STAMFORD, Conn. - July 31, 2017 - Coming off of the most-watched Stanley Cup Final without an Original Six team on record, NBC Sports Group is scheduled to present 99 NHL regular-season games during the 2017-18 season, beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins host the St. Louis Blues. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.

Opening Night Features Two-Time Defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins Hosting St. Louis Blues on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN

First Week of Season on NBCSN Features Detroit Red Wings' First-Ever Regular-Season Home Game at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 5; Vegas Golden Knights' First-Ever Home Game on Oct. 10

2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic Features Rangers-Sabres on Jan. 1 on NBC from Citi Field; Toronto Maple Leafs Face Washington Capitals Outdoors at Naval Academy on NBC in Primetime on March 3

NBC and NBCSN Present Coverage of 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend from AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 27-28

Auston Matthews' Maple Leafs & Connor McDavid's Oilers Each Appear Three Times on NBC/NBCSN; Nashville Makes Seven Appearances

All U.S. NHL Teams Featured on NBC or NBCSN During 2017-18 Regular Season

"We're proud to offer our most diverse NHL schedule ever to fans across the country," said Sam Flood, Executive Producer, NBC Sports & President of Production. "From classic rivalries and historic franchises, to young stars such as Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, a hockey-crazed market in Nashville, and a new franchise in Vegas, this schedule represents our commitment to present the NHL's diverse and emerging stars, teams, and stories."

Schedule highlights include:

NBCSN will televise seven games through the first week of the season, highlighted by the season-opener between the St. Louis Blues and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins; the Detroit Red Wings' first-ever regular-season home game at Little Caesars Arena vs. the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 5; the Vegas Golden Knights' first-ever home game vs. the Arizona Coyotes on Oct. 10; and a Wednesday Night Rivalry clash between the Penguins and Washington Capitals on Oct. 11.

NBC will present the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres from Citi Field in New York City, home of Major League Baseball's New York Mets, on Jan. 1, 2018, at 1 p.m. ET.

NBC will air exclusive coverage of the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series in primetime on March 3, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET, when the Toronto Maple Leafs face the Capitals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., home of the U.S. Naval Academy.

NBC will present coverage of the NHL All-Star Game from AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Fla., home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. NHL All-Star Weekend will take place Saturday, Jan. 27 and Sunday, Jan. 28, and will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ and the NHL All-Star Game.

The 2017-18 regular season on NBCSN will feature 23 Wednesday Night Rivalry telecasts, plus five Wednesday Nightcaps and five Sunday Night Hockey exclusive games. WNR will feature the biggest rivalries in the NHL, including Penguins-Capitals, Blues-Blackhawks, and Canadiens-Bruins.

Auston Matthews' Toronto Maple Leafs and Connor McDavid's Edmonton Oilers will each make three appearances on NBC or NBCSN. In addition to its Stadium Series game on NBC, Toronto will face off against the Blackhawks on Wednesday Night Rivalry on Jan. 24, and visit Buffalo on March 5, both on NBCSN. The Oilers will visit St. Louis on Nov. 21, host Los Angeles on Jan. 2, and visit the defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators on Jan. 9, all on NBCSN.

The defending Western Conference champion Nashville Predators will make seven appearances this season on NBCSN, including a pair of home matchups against the Blackhawks on Nov. 28 and Jan. 30.

The Blackhawks lead all clubs with 17 total appearances on NBC and NBCSN, followed by the Penguins and Flyers with 16, and the Capitals, Red Wings, and Bruins with 15 appearances apiece, respectively. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will be featured on NBCSN five times this season. *Note: some games are subject to local blackouts*

At least 53 of NBC and NBCSN's 99 telecasts will feature at least one Western Conference team, and every U.S. team will appear on NBC or NBCSN in the regular season.

NHL ON NBCSN

NBCSN will televise 90 NHL regular-season games this season, including the Opening Night doubleheader, 23 Wednesday Night Rivalry games, five Wednesday Nightcaps, five Sunday Night Hockey contests, and NHL All-Star coverage.

