The 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st Round Schedule

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Just what the NHL was thinking in releasing the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs 1st round schedule at 1:50 a.m. ET Sunday is beyond me. Why it couldn’t wait until later in the morning or even in the afternoon when it could maximize its exposure shows some strange thinking at the NHL offices.

It’s not like there was a clamoring outside the NHL headquarters in New York for the schedule release. I don’t know. Love the sport, but not the management here.

Anyway, here’s how the matchups look. In the U.S., NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network and NHL Network will air the games. In Canada, CBC will exclusively carry Montreal-Ottawa and Vancouver-Calgary with the other series dispersed among Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet 360.

Here’s how the breakdown looks:

2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 schedule

Here are the CBC/Sportsnet announcing assignments for the first two days of the playoffs.

Game Crews

Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators (starts Wed. April 15 at 7 p.m. ET/4p.m. PT on CBC)

• Play-by-play: Paul Romanuk; Game Analysts: Mike Johnson and Glenn Healy; Reporter: David Amber

Vancouver Canucks vs. Calgary Flames (starts Wed. April 15 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on CBC)

• Play-by-play: Jim Hughson; Game Analyst: Craig Simpson; Reporter: Scott Oake

Anaheim Ducks vs. Winnipeg Jets (starts Thursday, April 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet)

• Play-by-play: Dave Randorf; Game Analyst: Garry Galley; Reporter: Cassie Campbell-Pascall

New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (starts Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on CBC)

• Play-by-play: Bob Cole; Game Analyst: Greg Millen; Reporter: Christine Simpson

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Detroit Red Wings (starts Thursday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m.ET/4:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet)

• Play-by-play: Rick Ball; Game Analyst: John Garrett; Reporter: Dan Murphy

As for NBC Sports Group, we’ll have its usual crews back including the great Mike Emrick at the mic.

Here are their game announcers:

GAME COVERAGE

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 Eddie Olczyk, and Inside-the-Glass analyst and Emmy Award-winner Pierre McGuire, will be teamed together for most games during the playoffs, and will call their ninth consecutive Stanley Cup Final together. In addition, play-by-play voice Dave Strader will be paired with Inside-the-Glass analyst Brian Engblom for most telecasts.

NBC Sports Group will utilize six broadcast teams during its first-round coverage, with up to four or five games airing on any given night.* In addition to Emrick and Strader, Kenny Albert, John Forslund, Gord Miller and Chris Cuthbert will handle play-by-play duties during the first round. Bret Hedican and Joe Micheletti will serve as Inside-the-Glass analysts during first-round coverage.

A combination of four game crews will provide NBC Sports Group’s second-round Stanley Cup Playoff coverage. In addition to the teams of Emrick-Olczyk-McGuire and Strader-Engblom, Kenny Albert and John Forslund will contribute as play-by-play commentators, and Joe Micheletti will be an Inside-the-Glass analyst.

Coverage of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will feature two game crews: Emrick, Olczyk and McGuire; Kenny Albert, Joe Micheletti (booth analyst) and Brian Engblom (Inside-the-Glass analyst).

We’ll have their announcing assignments as they become available.

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