Game 6 of what could be the last game of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Final is tonight. NBC Sports Network will air the contest starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Mike “Doc” Emrick will have the call and he’ll be joined by Eddie “Edzo” Olczyk in the booth and Pierre “No Mind” McGuire in between the benches.
NHL Live begins at 7 p.m. ET with Liam McHugh.
NBC tells us that Wednesday’s Game 5 of Devils-Rangers registered a 6.47 rating in New York making it the best rating for an NHL game on the network in the local market.
And for the Western Conference Final between Los Angeles and Phoenix, NBCSN averaged 1.02 million viewers for the series, outpacing last year’s WCF between Vancouver and San Jose.
Let’s look at the press release, shall we?
DEVILS-RANGERS GAME 6 AIRS TONIGHT AT 8 ET ON NBC SPORTS NETWORK (Devils lead series 3-2)
Western Conference Finals Viewership Up 18%
New York Generates Best-Ever NHL Rating on NBC Sports Network for Devils-Rangers Game 5NEW YORK – May 25, 2012 – Day 44 – The NBC Sports Group’s exclusive coverage of the 2012 NHL Conference Finals continues tonight on NBC Sports Network with a crucial Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The #6 New Jersey Devils lead the series 3-2 and host the #1 New York Rangers at the Prudential Center at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. With a win, the Devils can advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2003. The Eastern Conference winner will meet the Los Angeles Kings. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with NHL Live.
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (‘Inside-the-glass’ analyst) will call the action.
REMAINING EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 25 8 p.m. #1 New York Rangers @ #6 New Jersey Devils (Game 6) NBC Sports Network Sunday, May 27 8 p.m. #6 New Jersey Devils @ #1 New York Rangers (Game 7)* NBC Sports Network *If Necessary
VIEWERSHIP
The 2012 Western Conference Finals, won in five games by the Los Angeles Kings over the Phoenix Coyotes, averaged 1.02 million viewers for the four games on NBC Sports Network, up 18 percent over last year’s Western Conference Finals (San Jose-Vancouver, 863,000). NBC Sports Network aired Games 1, 2, 3 and 5. NBC aired Game 4, averaging 1.4 million viewers, down slightly vs. last year (San Jose-Vancouver, 1.5 million).
For Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, played Wednesday night between the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, the New York market registered a 6.47 rating, the best rating for the market ever for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network. The telecast surpassed NBC Sports Network’s previous best rating in New York, which was a 6.21 for Game 1 of the same series. The NBC Sports Network was the No. 1 cable network in New York during the game. National ratings for Game 5 and the Eastern Conference Finals to date will be available later today.
Overall, the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 973,000 viewers on NBC Sports Network through Tuesday, May 22, up 21% vs. last year (805,000).
PRAISE FOR MIKE ‘DOC’ EMRICK
Twitter was abuzz with acclaim for Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick last night as he called the play-by-play for Rangers- Devils Game 5.
- Brian Costello, New York Post writer: “Doc Emrick is absolutely amazing at his job.”
- Art Stapleton, The Record writer: “What Gus Johnson does/did for March Madness, Doc Emrick does for the NHL Playoffs. Incredible.”
- Wes Durham, voice of George Tech and Atlanta Falcons: “Whether it’s game 5 or game 7. Give me Doc Emrick in a 3rd period tie any night of the playoffs. #sogooditssick”
KINGS OF THE WEST
Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Penner scored at 17:42 of overtime against the Phoenix Coyotes to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final for the first since 1993 and the second time in franchise history. Penner’s decisive goal was his first career playoff overtime goal.
2012 STANLEY CUP FINAL SCHEDULE
All 2012 Stanley Cup Final games will air exclusively on NBC or the NBC Sports Network. Following is the schedule as released by the NHL (all times ET and subject to change):
Wednesday, May 30 8 p.m. Los Angeles Kings @ Eastern Champion (Game 1) NBC Saturday, June 2 8 p.m. Los Angeles Kings @ Eastern Champion (Game 2) NBC Monday, June 4 8 p.m. Eastern Champion @ Los Angeles Kings (Game 3) NBC Sports Network Wednesday, June 6 8 p.m. Eastern Champion @ Los Angeles Kings (Game 4) NBC Sports Network Saturday, June 9 8 p.m. Los Angeles Kings @ Eastern Champion (Game 5) * NBC Monday, June 11 8 p.m. Eastern Champion @ Los Angeles Kings (Game 6) * NBC Wednesday, June 13 8 p.m. Los Angeles Kings @ Eastern Champion (Game 7)* NBC * If Necessary
CHANNEL FINDER
With all 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff games airing nationally for the first time, the NBC Sports Group created a channel finder to help fans find NBC and NBC Sports Network in their area by simply entering a zip code.
Click here for the channel finder.
PRE-GAME & POST-GAME COVERAGE
NHL Live, NBC Sports Network’s NHL pre-game show, will air every game night before the puck drops. NHL Post-Game will air 30 minutes following the conclusion of game coverage every night of the playoffs.
GAMES TELEVISED SO FAR
For the first time in the 95-year history of the NHL, every Stanley Cup Playoff game will be televised nationally. The NBC Sports Group is providing unprecedented access to the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in April, May and June, televising as many as 89 playoff games and possibly more than 262.5 hours of programming. Games will be presented on NBC, the NBC Sports Network, the NHL Network, and NBCUniversal’s business channel CNBC in primetime.
NBC Sports Network Forty Eight* CNBC Thirteen NBC Twelve NHL Network Six Total 79* * Includes Devils-Panthers Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 that was joined in progress
There you have it.