NBCSN coverage begins on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live leading into coverage of Blues-Penguins from Pittsburgh. Coverage shifts to San Jose immediately following Blues-Penguins for the Wednesday Nightcap, featuring the Flyers and Sharks.

NHL ON NBC

NHL on NBC coverage begins on Friday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m. ET, with the 2017 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins, marking the first of nine games that will air on NBC during the regular season. Beginning on Jan. 14, and continuing through the end of the regular season, NBC will present the NHL Game of the Week, generally occurring on Sunday afternoons. Following is the 2017-18 NHL on NBC regular season schedule:

Date Away Home Time (ET) Fri., Nov. 24# Pittsburgh Boston 1 p.m. Sun., Jan. 1* N.Y. Rangers Buffalo 1 p.m. Sun., Jan 14 N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh 12:30 p.m. Sun., Jan 21 Philadelphia Washington 12:30 p.m. Sun., Mar. 3^ Toronto Washington 8 p.m. Sun., Mar. 11 Boston Chicago 12:30 p.m. Sun., Mar. 25 Philadelphia Pittsburgh 12:30 p.m. Sun., Apr. 1 Boston Philadelphia 12:30 p.m. Sat., Apr. 7 N.Y. Rangers Philadelphia 3 p.m.

#2017 NHL Thanksgiving Showdown; *2018 NHL Winter Classic; ^2018 NHL Stadium Series

NHL WINTER CLASSIC, NHL STADIUM SERIES AND NHL100 CLASSIC

On Jan. 1, the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will feature the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers on NBC at 1 p.m. ET at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. This year's edition will mark the 10-year anniversary of the first NHL Winter Classic®, which has produced five of the most-watched NHL regular-season games on record.

NBC will present exclusive coverage of the 2018 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series and the 2017 Scotiabank NHL100 Classic. The NHL Stadium Series will feature the Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals on March 3 in primetime on NBC at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, located at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. NBCSN will televise the outdoor NHL100 Classic on Dec. 16, featuring the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens from Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, commemorating the first-ever NHL game, which featured the Senators and Canadiens nearly 100 years ago.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT RIVALRY

NBCSN's exclusive Wednesday Night Rivalry coverage will return for a fifth season and will feature some of the biggest rivalries in the NHL, including Penguins-Capitals, Blues-Blackhawks, and Canadiens-Bruins. The network will air exclusive coverage on Wednesday nights for 23 weeks, with games usually starting at 8 p.m. ET. NBCSN's 10 most-watched games in 2016-17 were either Wednesday Night Rivalry or Sunday Night Hockey games.

NBCSN 2017-18 NHL Wednesday Night Rivalry schedule (subject to change):

Date Away Home Time (ET) October 4* St. Louis Pittsburgh 8 p.m. October 11 Pittsburgh Washington 7:30 p.m. October 18 Chicago St. Louis 8 p.m. October 25 Buffalo Columbus 8 p.m. November 1 Philadelphia Chicago 8 p.m. November 8 Boston N.Y. Rangers 8 p.m. November 15 N.Y. Rangers Chicago 8 p.m. November 29 Tampa Bay Boston 7:30 p.m. December 6 Chicago Washington 8 p.m. December 13 Boston Detroit 8 p.m. December 20 Detroit Philadelphia 8 p.m. January 3 Chicago N.Y. Rangers 8 p.m. January 10 Minnesota Chicago 8 p.m. January 17 Montreal Boston 7:30 p.m. January 24 Toronto Chicago 8 p.m. January 31 Philadelphia Washington 8 p.m. February 7 Boston N.Y. Rangers 8 p.m. February 28 Detroit St. Louis 8 p.m. March 4 Detroit Minnesota 7 p.m. March 7 Pittsburgh Philadelphia 8 p.m. March 14 Pittsburgh N.Y. Rangers 8 p.m. March 21 Boston St. Louis 8 p.m. March 28 N.Y. Rangers Washington 8 p.m. April 4 Chicago St. Louis 8 p.m.

