NBC Sports announces its exclusive NHL schedule for 2020-21 regular season

Remainder of NBC Sports’ schedule to be released soon

>> See NBC Sports announces full 2020-21 NHL regular-season schedule

NBC Sports recently announced the telecast schedule for its exclusive games for the 2020-21 NHL regular season, beginning with a “Wednesday Night Hockey” tripleheader on Jan. 13 on NBCSN headlined by the defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning against the Chicago Blackhawks at 8 p.m. ET.

NBC Sports’ NHL telecast schedule features exclusive weekend games on NBC and “Wednesday Night Hockey” and “Sunday Night Hockey” matchups on NBCSN. All game times and NBC Sports’ full 2020-21 NHL regular-season schedule will be announced soon.

The Jan. 13 season-opening tripleheader on NBCSN begins with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at 5:30 p.m. and concludes with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche at 10:30 p.m.

The NHL announced a 56-game regular-season schedule per team for the 2020-21 season, as well as a divisional realignment sought to minimize team travel as much as possible by shifting to exclusively intra-divisional play.

All coverage on NBC and NBCSN streams on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app.

‘Wednesday Night Hockey’ on NBCSN

√ Schedule diversity – 19 different teams featured in 18 matchups and a blend of Eastern, Western and Canadian markets.

√ Star power – Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane, Carey Price, David Pastrnak, Claude Giroux, and 2020 NHL Draft first overall pick Alexis Lafreniere all featured.

√ Top matchups – 14 of 19 matchups include a 2019-20 Stanley Cup Playoff team.

•NBCSN ‘2020-21 NHL Wednesday Night Hockey Presented by New Amsterdam Vodka’ (subject to change):

*Opening night

NHL on NBC

√ Once a week – NBC Sports will showcase the NHL 16 times on NBC – once every week on average during the 2020-21 season – beginning Sunday, Jan. 17, featuring the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the most-ever NHL regular-season games on NBC.

√ Fan-favorite rivalries – The NHL on NBC schedule features a number of rivalries, including a Valentine’s Day date between the Capitals and Penguins, plus Blackhawks-Red Wings, Bruins-Rangers, and Blues-Avalanche matchups.

√ “Final flex Saturday” – the final game on the NHL on NBC schedule on Saturday, May 8, is currently TBD and will feature the most compelling game with playoff implications.

•NHL on NBC 2020-21 SCHEDULE

‘Sunday Night Hockey’ on NBCSN

√ Schedule variety – 15 different teams from all four divisions will be showcased across 10 “Sunday Night Hockey” matchups.

√ Top tier teams – All four Conference Final teams from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs will be featured on “Sunday Night Hockey.”

√ Westward ho! – Six of the 10 matchups feature a Western Conference team.

•2020-21 “Sunday Night Hockey” schedule on NBCSN

*Some games will be blacked out in local markets and televised in those markets by a regional carrier.