Opening night features 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins hosting St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 on NBCSN
Buffalo Sabres play in 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
Coming off of the most-watched Stanley Cup Final without an "Original Six" team on record, NBC Sports Group is scheduled to present 99 NHL regular-season games during the 2017-18 season, beginning at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 4, on NBCSN, when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins host the St. Louis Blues.
All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.
"We're proud to offer our most diverse NHL schedule ever to fans across the country," said Sam Flood, executive producer and president of production, NBC Sports. "From classic rivalries and historic franchises, to young stars such as Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, a hockey-crazed market in Nashville, and a new franchise in Vegas, this schedule represents our commitment to present the NHL's diverse and emerging stars, teams, and stories."
Schedule highlights include:
•NBCSN will televise seven games through the first week of the season, highlighted by the season-opener between the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins; the Detroit Red Wings' first-ever regular-season home game at Little Caesars Arena vs. the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 5; the Vegas Golden Knights' first-ever home game vs. the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 10; and a "Wednesday Night Rivalry" clash between the Penguins and Washington Capitals on Oct. 11.
•NBC will present the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres from Citi Field in New York City, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets, at 1 p.m. Jan. 1, 2018.
•NBC will air exclusive coverage of the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series in primetime at 8 p.m. March 3, when the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Capitals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
•NBC will present coverage of the NHL All-Star Game from AMALIE Arena in Tampa, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. NHL All-Star Weekend will take place Saturday, Jan. 27, and Sunday, Jan. 28, and will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and the NHL All-Star Game.
•The 2017-18 regular season on NBCSN will feature 23 "Wednesday Night Rivalry" telecasts, plus five "Wednesday Nightcaps" and five "Sunday Night Hockey" exclusive games. "WNR" will feature the biggest rivalries in the NHL, including Penguins-Capitals, Blues-Blackhawks and Canadiens-Bruins.
•Auston Matthews' Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers will each make three appearances on NBC or NBCSN. In addition to its Stadium Series game on NBC, Toronto will face off against the Blackhawks on "Wednesday Night Rivalry" on Jan. 24, and visit Jack Eichel's Buffalo Sabres on March 5, both on NBCSN. The Oilers will visit St. Louis on Nov. 21, host Los Angeles on Jan. 2, and visit the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators on Jan. 9, all on NBCSN.
•The Nashville Predators will make seven appearances this season on NBCSN, including a pair of home matchups against the Blackhawks on Nov. 28 and Jan. 30.
•The Blackhawks lead all clubs with 17 total appearances on NBC and NBCSN, followed by the Penguins and Flyers with 16, and the Capitals, Red Wings and Bruins with 15 appearances apiece, respectively. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will be featured on NBCSN five times this season. *Note: some games are subject to local blackouts*
•At least 53 of NBC and NBCSN's 99 telecasts will feature at least one Western Conference team, and every U.S. team will appear on NBC or NBCSN in the regular season.
NHL on NBCSN
NBCSN will televise 90 NHL regular-season games this season, including the opening night doubleheader, 23 "Wednesday Night Rivalry" games, five "Wednesday Nightcaps," five "Sunday Night Hockey contests," and NHL All-Star coverage.
NBCSN coverage begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, with "NHL Live" leading into coverage of Blues-Penguins from Pittsburgh. Coverage shifts to San Jose immediately following Blues-Penguins for the "Wednesday Nightcap," featuring the Flyers and Sharks.
NHL on NBC
NHL on NBC coverage begins at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24, with the 2017 "Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown" featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, marking the first of nine games that will air on NBC during the regular season. Beginning Jan. 14, and continuing through the end of the regular season, NBC will present the "NHL Game of the Week," generally occurring on Sunday afternoons.
NHL Winter Classic, NHL Stadium Series, NHL100 Classic
On Jan. 1, the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will feature the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers on NBC at 1 p.m. at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. This year's edition will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic (which took place in Buffalo), which has produced five of the most-watched NHL regular-season games on record.
NBC will present exclusive coverage of the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series and the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic. The NHL Stadium Series will feature the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals on March 3 in primetime on NBC at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, located at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. NBCSN will televise the outdoor NHL100 Classic on Dec. 16, featuring the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens from Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, commemorating the first-ever NHL game, which featured the Senators and Canadiens nearly 100 years ago.
'Wednesday Night Rivalry'
NBCSN's exclusive "Wednesday Night Rivalry" coverage will return for a fifth season and will feature some of the biggest rivalries in the NHL, including Penguins-Capitals, Blues-Blackhawks and Canadiens-Bruins. The network will air exclusive coverage on Wednesday nights for 23 weeks, with games usually starting at 8 p.m. NBCSN's 10 most-watched games in 2016-17 were either "Wednesday Night Rivalry" or "Sunday Night Hockey" games.
In addition, NBCSN will present five games on Wednesday nights that will immediately follow "Wednesday Night Rivalry" matchups. These nightcaps will showcase one or two Western Conference teams. The first of these games will take place on opening night, when Philadelphia visits San Jose following Blues-Penguins.
'Sunday Night Hockey' on NBCSN
Beginning March 4, NBCSN will present five "Sunday Night Hockey" matchups. These exclusive telecasts include Red Wings-Wild, Blues-Blackhawks and Capitals-Penguins.
NHL All-Star Weekend
NBC and NBCSN will present extensive coverage of the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend from AMALIE Arena in Tampa. NHL All-Star will take place Jan. 27-28, 2018, and will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition on Saturday on NBCSN, and the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday on NBC. Last year's NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles, fueled by the second consecutive season featuring the 3-on-3 tournament-style format, returned to NBC to mark the first time the game was played on network television since 2004.
'NHL Live' & 'NHL Overtime'
"NHL Live" and "NHL Overtime," NBCSN's live pre- and post-game show with highlights and analysis of NHL matchups, will air before and after most games. A 60-minute edition of "NHL Live" will air prior to most games, while "NHL Overtime" will air immediately following most games.
Buffalo Sabres on NBC/NBCSN (Away vs. Home)
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Tuesday, Oct. 24
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Detroit
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Buffalo
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NBCSN
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7:30 p.m.
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Wednesday, Oct. 25
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Buffalo
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Columbus
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NBCSN
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8 p.m.
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Tuesday, Nov. 7
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Washington
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Buffalo
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NBCSN
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7 p.m.
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Tuesday, Dec. 19
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Boston
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Buffalo
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NBCSN
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7:30 p.m.
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Monday, Jan. 1
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N.Y. Rangers
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Buffalo
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NBC
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1 p.m.
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Thursday, Jan. 18
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Buffalo
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N.Y. Rangers
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NBCSN
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7:30 p.m.
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Monday, Mar. 5
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Toronto
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Buffalo
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NBCSN
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7:30 p.m.
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