Hockey returns officially on October 8th, but the NHL’s pre-season begins tomorrow. NHL Network will be the home of any and all preseason coverage, with no games on NBCSN for the second straight preseason (three, if you count the lockout year, which had no preseason). The network also returns its two-hour daily talk show (and probably the nominally best thing on the channel), NHL Live on Monday at 5 p.m. ET.
23 of the league’s 30 teams are featured on the slate, with the Rangers, Washington and Vancouver all with a network-leading four appearances. NHL Network doesn’t produce any games on its own, so it’s usually forced to rely on the teams that have preseason games locally televised. This year, with the Kings televising some games and most of Western Canada covered, there’s a bit of expansion. However, most of the NHL’s south and lower midwest go uncovered, so there’s still a bit of inequality.
Notable games include neutral sites like Las Vegas (Los Angeles vs. Colorado) and Sylvan Lake, Alberta. The games kickoff tomorrow in the late evening for anyone repulsed by football, though NHL preseason is not the sport at its highest quality itself.
NHL Network 2014 preseason schedule
Sept. 21, 5 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Washington
Sept. 22, 7 p.m. ET – New Jersey vs. NY Rangers
Sept. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Toronto
Sept. 23, JIP – San Jose vs. Vancouver
Sept. 24, 7 p.m. ET – Arizona vs. Calgary
Sept. 25, 10:30 p.m. ET – Anaheim vs. Los Angeles
Sept. 26, 7 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Washington
Sept. 26, 10 p.m. ET – Calgary vs. Vancouver
Sept. 27, 4 p.m. ET – Columbus vs. Pittsburgh
Sept. 27, 8 p.m. ET – Winnipeg vs. Minnesota
Sept. 28, 7 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Toronto
Sept. 29, 7 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers
Sept. 29, JIP – Arizona vs. Vancouver
Sept. 30, 7 p.m. ET – NY Islanders vs. Boston
Oct. 1, 7:30 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Detroit
Oct. 2, 7 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Washington
Oct. 2, 10 p.m. ET – Vancouver vs. Edmonton
Oct. 3, 7 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. NY Rangers
Oct. 4, 5:30 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Boston
Oct. 4, JIP – NY Rangers vs. New Jersey
Oct. 4, 10 p.m. ET – Colorado vs. Los Angeles
Oct. 5, 3 p.m. ET – Carolina vs. Washington