*Opening night

WEDNESDAY NIGHTCAP

In addition, NBCSN will present five games on Wednesday nights that will immediately follow Wednesday Night Rivalry matchups. These nightcaps will showcase one or two Western Conference teams. The first of these games will take place on Opening Night, when Philadelphia visits San Jose following Blues-Penguins. Following are the five Wednesday Nightcap games:

Date Away Home Time (ET) October 4 Philadelphia San Jose 10:30 p.m. October 18 Montreal Los Angeles 10:30 p.m. November 1 Nashville San Jose 10:30 p.m. November 8 Tampa Bay San Jose 10:30 p.m. January 17 Pittsburgh Anaheim 10 p.m.

SUNDAY NIGHT HOCKEY ON NBCSN

Beginning on March 4, NBCSN will present five Sunday Night Hockey matchups. These exclusive telecasts include Red Wings-Wild, Blues-Blackhawks, and Capitals-Penguins. Following is NBCSN's Sunday Night Hockey schedule:

Date Away Home Time (ET) March 4 Detroit Minnesota 7 p.m. March 11 Dallas Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m. March 18 St. Louis Chicago 7:30 p.m. March 25 Boston Minnesota 7:30 p.m. April 1 Washington Pittsburgh 7:30 p.m.

NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND - JAN. 27-28 - AMALIE ARENA IN TAMPA, FLA.

NBC and NBCSN will present extensive coverage of the 2018 NHL All-Star Weekend from AMALIE Arena in Tampa, Fla., the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. NHL All-Star will take place January 27-28, 2018, and will include the NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ on Saturday, Jan. 27, on NBCSN, and the NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 28, on NBC. Last year's NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles, Calif., fueled by the second consecutive season featuring the 3-on-3 tournament style format, returned to NBC to mark the first time the game was played on network television since 2004.

NHL LIVE AND NHL OVERTIME

NHL Live and NHL Overtime, NBCSN's live pre- and post-game show with highlights and analysis of NHL matchups, will air before and after most games. A 60-minute edition of NHL Live will air prior to most games, while NHL Overtime will air immediately following most games.

NBCSPORTS.COM & NBC SPORTS APP

The NBC Sports app - NBC Sports Group's live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs - will stream coverage via "TV Everywhere," giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Comcast's X1, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

NBC Sports Group 2017-18 NHL regular-season schedule (subject to change):

