For the first time since NBC Sports Group acquired NHL rights prior to the 2005-06 season, coverage of Stanley Cup Playoff first-round games on NBCUniversal cable networks (NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network) as well as NHL Network, will air side-by-side in local markets alongside regional sports network game telecasts. In addition, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will provide streaming coverage of every first-round game. Prior to this season, NBC Sports' national first-round cable telecasts were blacked out in all local U.S. markets. (Local television and streaming blackouts will still apply in Boston and Pittsburgh in the first round).
In order to televise as many as five games on a given day/night, NBC Sports Group will utilize NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and the NHL NETWORK to carry first-round games. Local blackouts for games on cable will no longer apply (excluding Boston and Pittsburgh, where no streaming will be available), so fans in all markets will have the ability to watch their team on NBC Sports' national telecasts and digital platforms. For the sixth consecutive year, every NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game will be presented nationally across NBC Sports platforms and select NBCUniversal networks. During April, May, and June, NBC Sports Group will televise as many as 105 playoff games and possibly more than 260 hours of programming. The excitement of Stanley Cup Playoff hockey - and "There's Nothing Like Playoff Hockey" - begins Wednesday, April 12. NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs - will provide complete streaming coverage of every game of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs that is televised by NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, and CNBC.Videos