NBC, NBC Sports Network to show nine hours of NHL action on HDIA

Nine hours of hockey, including five games with playoff implications, highlight Hockey Day in America presented by McDonald's on NBC and NBC Sports Network this Sunday.

Part of Hockey Weekend Across America presented by Reebok, the day will start with a tripleheader of regional action on NBC, which will be followed by a nationally broadcast tilt between the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins and the Minnesota Wild (3:30 p.m. ET) and a nightcap featuring the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens on NBC Sports Network (6 p.m. ET).

NBC Sports Network will have live pre-game and early-game intermission reports from the Wells Fargo WinterSkate Rink at Landmark Plaza in downtown St. Paul, Minn., where a whole day of festivities, including youth clinics and autograph sessions, will take place.

The day starts with three games at Noon ET on NBC. While the games are being televised regionally, all three are available online on NBC’s NHL Extra player (in the United States).

Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins will visit the Buffalo Sabres in a rematch of the original NHL Winter Classic on NBC five years ago. Malkin leads the League with 69 points, and the Penguins are battling cross-state rival Philadelphia for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.

The San Jose Sharks will meet the Detroit Red Wings in a battle of division leaders at Joe Louis Arena. San Jose has knocked Detroit out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, but the Red Wings set a League record with their 21st home win Tuesday against Dallas.

Two teams chasing the Wings in the Central Division round out the regional tripleheader. The St. Louis Blues have been one of the top surprises in the NHL this season and enter the weekend fourth in the Western Conference. They will be in the Windy City to face the Chicago Blackhawks, who recently lost nine games in a row to slip to sixth in the West but rebounded with a win against the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

The Bruins and Wild will meet at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Boston has scuffled a bit recently, but the Bruins still lead the Northeast Division and trail the Rangers by seven points for the top spot in the East.

Minnesota in winless in their last six (0-4-2) and enter the weekend 12th in the West, but are just six points out of seventh. After this game, the Wild will play six of their next nine on the road.

The final game of the tripleheader will feature the Devils’ visit to Bell Centre to take on the Canadiens at 6 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network. New Jersey has won six of its last eight (6-1-1) and enters the weekend one point behind Pittsburgh for fifth place in the East. The Devils also have a game in hand on the Penguins and the Flyers, who are two points in front of Pittsburgh.