NBC Hypes Rangers-Bruins

NEW YORK – Mar. 16, 2010 – The New York Rangers travel to Boston to take on the Bruins in a game critical to both teams’ Eastern Conference playoff hopes on Sunday, March 14 at 12:30 pm 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 TD Garden.

With the 2009-10 NHL regular season winding down, the Bruins and Rangers are fighting to be one of the eight teams to make the Eastern Conference playoffs. Currently, the Bruins are in eighth place with 72 points and the Rangers are in ninth place with 71 points.

MILBURY ON THE RANGERS: “They could summon it up and get on a roll. They’re the only team that has a legitimate chance to catch the Bruins.”

MCGUIRE ON THE BRUINS: “Some positive things for the Boston Bruins. One, they’re getting good goaltending from Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. Number two, Patrice Bergeron is coming back from a soar groin after the Olympics. He looks a lot better. He was dynamite in their huge win in Philadelphia. But the biggest thing is that they’re starting to get that team cohesion that they didn’t have earlier.”

CLOSE GAMES: All seven of NBC Sports’ NHL games this season have been decided by one goal, and five needed extra time to determine a winner.

On Sunday, March 14, the Washington Capitals defeated the host Chicago Blackhawks, 4-3, in overtime. Washington was trailing 3-0 in the final period before scoring three unanswered goals and ultimately winning the game with a fourth in OT. The Red Wings defeated the Blackhawks in Chicago, 5-4, on March 7 on the strength of five second-period goals. On Feb. 7, the Capitals defeated the Penguins, 5-4, in overtime on Mike Knuble’s goal. In the game, Sidney Crosby scored twice for Pittsburgh and Alexander Ovechkin registered a hat trick for Washington.

The week prior, on Jan. 31, the Penguins were on the winning end when they defeated the Red Wings in a Stanley Cup Final rematch, 2-1, via an overtime shootout. On Jan. 24, the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, on a power-play goal by Matt Cooke with 1:47 remaining. In NBC’s inaugural “Game of the Week” on Jan. 17, the Chicago Blackhawks needed a shootout to beat the Red Wings, 4-3, in Detroit.

The Boston Bruins needed overtime to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1, at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day in the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.

NBCSPORTS.COM: NBCSports.com will again offer “Star-cam” this season, tracking 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.

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 Feb. 7 and Apr. 11, Noon ET start times). 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.

2010 NHL GAME OF THE WEEK REGULAR-SEASON FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
(All Games Announced At Least 13 Days Prior)

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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