NBC Sports Coverage of 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs to Begin 4/11

The NBC Sports Group's coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins Wednesday night with the Eastern Conference's #5 Philadelphia Flyers visiting in-state rival #4 Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. Two additional games will air Wednesday night: the Western Conference #5 Detroit Red Wings travel to Nashville to face the #4 Predators at 8 p.m. ET on CNBC; and the Western Conference's #8 Los Angeles Kings will meet the #1 Vancouver Canucks at 10:30 p.m. ET also on NBC Sports Network. Coverage begins on the NBC Sports Network at 6:30 p.m. ET with NHL Live.

The 2012 NHL post-season marks the first time in league history that every first-round playoff game is being televised on a national platform. In order to televise as many as five games on a given day/night during the first round, the NBC Sports Group will present match-ups on NBC, the NBC Sports Network, the NHL Network, and NBCUniversal's business channel CNBC in primetime.

Following is the NBC Sports Group's Conference Quarterfinal Television Schedule through Saturday, April 21. Scheduling for remaining first-round games is TBD. (NOTE: Games airing on NBC Sports Network, CNBC and the NHL Network are subject to local blackouts in the first round; all times ET and subject to change):

Wednesday, April 11 7:30 p.m. Phi @ Pit NBCSN 8 p.m. Det @ Nas CNBC 10:30 p.m. L.A. @ Van NBCSN

Thursday, April 12 7 p.m. Ott @ NYR NHL Network 7:30 p.m. Was @ Bos NBCSN 7:30 p.m. SJ @ STL CNBC 10 p.m. Chi @ Ph

· NBCSN

Friday, April 13 7 p.m. NJ @ Fla NHL Network 7:30 p.m. Phi @ Pit NBCSN 7:30 p.m. Det @ Nas CNBC 10 p.m. L.A. @ Van NBCSN

Saturday, April 14 3 p.m. Was @ Bos NBC 7 p.m. Ott @ NYR NBCSN 7:30 p.m. SJ @ STL CNBC 10 p.m. Chi @ Ph

· NBCSN

Sunday, April 15 Noon Nas @ Det NBC 3 p.m. Pit @ Phi NBC 7:30 p.m. NJ @ Fla NBCSN 10:30 p.m. Van @ L.A. NBCSN

Monday, April 16 7:30 p.m. Bos @ Was NBCSN 7:30 p.m. NYR @ Ott CNBC 10 p.m. STL @ SJ NBCSN

Tuesday, April 17 7 p.m. Fla @ NJ NHL Network 7:30 p.m. Nas @ Det NBCSN 9 p.m. Pho @ Chi CNBC

Wednesday, April 18 7:30 p.m. Pit @ Phi NBCSN 7:30 p.m. NYR @ Ott CNBC 10 p.m. Van @ L.A. NBCSN

Thursday, April 19 7 p.m. Fla @ NJ NHL Network 7:30 p.m. Bos @ Was NBCSN 8 p.m. Pho @ Chi CNBC 10:30 p.m. STL @ SJ NBCSN

Friday, April 20 7:30 p.m. Phi @ Pit NBCSN 8 p.m. Det @ Nas CNBC

Saturday, April 21 3 p.m. Was @ Bos NBC 6:30 p.m. NJ @ Fla NHL Network 7 p.m. Ott @ NYR NBCSN 7:30 p.m. SJ @ STL CNBC 10 p.m. Chi @ Ph

· NBCSN

PRE-GAME & POST-GAME COVERAGE

NHL Live, NBC Sports Network's NHL pre-game show, will air every game night at 6:30 p.m. ET. NHL Post-Game will air a 30-minute program following the conclusion of game coverage every night of the playoffs.

COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL COVERAGE

Comcast SportsNet, the local home for the Blackhawks, Capitals, Flyers and Sharks, will air comprehensive coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (for its teams that advance to the post-season), including exclusive regional coverage of all first-round games with pre- and post-game shows.

For teams that advance past the first round, the regional networks will closely follow hometown playoff progress with pre- and post-game coverage as well as breaking news and analysis throughout each team's playoff run.

Comcast SportsNet New England will air special pre- and post-game coverage for all Bruins games throughout the playoffs, as well as in-depth coverage and analysis of the team's playoff run throughout all CSNNE programming and online at CSNNE.com.

NBCSPORTS.COM

NBCSports.com's fast-growing ProHockeyTalk, which has experienced a 140% increase in unique visitors and a 289% in page views compared to last season, will anchor NBC Sports' online and mobile coverage of the NHL Playoffs.

Featuring writers Jason Brough & Mike Halford, ProHockeyTalk provides unique, informative and entertaining news, commentary and analysis-- updated around the clock -- on all the stories surrrounding the NHL Playoffs. ProHockeyTalk is also an integral part of the popular NBC Sports Talk app. Other NBCSports.com features will include:

· The debut of PHT Extra, a multiple-times-a-week. online-only. video segment, featuring ProHockeyTalk's Brough and Halford

· Online-only videos featuring NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network hockey commentators previewing upcoming playoff games and wrapping-up all of the NHL action that day