For the first time in a long time, the NHL’s national television partner is showcasing that the state of California is as relevant a place for hockey as say, Pennsylvania or New York.
While NBC might suggest the headline to their 103 scheduled games is a Winter Classic in Washington, a high 14 games on NBC, or the ever-important Wednesday Night Rivalry, the real surprise is a bunch of west coast games. The network will air 14 games at 10 or 10:30 p.m. ET, most of them featuring the league’s three California teams. The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings both make the maximum number of exclusive NBC/NBCSN appearances and are tied as the most televised matchup with four games on the schedule.
NBCSN is sort of pivoting on their NHL coverage this season. Monday nights used to be a real big part of the network’s schedule, though with Monday Night Football demolishing everything in sight, it wasn’t necessarily the greatest showcase. This season, the network will only air eight Monday night games, and just three of them before the NFL season ends. More doubleheaders, fewer meaningless east coast games.
Other highlights:
- NBC will air an indoor primetime NHL game for the first time since the 1960s, as the Rangers visit the Flyers on February 28th at 8 p.m. ET.
- A Hockey Day in America triple header on Feb. 22: Capitals/Flyers and Bruins/Blackhawks on NBC, Stars/Wild on NBCSN.
- The network makes a foray into the Canadian tradition of a Saturday night doubleheader on Dec. 27, with Penguins/Capitals and Kings/Sharks.
- Speaking of Kings/Sharks, NBCSN is televising a game between the two on Saturday, February 21st at 10 p.m. ET. Rogers’ Hockey Night in Canada also has that game scheduled, because the league continues to peg it for an outdoor game at either AT&T Park or the 49ers new stadium in Santa Clara.
- NBCSN will televise the league’s All-Star weekend, which returns for the first time since 2012. Columbus hosts the ceremonies January 24th and 25th.
- Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Los Angeles and San Jose lead the league with 12 exclusive telecasts across NBC and NBCSN (many teams go over the limit of 12, but those games will be blacked out on NBCSN in that market). Seven other teams follow up with 11 games.
- Snubs: the New York Islanders, a team with one of the league’s brightest young stars in John Tavares, picked by many to make the playoffs (and one closing down their much-maligned, but still legendary arena this season) do not appear on the NBC/NBCSN schedule. Also not on the NBC/NBCSN schedule: Calgary, Edmonton, Florida, Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg.
- On the other hand, the Buffalo Sabres — a team that was terrible last season and will likely be terrible again for at least this season — got 10 games on the schedule because Buffalo watches the games no matter what. This Islanders/Buffalo disparity is one of the few real short sighted mistakes by NBC in this schedule.
Here is NBC/NBCSN’s full schedule for the 2014-15 NHL season.
(all games NBCSN unless noted)
October 8, 7:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Boston
October 8, 10 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Los Angeles
October 9, 9 p.m. ET – Colorado vs. Minnesota
October 14, 7:30 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Carolina
October 15, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Detroit
October 21, 8:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Chicago
October 22, 8 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh
October 28, 7 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. Boston
October 29, 7:30 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Washington
November 4, 7:30 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. New Jersey
November 5, 8 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. NY Rangers
November 11, 8 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. St. Louis
November 12, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Toronto
November 12, 10:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Anaheim
November 18, 7:30 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Buffalo
November 19, 8 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers
November 24, 7 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Boston
November 26, 7:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Detroit
November 28, 1 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia (NBC)
December 2, 7:30 p.m. ET – Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo
December 2, 10 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. San Jose
December 3, 8 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. Chicago
December 9, 7:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Buffalo
December 10, 8 p.m. ET – Toronto vs. Detroit
December 15, 7 p.m. ET – Tampa Bay vs. Pittsburgh
December 17, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Minnesota
December 23, 8 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. Colorado
December 27, 7:30 p.m. ET – Washington vs. Pittsburgh
December 27, 10 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Los Angeles
December 29, 7 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Boston
January 1, 1 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. Washington (NBC)
January 4, 8 p.m. ET – Dallas vs. Chicago
January 6, 8 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Minnesota
January 7, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Pittsburgh
January 7, 10:30 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Anaheim
January 11, 8 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. Chicago
January 13, 7 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. Pittsburgh
January 14, 8 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Washington
January 18, 12:30 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Pittsburgh (NBC)*
January 18, 8 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Detroit*
January 19, 8 p.m. ET – Colorado vs. St. Louis
January 20, 7:30 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia
January 21, 8 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. Pittsburgh
January 21, 10:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. San Jose
January 27, 7:30 p.m. ET – Tampa Bay vs. Carolina
January 28, 8 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Washington
January 28, 10:30 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. Los Angeles
January 29, 7 p.m. ET – Montreal vs. NY Rangers
January 29, 10 p.m. ET – Anaheim vs. San Jose
February 1, 1 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. Washington
February 3, 8 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. Minnesota
February 4, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. NY Rangers
February 5, 9 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Colorado
February 8, 12:30 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. St. Louis (NBC)*
February 8, 7:30 p.m. ET – Montreal vs. Boston*
February 9, 8:30 p.m. ET – Arizona vs. Chicago
February 11, 8 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Pittsburgh
February 11, 10:30 p.m. ET – Washington vs. San Jose
February 15, 12:30 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Chicago (NBC)*
February 15, 7:30 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
February 17, 7:30 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. New Jersey
February 18, 7:30 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Chicago
February 18, 10 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Colorado
February 19, 7 p.m. ET – Columbus vs. Pittsburgh
February 21, 10 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. San Jose
February 22, 12:30 p.m. ET – Washington vs. Philadelphia (NBC)
February 22, 3:30 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Chicago (NBC)
February 22, 8 p.m. ET – Dallas vs. Minnesota
February 24, 7 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Carolina
February 25, 8 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Washington
February 26, 8:30 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. Nashville
February 28, 8 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Philadelphia (NBC)
March 1, 8 p.m. ET – Anaheim vs. Dallas
March 3, 7:30 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Tampa Bay
March 4, 8 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Detroit
March 8, 12:30 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Boston (NBC)*
March 8, 7:30 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Chicago*
March 9, 10 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. San Jose
March 10, 9 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Colorado
March 11, 8 p.m. ET – NY Rangers vs. Washington
March 15, 12:30 p.m. ET – Detroit vs. Pittsburgh (NBC)*
March 15, 7:30 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Washington*
March 16, 7 p.m. ET – Washington vs. Buffalo
March 17, 7:30 p.m. ET – Buffalo vs. Boston
March 18, 8 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. NY Rangers
March 18, 10:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Anaheim
March 22, 12:30 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. Detroit (NBC)*
March 22, 7:30 p.m. ET – Anaheim vs. NY Rangers*
March 24, 7 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. NY Rangers
March 25, 8 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. Philadelphia
March 29, 7:30 p.m. ET – San Jose vs. Pittsburgh
March 30, 8:30 p.m. ET – Los Angeles vs. Chicago
April 1, 8 p.m. ET – Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh
April 1, 10:30 p.m. ET – Colorado vs. San Jose
April 2, 7:30 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Detroit
April 5, 12:30 p.m. ET – Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia (NBC)*
April 5, 7:30 p.m. ET – St. Louis vs. Chicago*
April 7, 8:30 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. Chicago
April 8, 8 p.m. ET – Boston vs. Washington
April 8, 10:30 p.m. ET – Dallas vs. Anaheim
April 9, 8 p.m. ET – Chicago vs. St. Louis
April 11, 3 p.m. ET – Minnesota vs. St. Louis OR San Jose vs. Los Angeles (NBC)
April 11, TBD – Boston vs. Tampa Bay
*- flex game
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