NBC Sports Group to Air GAME 7 NHL CONFERENCE FINAL Matchups This Weekend

NBC Sports Group presents back-to-back do-or-die Game 7 matchups in the NHL Conference Finals this weekend with a trip to the Stanley Cup Final hanging in the balance. Coverage begins tomorrow night at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN when Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers host Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

NBC presents live coverage of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday night in primetime at 8 p.m. ET, when Ryan Getzlaf and the Anaheim Ducks host Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks. NBC Sports Live Extra - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, and tablets - will provide streaming coverage of both Game 7s.

Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator and SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 2014 Media Person of the Year Mike 'Doc' Emrick, U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and analyst Eddie Olczyk, and Emmy Award-winning Inside-the-Glass analyst Pierre McGuire will have the call of both Game 7 matchups.

Pre-game coverage of both Game 7 matchups begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and Saturday nights with NHL Live, featuring host Liam McHugh alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones andBrian Boucher.

This marks the first time in 15 years, and only the third time in Stanley Cup Playoff history, that both Conference Finals have required a Game 7. In 2000, the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, while the Dallas Stars earned a 3-1 win against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of the Western Conference Final.

The Rangers forced Friday night's Game 7 with a 7-3 victory in Tampa in Game 6, and return to Madison Square Garden with a perfect 7-0 all-time in Game 7 matchups, including a 2-1 overtime win against Washington in the second round. Tampa Bay's most recent Eastern Conference Final Game 7 appearance came in 2011, when the Lightning fell to the Bruins by a score of 1-0 in Boston. The Rangers last played in an Eastern Conference Final Game 7 in 1994, when Stephane Matteau scored in double overtime to give New York a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

The Blackhawks forced Saturday night's primetime Western Conference Final Game 7 showdown on NBC with a 5-2 win in Game 6 on Thursday night. This marks the second straight Western Conference Final Game 7 for the Blackhawks, who lost 5-4 in overtime to the Los Angeles Kings in last year's' Game 7. The Ducks have never played in a Western Conference Final Game 7.

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