Stars to face division foe Wild on national TV

NBC Sports is scheduled to present 109 NHL regular-season games during the 2018-19 season - its most since acquiring NHL rights prior to the 2005-06 season. Coverage begins Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, when Alex Ovechkin and the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals raise their championship banner to the rafters and host the BostonBruins. All games will be streamed live on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app to authenticated users via TV Everywhere.

NBC Sports' 2018-19 NHL schedule is highlighted by the debut of "Wednesday Night Hockey" on NBCSN, which will showcase the network's most diverse schedule since it acquired NHL rights prior to the 2005-06 season, as well as NHL's current and rising stars. Highlights of NBC Sports' "Wednesday Night Hockey" schedule on NBCSN include:
"With the impressive growth of fan interest in non-traditional NHL markets combined with the emergence of a number of rising stars, we felt the time was right to broaden our Wednesday night schedule and evolve the brand," said Sam Flood, Executive Producer & President, Production, NBC Sports and NBCSN. "Fans will still see plenty of games between traditional powers, but our new approach to Wednesday nights - including a record number of doubleheaders - allows us to show more rising starsand more Western Conference and Canadian teams than ever before."
Following are highlights of NBC Sports' 2018-19 NHL regular-season schedule:

NHL WINTER CLASSIC AND NHL STADIUM SERIES

On Jan. 1, the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic will feature the Boston Bruins and the ChicagoBlackhawks from Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind., on NBC. The NHL Winter Classic has produced the five most-watched regular-season games in NHL history. The 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series will feature the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers on Feb. 23 in primetime on NBC at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT HOCKEY

NBCSN's exclusive "Wednesday Night Hockey" coverage will feature the NHL's established stars and young phenoms, and NBC Sports' most diverse schedule to date. In addition, many "Wednesday Night Hockey" games and doubleheaders will feature earlier start times (7-7:30 p.m. ET). In many cases, Eastern Conference teams will be featured in the first game of the doubleheader, followed by a Western Conference matchup in the nightcap. Notable games on the "Wednesday Night Hockey" schedule include:
Click here to view the entire 2018-19 NBC Sports broadcast schedule.