Date Away Home Network Time (ET) Wed., Oct. 4 St. Louis Pittsburgh NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Oct. 4 Philadelphia San Jose NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Thur., Oct. 5 Minnesota Detroit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 5 Philadelphia Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m. Tue., Oct. 10 Chicago Montreal NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Oct. 10 Arizona Vegas NBCSN 10 p.m. Wed., Oct. 11 Pittsburgh Washington NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Oct. 17 Tampa Bay New Jersey NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Oct. 17 Montreal San Jose NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 18 Chicago St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Oct. 18 Montreal Los Angeles NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 21 Florida Washington NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Oct. 24 Detroit Buffalo NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 25 Buffalo Columbus NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 1 Philadelphia Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 1 Nashville San Jose NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Tue., Nov. 7 Washington Buffalo NBCSN 7 p.m. Tue., Nov. 7 Los Angeles Anaheim NBCSN 10 p.m. Wed., Nov. 8 Boston N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 8 Tampa Bay San Jose NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Tue., Nov. 14 Washington Nashville NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 15 N.Y. Rangers Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m. Tue., Nov. 21 Edmonton St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 22 Chicago Tampa Bay NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Fri., Nov. 24 Pittsburgh Boston NBC 1 p.m. Tue., Nov. 28 Chicago Nashville NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Nov. 29 Tampa Bay Boston NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Dec. 5 N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Dec. 5 Minnesota Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m. Wed., Dec. 6 Chicago Washington NBCSN 8 p.m. Tue., Dec. 12 Tampa Bay St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Dec. 13 Boston Detroit NBCSN 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 16 Montreal Ottawa NBCSN 7 p.m. Tue., Dec. 19 Boston Buffalo NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 20 Detroit Philadelphia NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Dec. 27 Washington N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Dec. 28 Boston Washington NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Thur., Dec. 28 Vegas Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m. Fri., Dec. 29 Nashville Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m. Mon., Jan. 1 N.Y. Rangers Buffalo NBC 1 p.m. Tue., Jan 2 Pittsburgh Philadelphia NBCSN 7 p.m. Tue., Jan. 2 Los Angeles Edmonton NBCSN 9:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 3 Chicago N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 8 p.m. Sun., Jan. 7 Boston Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 9 Edmonton Nashville NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Jan. 10 Minnesota Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m. Sun., Jan. 14 N.Y. Rangers Pittsburgh NBC 12:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 15 N.Y. Islanders Montreal NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 16 Philadelphia N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 7 p.m. Wed., Jan 17 Montreal Boston NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 17 Pittsburgh Anaheim NBCSN 10 p.m. Thur., Jan 18 Buffalo N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Thur., Jan 18 Pittsburgh Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m. Fri., Jan 19 Los Angeles Anaheim NBCSN 10 p.m. Sun., Jan. 21 Philadelphia Washington NBC 12:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 22 Tampa Bay Chicago NBCSN 8:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 23 Philadelphia Detroit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 24 Toronto Chicago NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Jan. 25 Chicago Detroit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 30 Chicago Nashville NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Jan. 31 Philadelphia Washington NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Feb. 1 Los Angeles Nashville NBCSN 8:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 2 Vegas Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m. Tue., Feb. 6 Minnesota St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Wed., Feb. 7 Boston N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 8 p.m. Mon., Feb. 26 Philadelphia Montreal NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Feb. 27 St. Louis Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m. Tue., Feb. 27 Los Angeles Vegas NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 28 Detroit St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Mar. 1 Pittsburgh Boston NBCSN 7 p.m. Thur., Mar. 1 Chicago San Jose NBCSN 10 p.m. Sat., Mar. 3 Toronto Washington NBC 8 p.m. Sun., Mar. 4 Detroit Minnesota NBCSN 7 p.m. Mon., Mar. 5 Toronto Buffalo NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Mar. 6 Detroit Boston NBCSN 7 p.m. Tue., Mar. 6 Washington Anaheim NBCSN 10 p.m. Wed., Mar. 7 Pittsburgh Philadelphia NBCSN 8 p.m. Sun., Mar. 11 Boston Chicago NBC 12:30 p.m. Sun., Mar. 11 Dallas Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Mar. 13 Colorado Minnesota NBCSN 8:30 p.m. Wed., Mar. 14 Pittsburgh N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Mar. 15 Pittsburgh Montreal NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Thur., Mar. 15 Detroit Los Angeles NBCSN 10 p.m. Sun., Mar. 18 St. Louis Chicago NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Mon., Mar. 19 Los Angeles Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m. Tue., Mar. 20 Philadelphia Detroit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Mar. 21 Boston St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Mar. 22 Washington Detroit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Thur., Mar. 22 Vegas San Jose NBCSN 10 p.m. Sun., Mar. 25 Philadelphia Pittsburgh NBC 12:30 p.m. Sun., Mar. 25 Boston Minnesota NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Mon., Mar. 26 Washington N.Y. Rangers NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Wed., Mar. 28 N.Y. Rangers Washington NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Mar. 29 Dallas Minnesota NBCSN 8 p.m. Sun., Apr. 1 Boston Philadelphia NBC 12:30 p.m. Sun., Apr. 1 Washington Pittsburgh NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Tue., Apr. 3 TBD TBD NBCSN TBD Wed., Apr. 4 Chicago St. Louis NBCSN 8 p.m. Thur., Apr. 5 Carolina Philadelphia NBCSN 7 p.m. Fri., Apr. 6 TBD TBD NBCSN TBD Sat., Apr. 7 N.Y. Rangers Philadelphia NBC 3 p.m. Sat., Apr. 7 TBD TBD NBCSN TBD

*Some games will be blacked out in local markets and televised in those markets by a regional carrier.

--NBC SPORTS GROUP--