Washington Capitals to be Showcased Three Times This Week on NBC & NBCSN

The league-leading Washington Capitals will be showcased three times on NBC and NBCSN this week, including a showdown with the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Game of the Week this Sunday at Noon ET on NBC, as NBC Sports Group begins second-half coverage of the 2015-16 NHL regular season. Coverage begins tonight with a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, when Evgeny Kuznetsov and the Capitals host Jaromir Jagr and the Florida Panthers at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN

Tomorrow's edition of Wednesday Night Rivalry features a rematch of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, asSteven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning host Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings at 8 p.m. ET. NBCSN presents a Thursday night doubleheader this week, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET, when the Capitals host John Tavares and the New York Islanders. Doubleheader action continues at 10 p.m. ET with a matchup of southern California rivals, when Jonathan Quick and the Los Angeles Kings host Corey Perryand the Anaheim Ducks.

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 coverage on NBC and NBCSN.

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 call NBC's Flyers-Capitals NHL Game of the Week matchup from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Kenny Albert (play-by-play) joins Olczyk and McGuire for tomorrow's Red Wings-Lightning Wednesday Night Rivalry telecast from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Joe Beninati (play-by-play), Craig Laughlin (analyst) and Alan May ('Inside-the-Glass') will call tonight's Panthers-Capitals matchup in Washington, D.C., and John Forslund (play-by-play) and McGuire will call Islanders-Capitals.

Gord Miller (play-by-play), Jim FOX (analyst), and Brian Hayward ('Inside-the-Glass') will call Ducks-Kings from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. Jim FOX played nine seasons with the Kings and is currently in his 26th season as the Kings' television analyst, while Brian Hayward in his 23rd season as the Ducks' television analyst.

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 insiderBob McKenzie will join NBCSN's Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage to provide the latest in-depth news from around the league.

NHL GAME OF THE WEEK - FLYERS-CAPITALS - SUNDAY AT NOON ET ON NBC

The Capitals (35-8-4, 74 pts; 1st in Metropolitan Division) begin the second half of the season 15 points clear of the N.Y. Rangers in their division. Caps captain Alex Ovechkin will miss tonight's game per league rules after missing the All-Star Game last weekend. Evgeny Kuznetsov, who replaced Ovechkin at the All-Star Game, earned NHL First Star of the Month honors for January with 16 points (4g/12a) in 10 games, and ranks tied for fifth the NHL with 49 points.

The Flyers (21-18-8, 50 pts; 7th in Metropolitan Division) hope to build off a victory against the Capitals in Washington, D.C., last week when Jakub Voracek scored in overtime to give Philadelphia a 4-3 win onWednesday Night Rivalry on Jan. 27. Claude Giroux currently leads the team with 39 points (14g/25a).

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY - RED WINGS-LIGHTNING - 8 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Red Wings and Lightning face off on Wednesday Night Rivalry in Detroit's first visit to Tampa since Game 7 of their first-round series in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. In that game, Ben Bishop's 31 saves led Tampa Bay to a 2-0 shutout victory, which eliminated Detroit from the playoffs. The Red Wings (25-16-8, 58 pts) and Lightning (27-18-4, 58 pts) are deadlocked in second place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit rookie phenom Dylan Larkin leads the team with 15 goals and is tied for the team lead with 33 points.

The Lightning are one of the hottest teams in the NHL after carrying an 8-1-0 record over their last nine games into the All-Star break. That streak included a 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks, snapping their 12-game winning streak, on Jan. 21 in Tampa. Steven Stamkos leads the team with 21 goals, and Ben Bishop's 2.02 goals against average ranks second in the NHL behind Anaheim's John Gibson (1.91).

PANTHERS-CAPITALS - TONIGHT AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Panthers rode a 12-game winning streak in December and January to shoot to the top of the Atlantic Division standings. Jaromir Jagr continues to produce offensively in his 22nd NHL season, with 33 points (15g/18a) to rank second on the team. Florida won three straight games heading into the All-Star break by a combined score of 14-3. In their last meeting on Dec. 10, Jagr scored his 731st career NHL goal to tieMarcel Dionne for fourth place all-time in a 4-1 Panthers win.

ISLANDERS-CAPITALS - THURSDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

The Islanders (25-16-6, 56 pts) currently sit third in the Metropolitan Division, where second place (N.Y. Rangers; 59 pts) and sixth place (Carolina; 54 pts) are separated by just five points. All-Star representative John Tavares has posted five points in his last five games, and ranks second on the team in points with 34 (Kyle Okposo; 35). This marks the Islanders' first visit to Washington this season. The Capitals defeated the Islanders 4-1 in Brooklyn on Jan. 7.

DUCKS-KINGS - THURSDAY AT 10 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

Los Angeles and Anaheim renew their rivalry this week on Thursday night on NBCSN, as Anaheim looks to continue push towards playoff position. The Ducks (22-18-7, 51 pts) are fourth in the Pacific Division, but boast a 10-3-1 record in their last 14 games. One of those three regulation losses came by a score of 3-2 at home against the Kings on Jan. 17. Corey Perry leads the team with 20 goals, while Ryan Kesler looks to build off of consecutive multi-point games against Detroit and Boston prior to the All-Star break.

The Kings (30-16-3, 63 pts) lead the Pacific Division by seven points over San Jose, and have built that lead with one of the stingiest defenses in the league. Tyler Toffoli is enjoying a breakout season for the Kings, with a team-leading 22 goals and a plus-24 plus-minus rating, tied for the best in the NHL. The Ducks (109 GA) and Kings (111 GA) have allowed the fewest goals in the Western Conference this season.

2016 HONDA NHL ALL-STAR GAME IS NBCSN'S MOST-WATCHED NHL ALL-STAR GAME ON RECORD

NBC Sports announced yesterday that Sunday's NHL ALL-STAR GAME on NBCSN, fueled by a new 3-on-3 tournament format and a two-goal performance by Pacific Division captain and All-Star Game MVP John Scott, was the most-watched and highest-rated All-Star Game in the network's history, averaging 1.595 million viewers and a 0.90 household rating, according to Fast National data from The Nielsen Company.Click here for more information on NBCSN's NHL ALL-STAR GAME viewership.

Following is this week's NHL and coverage on NBC and NBCSN:

Date	Coverage	Network	Time (ET)
Tues., February 2	NHL Live	NBCSN	6:30 p.m.
	Florida at Washington	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
	NHL Overtime*	NBCSN	10 p.m.
Wed., February 3	NHL Live	NBCSN	7 p.m.
	Wednesday Night Rivalry - Detroit at Tampa Bay	NBCSN	8 p.m.
	NHL Overtime*	NBCSN	10:30 p.m.
Thur., February 4	NHL Live	NBCSN	6:30 p.m.
	N.Y. Islanders at Washington	NBCSN	7:30 p.m.
	Anaheim at Los Angeles	NBCSN	10 p.m.
	NHL Overtime*	NBCSN	12:30 a.m.
Sun., February 7	NHL Game of the Week - Philadelphia at Washington	NBC	12 p.m.

*immediately following game coverage

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