STANLEY CUP FINAL Game 5 Airs Tomorrow on NBC
By: Tyler Peterson Jun. 12, 2015
One of the most tightly-contested Stanley Cup Finals in NHL history takes center stage on Saturday night in primetime on NBC, when Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning host Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 at 8 p.m. ET, with the series tied at two games apiece. Coverage begins on NBCSN tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. ET with a 90-minute edition of NHL Live.
The first four games of this year's Final have been decided by one goal, the first time this has occurred in nearly 50 years (Montreal vs. St. Louis; 1968). In addition, neither team has led by more than one goal at any point in the series.
The Blackhawks evened the series on Wednesday night with a 2-1 win in Chicago, as Brandon Saadscored the eventual game-winner early in the third period, and Corey Crawford made 24 saves in net.
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 call Saturday night's Game 5 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Host Liam McHugh will anchor NHL LIVE from inside the arena, alongside analysts and former playersMike Milbury and Keith Jones. Dave Briggs will host coverage from a set outside the arena alongside analysts and former players Jeremy Roenick and Anson Carter. In addition, analyst and former goaltender Brian Boucher and NHL insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger will join NBC Sports Group's pre- and post-game studio coverage throughout the Final.
BLACKHAWKS-LIGHTNING TAKES CENTER STAGE ON NBC IN PRIMETIME THROUGH REMAINDER OF STANLEY CUP FINAL
Saturday night's primetime Game 5 showdown on NBC marks the seventh Stanley Cup Playoff primetime game on this year, and eighth primetime game on the network including the regular season, both records for NBC. Monday night's Game 6 will be the 16th Stanley Cup Playoff game on NBC this postseason, tying the record set in 2012.
Three postseason series have been decided on NBC, including the Blackhawks-Ducks Western Conference Final, as Chicago defeated Anaheim in Game 7 in primetime. In addition, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was the most-watched non-overtime Game 1 in 18 years (5.5 million avg. viewers), and Game 2, which immediately followed Belmont Stakes coverage, averaged 6.6 million viewers to become the most-watched Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on record.
2015 STANLEY CUP FINAL AVERAGING 4.965 VIEWERS THROUGH FOUR GAMES; SECOND-MOST WATCHED TO-DATE IN 18 YEARS
The 2015 Stanley Cup Final, featuring the Tampa Bay Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks, has averaged 4.965 million viewers on NBC/NBCSN, making it the second-most watched Stanley Cup Final through four games in 18 years, trailing only the Blackhawks-Bruins series in 2013 (5.341 million viewers). In addition,Wednesday night's Game 4 produced the most-watched Stanley Cup Final quarter-hour ever on NBCSN (5.489 million, 10:30-10:45 p.m. ET). Over four games, this year's Final has produced a 2.91 HH rating.
Following are the Top 5 markets through the first four games of 2015 Stanley Cup Final:
| Rank | Market | HH Rating |
| 1 | Chicago | 24.1 |
| 2 | Tampa | 15.0 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 6.3 |
| 4 | Boston | 4.8 |
| 5 | Minneapolis-St. Paul | 4.5 |
| 5 | Ft. Myers | 4.5 |
Locally, Chicago's average rating of 24.1 through four games is up 18% vs. its four-game average rating for the 2013 Stanley Cup Final (20.5), when the Blackhawks faced the Bruins. Game 1 produced the highest rating ever in Tampa for a Lightning game on NBC (17.9), while Game 4 set the record for highest rating in the market for a Lightning game on NBCSN (13.9).
Following is the television schedule for the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, all times Eastern and subject to change.
| DATE | GAME | NETWORK | TIME | COMMENTATORS |
| Sat., June 13 | Game 5 - Chicago at Tampa Bay | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike "Doc" Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Mon., June 15 | Game 6 - Tampa Bay at Chicago | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike "Doc" Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
| Wed., June 17 | Game 7 - Chicago at Tampa Bay* | NBC | 8 p.m. | Mike "Doc" Emrick, Eddie Olczyk, Pierre McGuire |
*if necessary
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the fourth consecutive year, NBC, NBCSN, USA Network, CNBC and NHL NETWORK are combining to televise every Stanley Cup Playoff game nationally.
| Network | Games |
| NBC | 14 |
| NBCSN | 54 |
| USA Network | 8 |
| CNBC | 10 |
| NHL-N | 1 |
| Total | 87 |
One-goal Games: 47
OT games: 19
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