NBC Sports to Present Nearly 30 Hours of Hockey Coverage This Week

NBCSN roars into the new year with nearly 30 hours of hockey coverage this week, highlighted by a Wednesday Night Rivalry showdown between Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET.

This week also marks the debut of Sunday Night Hockey on NBCSN, the first of 12 upcoming Sunday night NHL matchups, when Zach Parise and the Minnesota Wild host Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils at 8 p.m. ET.

NBCSN's NHL coverage begins tonight at 9 p.m. ET, when Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche host Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings. This week's NHL action on NBCSN also includes P.K. Subban and the Montreal Canadiens in Philadelphia to face Claude Giroux and the Flyers tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. ET, as well as an interconference matchup between the Flyers and Wild on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

NBCSN will also present COLLEGE HOCKEY action this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET when the Western Michigan Broncos visit the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

NBC Sports Live Extra - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets and connected TVs - will stream this week's NHL and COLLEGE HOCKEY coverage.

Three-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play commentator 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 Penguins-Blackhawks from the United Center in Chicago, Ill.

Kenny Albert (play-by-play) and Brian Boucher will call Kings-Avalanche, and Jim Jackson, Keith Jones and Chris Therien (play-by-play) will call Canadiens-Flyers, as well as Flyers-Wild. Albert and McGuire will have the call of NBCSN's Sunday Night Hockey showdown between the Devils and Wild.

Liam McHugh and Kathryn Tappen will combine to anchor this week's studio coverage, alongside analysts and former players Mike Milbury, Keith Jones, Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. NHL insider Darren Dreger will join NBCSN's Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage to provide the latest in-depth news from around the league.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY - PENGUINS-BLACKHAWKS - 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Blackhawks (23-13-4, 50 pts; 2nd in Central Division) host the Penguins on Wednesday Night Rivalry in the second game of a home-and-home series, which kicks off in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. Chicago has won three straight games and six of its last eight contests, including a 3-0 shutout win against Ottawa last night, as Corey Crawford made 26 saves for his league-leading sixth shutout. Patrick Kane continues to lead the league with 57 points in just 40 games.

The Penguins (19-15-4, 42 pts; 5th in Metropolitan Division) have recorded a point in five of their last six games (4-1-1), including victories against the Red Wings and Islanders last week. Crosby has been a major offensive contributor during the past two weeks, recording 10 points (5g/5a) in his last seven games. Kris Letang earned NHL Third Star of the Week honors earlier today, following two goals and four assists in wins against Detroit and New York.

SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY - DEVILS-WILD - 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild clash on the debut of Sunday Night Hockey at 8 p.m. ET. The Devils (20-14-5, 45 pts; 4th in Metropolitan Division) have won three straight games, including a win over the league-leading Dallas Stars on Saturday night. Goaltender Cory Schneider is tied for the most games started in the NHL (32), and ranks in the top 10 in goals against average (2.10) and save percentage (.927).

The Wild (20-11-7, 47 pts; 4th in Central Division) enter this week's play looking to rebound from a 2-1 loss in Florida to the Panthers on Sunday. Former Devils captain and current Wild forward Zach Parise is in the midst of his fourth season with Minnesota, after spending seven seasons in New Jersey. Last year, Parise recorded two assists in the Wild's 6-2 win over the Devils in Minnesota on March 10.

KINGS-AVALANCHE - TONIGHT AT 9 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Kings (25-11-2, 52 pts; 1st in Pacific Division) carry a five-game winning streak into tonight's matchup in Colorado against the Avalanche, led by the play of goaltender Jonathan Quick. The Kings netminder was given NHL First Star of the Week honors today following a perfect 4-0-0 week, which included a shutout in a 5-0 win over Vancouver. Quick ranks second in the NHL in wins (22), and boasts a 12-2-0 record in his last 14 outings. Forward Tyler Toffoli is in the midst of a breakout season for the Kings, leading the club with 18 goals and 30 points, and boasts a league-leading plus-22 plus-minus rating.

The Avalanche (18-18-3, 39 pts; 6th in Central Division) has gone 6-2-2 in its last 10 games, but is looking for its first win in its last four games at home. Nathan MacKinnon is having a bounce-back season for Colorado, already within five points of his season total from 2014-15 (38). MacKinnon ended a 14-game goal drought last week with his second-career hat trick in a 6-3 win over the Sharks.

CANADIENS-FLYERS - TOMORROW AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Canadiens (22-15-3, 47 pts; 2nd in Atlantic Division) look to carry momentum from their 5-1 NHL Winter Classic victory against the Boston Bruins into tomorrow night's game in Philadelphia. Massachusetts native Mike Condon, who played in goal in place of injured goaltender Carey Price, made 28 saves in the victory at Gillette Stadium, and Brendan Gallagher added a goal and an assist in his first game since Nov. 22.

The Flyers (15-15-7, 37 pts; 6th in Metropolitan Division) return to Philadelphia following three straight losses on their recent road trip. This marks the first meeting of the season between the two teams. Last year, Montreal swept the season series with victories in all three matchups. Scoring has been hard to come by for the Flyers, who have recorded the second fewest goals in the league (79).

FLYERS-WILD - THURSDAY NIGHT AT 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Flyers and Wild square off for the first time this season on NBCSN on Thursday night. Last season, the road team won both encounters, including the Flyers 5-2 win in Minnesota on Dec. 23, 2014. Minnesota and Philadelphia have split the season series the past two years, and the Flyers hold a 10-6-1 edge in the all-time series.

WESTERN MICHIGAN-NO. 15 NOTRE DAME - SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBCSN's coverage of the 2015-16 COLLEGE HOCKEY campaign continues this season with an interconference matchup between the Western Michigan Broncos and the No. 15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is riding a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2), including a pair of ties against No. 17 Denver last weekend, and a 4-3 victory at No. 7 Boston College on Dec. 10. The Broncos are in the midst of a three-game winning streak, including a 1-0 win over No. 16 Bowling Green on Dec. 30. The two teams faced of earlier this season, with the Fighting Irish earning a 3-1 win in the Shillelagh Tournament on Nov. 28.

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