-0 Tampa Bay: “This starts with a turnover by Brendan Gallagher at the offensive blue line, and he knows it. He tries to make a play and turns it over…and because of it, Tampa goes the other way…Gallagher knows that puck has to go deep and you can’t put it in the Tampa forwards’ hands.”

FIRST INTERMISSION

Jones on Cernak goal: “Brayden Point is such a responsible player in all facets of the game…he heads right where he should to the middle of the ice, disrupts the play and sends it to Cernak, who puts on another display of straight line hockey. You go forward, you drive the middle lane and when you do that, you get some goals along the way.”

FIRST PERIOD

Olczyk on Canadiens defenseman Ben Chiarot’s penalty: “This is a bad penalty. Ben Chiarot had one thing in mind. He takes his stick and just cross-checks Kucherov.”

Olczyk on the Lightning: “The Tampa forwards are getting to the front of the net. They’re paying the price, getting inside position on the Montreal defense. That’s something that Vegas wasn’t able to do or wasn’t willing to do in the prior round.”

Boucher on Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak’s goal, 1-0 Tampa Bay: “We saw it in Game 7 against the New York Islanders – the Tampa Bay defense was much more active in the end of that series. Cernak joins the rush and gets his first of the Playoffs.”

PRE-GAME

Jones on the Canadiens: “Montreal caught a break in Round One without John Tavares, Mark Scheifele in Round Two – so some of the top offensive players on the teams they have played against have been absent. No one is absent on this Tampa Bay Lightning team.”

–NBC SPORTS–

Filed Under: NBC, NHL, NHL on NBC, Uncategorized

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