NHL Conference Final Game 7s Tonight and Tomorrow on NBCSN and NBC with Stanley Cup Berths at Stake
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk and Pierre McGuire Travel Coast-To-Coast to Call Back-To-Back Game 7s
NBC Continues to Showcase Stanley Cup Playoffs in Primetime on Saturday Night
Game 6 Ducks-Blackhawks is NBCSN’s Second-Most Watched Game of 2015 Playoffs
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 29, 2015 – NBC Sports Group goes coast-to-coast this weekend to present two NHL Conference Final Game 7 showdowns in a 24-hour span tonight and tomorrow on NBCSN and NBC, respectively. Coverage begins tonight on NBCSN at 8 p.m. ET, when Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers host Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
NBC presents live coverage of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday night in primetime at 8 p.m. ET, when Ryan Getzlaf and the Anaheim Ducks host Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks. NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will provide streaming coverage of both Game 7s.
Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and Sports Illustrated 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call of both Game 7 matchups.
Pre-game coverage of both Game 7 matchups begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday nights with NHL Live, featuring host Liam McHugh alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones and Brian Boucher. This marks the first time in 15 years, and only the third time in Stanley Cup Playoff history, that both Conference Finals have required a Game 7. In 2000, the Stars-Avalanche Western Conference Final and Devils-Flyers Eastern Conference Final both required Game 7s. Keith Jones and Brian Boucher played for the Flyers in that Game 7, losing 2-1 to New Jersey.
The Rangers forced tonight’s Game 7 with a 7-3 victory in Tampa in Game 6, and have won six straight Game 7s, tied for the longest such streak in NHL history. The Rangers are also a perfect 7-0 all-time in Game 7s at Madison Square Garden, and Lundqvist has gone 6-1 in Game 7s with a 0.97 goals against average. The Rangers last played in an Eastern Conference Final Game 7 in 1994, when Stephane Matteau scored in double overtime to give New York a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Tampa Bay’s most recent Eastern Conference Final Game 7 appearance came in 2011, when the Lightning fell to the Bruins by a score of 1-0 in Boston, their only Game 7 loss in five Game 7s in franchise history.
The Blackhawks forced Saturday night’s primetime Western Conference Final Game 7 showdown on NBC with a 5-2 win in Game 6 on Wednesday night. This marks the second straight Western Conference Final Game 7 for the Blackhawks, who lost 5-4 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings in last year’s Game 7.
The Ducks are appearing in a Game 7 at home for the third straight season, having lost to Detroit in 2013 and the Kings in 2014. Their last victory in a Game 7 at home came during the 1997 Western Conference Quarterfinal against Phoenix.
MIKE ‘DOC’ EMRICK, EDDIE OLCZYK AND PIERRE MCGUIRE TRAVEL COAST-TO-COAST TO CALL BACK-TO-BACK GAME 7s
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, and Pierre McGuire will travel coast-to-coast to call the Eastern Conference Final Game 7 at Madison Square Garden tonight and the Western Conference Final Game 7 at Honda Center on Saturday night.
Following tonight’s Lightning-Rangers game, the trio will depart for their respective hotels to get some brief sleep before getting up to board a 6 a.m. ET, 2,500-mile flight from Newark to Los Angeles on Saturday.
Doc, Edzo and Pierre will arrive at LAX at 9:08 a.m. PT and will check into their second hotel of the day. In addition to their usual preparation, pre-game schedules may include attending practice, catching a nap, and getting a meal or two before calling their second Game 7 in 24 hours at Honda Center.
After Blackhawks-Ducks, it’s red eyes and morning flights to their respective homes to rest up for a few days before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. Whew!
GAME 6 DUCKS-BLACKHAWKS IS SECOND MOST-WATCHED GAME OF 2015 PLAYOFFS ON NBCSN
The Blackhawks’ 5-2 win over the Ducks in Wednesday’s Game 6 on NBCSN averaged 2.383 million viewers, making it the second most-watched game of the 2015 playoffs on NBCSN. Viewership of the game peaked in the 10:30 p.m. ET quarter hour with over 3.6 million viewers.
NBC CONTINUES TO SHOWCASE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS IN PRIMETIME ON SATURDAY NIGHT
Tomorrow night’s presentation of Game 7 between the Blackhawks and Ducks on NBC in primetime marks the third straight, and fifth overall, Saturday night that NBC will air Stanley Cup Playoff coverage this postseason. If the Stanley Cup Final requires five games, forcing Game 5 on Saturday, June 13 on NBC, it would set NBC’s record for the most NHL Saturday night primetime games in one year (7), most in one postseason (6), and most consecutive Saturday night primetime games (4).
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the fourth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL Network are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.
| Network | Games |
| NBC | 12 |
| NBCSN | 50 |
| USA Network | 8 |
| CNBC | 10 |
| NHL-N | 1 |
| Total | 81 |
One-goal Games: 43
OT games: 19
COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE
Comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will be provided daily via NBC Sports Regional Networks, available in more than 50 million U.S. households. Comcast SportsNet Chicago will provide the hometown fans of the Chicago Blackhawks with comprehensive coverage throughout their Stanley Cup Playoff run, including pre- and post-game shows and extensive on-line coverage via Comcast SportsNet’s team of NHL Insiders.
NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA COVERAGE
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets – will stream comprehensive coverage of games airing on NBC, NBCSN, USA Network and CNBC via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store.
For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.
— NBC Sports Group —
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