OK the Caps aren’t in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but there is still plenty of great hockey action to watch.
The NBC Sports Group continuesf the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as NBC, and VERSUS showcase the Conference Finals, set to begin this Saturday.
VERSUS will begin airing the Conference Finals with Game 1 of the Tampa Bay-Boston series this Saturday at 8 p.m. Washington fans will be pulling for Tampa Bay to go all the way. It is always best if you are beatten by the best.
Meanwhile the Western Conference Final starts Sunday on VERSUS with San Jose facing Vancouver at 8 p.m. NBC’s coverage will begin on May 21, at 1:30 p.m. with Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final when Tampa Bay hosts Boston.
VERSUS’ coverage of the Conference Finals is exclusive and not subject to any local blackouts. VERSUS will air all Conference Finals games for both the Eastern and Western Conference Finals with the exception of Games 4 for each series, which will air on NBC. NBC Sports Group’s coverage of the 2011 NHL Playoffs will culminate with exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final in primetime in June with NBC broadcasting Games 1-2 and 5-7 (if necessary), and VERSUS presenting exclusive coverage of Games 3 and 4.
The best in the business Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick (play-by-play) and Eddie Olczyk (analyst) will anchor NBC and VERSUS’ coverage of the Tampa Bay-Boston series with Pierre McGuire (inside-the-glass) for Game 1 and possibly Games 5-7.
Joe Micheletti will serve as the “inside-the-glass” analyst for Games 2-4. Dave Strader (play-by-play) and Brian Engblom (analyst) will be in the booth for all the Western Conference Final action along with Darren Pang inside-the-glass. NBC’s studio show will feature host Liam McHugh and analyst Mike Milbury.
Each night the network televises a playoff game, VERSUS will kick off the broadcast with a Hockey Central pregame show 30 minutes prior to puck-drop. Hosted by either Bill Patrick or Liam McHugh with Keith Jones and Jeremy Roenick, Hockey Central will preview the night’s action in the Conference Finals. To wrap up each night, the Hockey Central postgame show will have the latest highlights, news, analysis, and player interviews. Throughout the Conference Finals, Hockey Central will continue to feature guest analysts,
Here is the schedule for NBC:
Saturday, May 21
1:30 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, Game 4
Sunday, May 22
3 p.m. Western Conference, Game 4
VERSUS CONFERENCE FINAL SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Saturday, May 14
8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, Game 1
Sunday, May 15
8 p.m. Western Conference, Game 1
Tuesday, May 17
8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, Game 2
Wednesday, May 18
9 p.m. Western Conference, Game 2
Thursday, May 19
8 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, Game 3
Friday, May 20
9 p.m. Western Conference, Game 3
Monday, May 23
8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, Game 5*
Tuesday, May 24
9 p.m. Western Conference, Game 5*
Wednesday, May 25
8 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, Game 6*
Thursday, May 26
9 p.m. Western Conference, Game 6*
Friday, May 27
8 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, Game 7*
Saturday, May 28
8 p.m. Western Conference, Game 7*
*If necessary
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