Stanley Cup Contenders Highlight NBCSN's NHL Coverage This Week

Conference leaders and perennial Stanley Cup contenders highlight NBCSN's NHL coverage this week, including the Western Conference-leading St. Louis Blues and defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday Night Rivalry at 8 p.m. ET.

The Blues enter this week's action with the league's best record (46-14-7, 99 points) and an eight-game point streak (7-0-1), two points clear of the Anaheim Ducks and seven points ahead of Chicago in the Central Division. The Blues have won all three matchups against the Blackhawks this season by one goal, including two shootout victories, while Chicago looks to build off of a 4-1 win against Detroit on Sunday evening.

Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator Mike 'Doc' Emrick, analyst Eddie Olczyk and Emmy Award-winning 'Inside-the-Glass' analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call from United Center in Chicago, Ill.

This week's coverage begins tonight in Boston at 7:30 p.m. ET when Zdeno Chara and the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins host the upstart Minnesota Wild, who have recorded at least one point in nine of their last 10 games to strengthen their position in the Western Conference playoff race. Kenny Albert and McGuire will provide live commentary from TD Garden in Boston, Mass.

NBCSN's NHL coverage continues tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Blackhawks visit Claude Giroux and the Philadelphia Flyers, who have collected points in 10 of their last 12 games, including a 4-3 win in Pittsburgh against the rival Penguins in the NBC NHL Game of the Week on Sunday. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will have the call from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. This week's coverage concludes Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Detroit Red Wings host the Wild. Emrick and McGuire will provide live commentary from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.

NHL Live, NBC Sports Group's live NHL pre-game and post-game studio show, will air at 6:30 p.m. ET prior to weeknight games, and will air at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday. Liam McHugh will host NHL Live alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, and Jeremy Roenick. In addition, host Carolyn Manno and former player and analyst Anson Carter will anchor Hockey East Tournament studio coverage on Friday.

In addition to its NHL coverage, NBCSN will present live College Hockey coverage of the Hockey East Tournament semifinals and final this weekend. Coverage begins Friday at 5 p.m. ET when No. 7 UMass Lowell faces No. 10 Notre Dame in the first semifinal, followed by No. 9 Providence vs. No. 18 New Hampshire at 8 p.m. ET. The winners of those two games will square off in the Hockey East Tournament final on NBCSN Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. Steve Schlanger (play-by-play) and Ken Hodge (analyst) will provide live commentary throughout the Hockey East Tournament.

Following is this week's NHL and College Hockey programming on NBCSN:

+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Date |Coverage |Network|Time (ET) |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Mon., |NHL Live |NBCSN |6:30 p.m. |
|March 17| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |Minnesota at Boston |NBCSN |7:30 p.m. |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Tue., |NHL Live |NBCSN |6:30 p.m. |
|March 18| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |Chicago at Philadelphia |NBCSN |7:30 p.m. |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |NHL Rivals - Blues-Blackhawks|NBCSN |10:30 p.m.|
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |NHL Top 10 - Top Sochi Hockey|NBCSN |11 p.m. |
| |Moments (Encore) | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Wed., |NHL Live |NBCSN |6:30 p.m. |
|March 19| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |NHL Rivals - Blues-Blackhawks|NBCSN |7 p.m. |
| |(Encore) | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |NHL Live |NBCSN |7:30 p.m. |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |Wednesday Night Rivalry - St.|NBCSN |8 p.m. |
| |Louis at Chicago | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Thurs., |St. Louis at Chicago (Encore)|NBCSN |7:30 a.m. |
|March 20| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Fri., |Hockey East Semifinal - No. 7|NBCSN |5 p.m. |
|March 21|UMass Lowell vs. No. 10 Notre| | |
| |Dame | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |Hockey East Semifinal - No. 9|NBCSN |8 p.m. |
| |Providence vs. No. 18 New | | |
| |Hampshire | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Sat., |Hockey East Final - TBD |NBCSN |7 p.m. |
|March 22| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
|Sun., |NHL Live |NBCSN |7 p.m. |
|March 23| | | |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+
| |Minnesota at Detroit |NBCSN |7:30 p.m. |
+--------+-----------------------------+-------+----------+

NHL RIVALS - BLUES-BLACKHAWKS - TUESDAY, 10:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

This week's episode of NHL Rivals, which debuts tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET following Capitals-Penguins on NBCSN, features the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, who have been division rivals since 1970.

Following are excerpts from this week's episode of NHL Rivals.

Former Blues forward and current Blues executive Vice president Brett Hull: "The electricity that would go through the arena (Chicago Stadium) - it was scary. If someone crossed the line, someone was going to pay...it was bedlam."

Former Chicago Blackhawk and current NBC analyst Jeremy Roenick on 1989 playoff series: "I got tangled up with (Blues defenseman) Glen Featherstone behind the net. I started jawing with him, and he cross-checked me right in the mouth and knocked all of my teeth out. Then I scored the game-winning goal in the third (period) - it was pretty cool."

Immediately following NHL Rivals, NBCSN will also present an episode of NHL Top 10, featuring the top hockey moments from the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA

NBC Sports Live Extra - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets - will stream this week's NHL and Hockey East Tournament coverage via "TV Everywhere," the media industry's effort to make quality content available to authenticated customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.

For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app for mobile devices and tablets is available at the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and on select Android handset and tablet devices within Google Play.

Games airing on:

· NBC will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra;
· NBCSN will live stream to PCs, mobile devices and tablets through NBC Sports Live Extra, and to the digital platforms of participating cable, satellite, and telco services, via "TV Everywhere," which is available on an authenticated basis to subscribers of participating MVPDs.

2013-14 REGULAR-SEASON COVERAGE ON NBC & NBCSN

NBC Sports Group will deliver coverage of 103 NHL regular-season games during the 2013-14 season, featuring 13 games on NBC and 90 games on NBCSN. All games will be streamed live via NBC Sports Live Extra. Click here (http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/07/19/nbc-sports-group-to-air-103-nhl-regular-season-games-in-2013-14/) for more information on NBC Sports Group's comprehensive NHL coverage this season.

NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS

NBC Sports Regional Networks, which serve top NHL markets such as Boston (Bruins), Philadelphia (Flyers), Washington D.C. (Capitals), Chicago (Blackhawks) and the Bay Area (Sharks), will air more than 300 live NHL games and surround the 2013-14 NHL season with in-depth news, analysis and original programming on the teams that matter most.

NBC SPORTS GROUP'S DIGITAL AND SOCIAL NHL COVERAGE

NBC Sports Group will continue to provide hockey fans with up-to-the-minute news, video, and information on the NHL and hockey from around the world via its digital and social properties, including NBCSports.com, Twitter and Facebook. Click here for more information on NBC Sports Group's Digital and Social NHL coverage. (http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2013/09/26/nbc-sports-groups-coverage-of-nhl-regular-season-begins-tuesday-october-1/)

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit