NBC Sports Group will present exclusive, comprehensive coverage of the 2015 IIHF World Hockey Championship from Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic - NBC Sports Group's fifth consecutive year covering international hockey's premier annual tournament - totaling more than 40 hours of coverage across NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra.

"As the U.S. television home of hockey, we're thrilled to present comprehensive coverage for the fifth consecutive year of IIHF World Hockey Championship, the sport's premier annual international tournament," said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN. "The World Championship is another example of our commitment to hockey, from our near-200 games of regular-season and Stanley Cup Playoff coverage, to our presentations of international hockey at the Olympic, Paralympic and Championship levels."

Live coverage begins on NBCSN on Friday, May 1, at 10 a.m. ET, when Team USA faces Finland, the 2014 silver medalist, in the first of seven preliminary-round games, which will all air on NBCSN. Team USA's preliminary-round matchups also feature a showdown with 2014 IIHF gold medalist Russia, on Monday, May 4, at 10 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Last year, Team USA finished second in preliminary-round play before losing 4-3 to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinal round.

This year's Team USA roster is highlighted by 2015 Hobey Baker Award-winner Jack Eichel, widely regarded as a top prospect in this year's NHL Draft.

The Team USA roster will also feature two-time Stanley Cup Champion Trevor Lewis (Los Angeles Kings), San Jose Sharks forward Ben Smith, who won the 2013 Stanley Cup Final with Chicago, and Boston Bruins defenseman Torey Krug. Click here to see the complete Team USA roster.

NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra will combine to present coverage of the quarterfinals, semifinals, and the 2015 IIHF Championship game, which will air live on Sunday, May 27 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

The 2015 IIHF World Championship marks the 79th installation of the tournament, which began in 1920. The results of the IIHF World Championship, along with Winter Olympics ice hockey results, help determine the IIHF World Ranking for top men's ice hockey teams in the world.

Following is NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra's coverage schedule for the upcoming 2015 IIHF World Championship in May (dates and times subject to change):

Date Coverage Network Time (ET) Fri., May 1 Team USA vs. Finland NBCSN 10 a.m. Sat., May 2 Team USA vs. Norway* NBCSN 11 p.m. Mon., May 4 Team USA vs. Russia NBCSN 10 a.m. Thur., May 7 Team USA vs. Belarus NBCSN 10 a.m. Fri., May 8 Team USA vs. Denmark NBCSN 2 p.m. Sun., May 10 Team USA vs. Slovenia* NBCSN 3 p.m. Tue., May 12 Team USA vs. Slovakia NBCSN 10 a.m. Thu., May 14 IIHF Quarterfinals NBCSN 9 a.m. IIHF Quarterfinals NBC Sports Live Extra 10 a.m. IIHF Quarterfinals** NBCSN 11:30 a.m. IIHF Quarterfinals NBC Sports Live Extra 1 p.m. IIHF Quarterfinals NBC Sports Live Extra 2 p.m. IIHF Quarterfinals* NBCSN 11:30 p.m. Sat., May 16 IIHF Semifinals NBC Sports Live Extra 9:30 a.m. IIHF Semifinals NBC Sports Live Extra 1 p.m. Sun., May 17 IIHF Bronze Medal Game NBC Sports Live Extra 10 a.m. IIHF Championship Game NBCSN 2:30 p.m.

*denotes same-day delay

**denotes joined-in-progress

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