NBC PR For Penguins-Flyers

NEW YORK – Jan. 18, 2010 – Sidney Crosby, who is tied for second in the NHL in goals scored (30), leads the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins into Philadelphia to face the Flyers in a Keystone State rivalry on the NHL “Game of the Week” this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports.

Mike “Doc” Emrick (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst) and Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass reporter) call the action. McGuire will pull double duty, hosting NBC’s studio show alongside analyst Mike Milbury on site at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

The Penguins are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with 61 points, while the Flyers (49), who have won or tied seven of their last 10, are only one point out of being tied for the final playoff spot in the conference.

OLCZYK: “This is a great rivalry and I was privileged to be apart of it as both a player and coach. It’s always a real animated game. Michael Leighton’s play while Ray Emery was out has really allowed the Flyers to get within arms reach of playoffs. The Flyers know that it’s the end of January and that you can’t let any points get away. The Penguins are in good playoff position and, of course, have two of the best players in the world in Crosby and (Evgeni) Malkin, who are always fun to watch.”

OLYMPIANS IN THE GAME: Sunday’s game features 10 players who will compete for their respective Olympic teams in Vancouver in February. Following is a list of those players:

USA
Pittsburgh, D Brooks Orpik

CANADA
Philadelphia, D Chris Pronger
Philadelphia, F Mike Richards
Pittsburgh, F Sidney Crosby
Pittsburgh, G Marc-Andre Fleury

FINLAND
Philadelphia, D Kimmo Timonen

LATVIA
Philadelphia, D Oskars Bartulis

NORWAY
Philadelphia, D Ole-Kristian Tollefsen

RUSSIA
Pittsburgh, D Sergei Gonchar
Pittsburgh, F Evgeni Malkin

CLOSE GAMES: Both of NBC Sports’ NHL games this season have needed extra time to determine a winner. The Boston Bruins needed overtime to defeat the Flyers, 2-1, at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day in the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. In NBC’s inaugural “Game of the Week” last week, the Chicago Blackhawks needed a shootout to beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in Detroit.

NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com will again offer “Star-cam” this season. It will follow a player from both teams throughout each of their shifts. Following the game, NBCSports.com will present bonus material, including “Star-cam” and “Net-cam” and bonus analysis from NBC Sports commentators.

RED WINGS AT PENGUINS FLEXED INTO JAN. 31 “GAME OF THE WEEK”: The NHL and NBC Sports have announced that the Sunday, Jan. 31 contest between the Detroit Red Wings at Pittsburgh Penguins has been selected for the “NHL Game of the Week” on NBC Sports. Puck drop is at 12:30 p.m. ET. The game is the first meeting of the season between the two teams who have met for the previous two Stanley Cup Finals with each team claiming one championship.

The matchup for the Feb. 7 “Game of the Week” on NBC Sports will be announced on the Thursday, Jan. 21, edition of “NHL Hour With Commissioner Gary Bettman” on NHL.com and SIRIUS XM Radio airing from 6-7 p.m. ET.

FLEX SCHEDULING & CONSISTENT 12:30 PM ET START TIME: Again this year, “Game of the Week” broadcasts will consistently start at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sundays (except for April 11, Noon ET start time). For the third straight season, the NHL and NBC Sports will utilize flex scheduling and will be able to select from up to four games on Sunday afternoons. At least 13 days prior to the scheduled games, the NHL and NBC Sports will announce one of those games as the “Game of the Week” to be broadcast during the NBC Sports window. The other games will remain available to the teams’ regional carrier but will not be televised during NBC Sports’ broadcast window.

2009 NHL GAME OF THE WEEK REGULAR-SEASON FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
(All Games Announced At Least 13 Days Prior)

Sunday, Jan. 24, 12:30 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh @ Philadelphia (Flexed)

Sunday, Jan. 31, 12:30 p.m. ET
Detroit @ Pittsburgh (Flexed)

Sunday, Feb. 7, 12:30 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh @ Washington
Boston @ Montreal

Sunday, Mar. 7, 12:30 p.m. ET
Boston @ Pittsburgh
Detroit @ Chicago
Carolina @ Atlanta

Sunday, Mar. 14, 12:30 p.m. ET
Philadelphia @ New York Rangers
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay
Colorado @ Dallas
Washington @ Chicago

Sunday, Mar. 21, 12:30 p.m. ET
New York Rangers @ Boston
Buffalo @ Carolina

Sunday, Apr. 4, 12:30 p.m. ET
Detroit @ Philadelphia

Sunday, Apr. 11, 12:00 p.m. ET
Boston @ Washington
New York Rangers @ Philadelphia
Detroit @ Chicago

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