Week 5 NHL Player Gaming Challenge matchups announced

NEW YORK - Two matchups featuring Eastern Conference teams will air in Week 5 of the NHL Player Gaming Challenge™ presented by Honda, the NHL announced today. Each NHL Club is represented by one or two current players and will play in a one-time matchup against another Club in an EA SPORTS™ NHL®20 best-of-three series. Matches will be available on NHL platforms:
Twitch
,
YouTube
,

WEEK 5 SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 28 (5 p.m. ET)
MATCH 13 - BUFFALO SABRES vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Brandon Montour (BUF) vs. Mackenzie Blackwood (NJD)
Saturday, May 30 (3 p.m. ET)
MATCH 14 - CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Warren Foegele (CAR) vs. Anthony Cirelli (TBL)
* * * * *
ICYMI: WEEK 4 REPLAYS
Match 10: Zach Hyman (TOR) defeats James van Riemsdyk (PHI)
Match 11: Ryan Reaves & Alex Tuch (VGK) defeat Thatcher Demko & Adam Gaudette (VAN)
Match 12: Colton Parayko & Robert Thomas (STL) defeat Victor Mete & Nick Suzuki (MTL)
The NHL Player Gaming Challenge™ presented by Honda is a #HockeyAtHome initiative that reminds fans to stay safe, stay home and play together. As the NHL community continues to practice social distancing and take all necessary precautions during this time, the League will continue to help fans stay connected to players and the game by providing access to unique content and archived games.
NHL Pause Binge
™ aggregates NHL video, editorial and digital content available on NHL.com, the NHL app and across the NHL's social channels. Fans can follow along using #HockeyAtHome.
BUFFALO SABRES vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS
Thursday, May 28, 5 p.m. ET
Where to Watch:
Twitch
,
YouTube
,

,
Facebook Premiere
Brandon Montour (BUF) vs. Mackenzie Blackwood (NJD)
* Montour has averaged nearly 20 minutes per game for Buffalo in 2019-20, leading the Sabres with a +13 rating.
* Blackwood tops NHL rookie goaltenders with 22 wins in 2019-20, highlighted by a six-game winning streak in February. He is one of three goaltenders in Devils history to record 20 wins as a rookie, following Martin Brodeur (27 in 1993-94) and Sean Burke (22 in 1988-89).
* Montour and Blackwood were teammates on Team Canada at the 2019 World Championship in Slovakia, winning a silver medal.
* Blackwood became a goaltender by chance, when at age 12 the netminder on his local minor hockey team missed some time and Blackwood filled in and eventually stuck with the position.
* Montour is of indigenous descent and spent part of his upbringing on Canada's largest First Nation reservation - the Six Nations of the Grand River. He won a Minto Cup while playing lacrosse for Six Nations.
Additional facts and head-to-head stats can be found
here
.
CAROLINA HURRICANES vs. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Saturday, May 30, 3 p.m. ET
Where to Watch:
Twitch
,
YouTube
,

,
Facebook Premiere

Warren Foegele (CAR) vs. Anthony Cirelli (TBL)
* Foegele and Cirelli, former OHL teammates, each are enjoying the finest campaigns of their young careers. Foegele has doubled his point total to date in 2019-20 versus last season, while Cirelli has 44 points in 68 contests - which is five more than his 82-game total from 2018-19 (39).
* Foegele tallied 2-1-3, including the winning goal, in Game 3 of the 2019 First Round against the Capitals to give the Hurricanes their first victory during their run to the Conference Finals last year. It had been 10 years since the Hurricanes won a playoff game on home ice.
* Cirelli has also garnered significant postseason experience, despite being just 22 years of age. He appeared in all 17 games for Tampa Bay during the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Lightning reached Game 7 of the Conference Finals, falling to the eventual Stanley Cup champions.
* In 2016-17, Foegele and Cirelli were traded to the OHL's Erie Otters from the Kingston Frontenacs and Oshawa Generals, respectively. Foegele (13-13-26) and Cirelli (15-16-31) combined for 57 points across 22 playoff games as the Otters captured their second J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions (also 2002), with Foegele also earning the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the league's postseason MVP.
Additional facts and head-to-head stats can be found
here
.