NBC SPORTS ANNOUNCES ITS EXCLUSIVE NHL SCHEDULE FOR 2020-21 REGULAR SEASON

Season Opens with Wednesday Night Hockey Tripleheader on Jan. 13 on NBCSN Headlined by Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Chicago Blackhawks

19 Different Teams Featured Across 18 Wednesday Night Hockey Matchups; 10 Sunday Night Hockey Games; Record 16 NHL Regular-Season Games on NBC

Remainder of NBC Sports' Schedule to be Released Soon

STAMFORD, Conn. - December 29, 2020 - NBC Sports has announced the telecast schedule for its exclusive games for the 2020-21 NHL regular season, beginning with a Wednesday Night Hockey tripleheader on Jan. 13 on NBCSN headlined by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning against the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports' NHL telecast schedule features exclusive weekend games on NBC and Wednesday Night Hockey and Sunday Night Hockey matchups on NBCSN. All game times and NBC Sports' full 2020-21 NHL regular-season schedule will be announced soon.

The Jan. 13 season-opening tripleheader on NBCSN begins with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at 5:30 p.m. ET and concludes with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche at 10:30 p.m. ET.

2020-21 NHL OPENING NIGHT ON NBCSN - JANUARY 13

Matchup Time (ET)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers 5:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 8 p.m.
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche 10:30 p.m.

Last week, the NHL announced a 56-game regular-season schedule per team for the 2020-21 season, as well as a divisional realignment sought to minimize team travel as much as possible by shifting to exclusively intra-divisional play.

All coverage on NBC and NBCSN streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY PRESENTED BY NEW AMSTERDAM VODKA ON NBCSN

· Schedule diversity - 19 different teams featured in 18 matchups and a blend of Eastern, Western and Canadian markets.

· Star power - Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Carey Price, David Pastrnak, Claude Giroux, and 2020 NHL Draft first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere all featured.

· Top matchups - 14 of 19 matchups include a 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoff team.

NBCSN 2020-21 NHL Wednesday Night Hockey Presented by New Amsterdam Vodka (subject to change):

Date Away Home
January 13* Pittsburgh Philadelphia Chicago Tampa Bay St. Louis Colorado
January 20 Edmonton Toronto
January 27 Chicago Nashville
February 3 Boston Philadelphia
February 10 Boston N.Y. Rangers
February 17 Chicago Detroit
February 24 N.Y. Rangers Philadelphia
March 3 Washington Boston
March 10 Vegas Minnesota
March 17 Philadelphia N.Y. Rangers
March 24 Buffalo Pittsburgh
March 31 Arizona St. Louis
April 7 Montreal Toronto
April 14 Vegas Los Angeles
April 21 Nashville Chicago
April 28 St. Louis Minnesota
May 5 Washington N.Y. Rangers
*Opening night

NHL ON NBC

· Once a week - NBC Sports will showcase the NHL 16 times on NBC - once every week on average during the 2020-21 season - beginning Sunday, January 17, featuring the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. It's the most-ever NHL regular-season games on NBC.

· Fan-favorite rivalries - The NHL on NBC schedule features a number of rivalries, including a Valentine's Day date between the Capitals and Penguins, plus Blackhawks-Red Wings, Bruins-Rangers, and Blues-Avalanche matchups.

· "Final flex Saturday" - the final game on the NHL on NBC schedule on Saturday, May 8, is currently TBD and will feature the most compelling game with playoff implications.

NHL ON NBC 2020-21 SCHEDULE

Date Away Home
Sun., January 17 Washington Pittsburgh
Sun., January 24 Detroit Chicago
Sun., February 7 Philadelphia Washington
Sun., February 14 Washington Pittsburgh
Sat., February 20 Vegas Colorado
Sun., February 21 Philadelphia Boston
Sun., February 28 Boston N.Y. Rangers
Sun., March 7 Buffalo N.Y. Islanders
Sun., March 28 N.Y. Rangers Washington
Sun., April 4 Detroit Tampa Bay
Sat., April 17 Pittsburgh Buffalo
Sun., April 18 Washington Boston
Sat., April 24 Colorado St. Louis
Sun., April 25 Boston Pittsburgh
Sun., May 2 Tampa Bay Detroit
Sat., May 8 TBD TBD

SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY ON NBCSN

· Schedule variety - 15 different teams from all four divisions will be showcased across 10 Sunday Night Hockey matchups.

· Top tier teams - All four Conference Final teams from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be featured on Sunday Night Hockey.

· Westward Ho! - Six of the 10 matchups feature a Western Conference team.

2020-21 SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY SCHEDULE ON NBCSN

Date Away Home
February 14 Colorado Vegas
February 21 Florida Detroit
February 28 Detroit Chicago
March 7 N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh
March 14 Los Angeles Colorado
March 21 Vegas Los Angeles
March 28 Nashville Chicago
April 4 Dallas Carolina
April 18 N.Y. Islanders Philadelphia
April 25 Columbus Tampa Bay
*Some games will be blacked out in local markets and televised in those markets by a regional carrier.

--NBC SPORTS--