NBC Airing NHL Game on Wild Card Saturday?

Tomorrow is the big day when we finally find out the NHL TV schedules and we can see how right we are when it comes to our guesses.

Over at Puck The Media, Steve Lepore has found something very interesting when it comes to the NHL schedule. The Bruins and Canucks are currently scheduled to face off in a matinee on January 7. Indeed, that is odd timing. Steve thinks that NBC may show the game and it’s a great idea on his part. There’s only one problem, NBC Sports is planning to show the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that afternoon. According to the US Army All-American Bowl website, the game will air at 1PM EST which is its usual timeslot. Obviously, the football game could change slots but it doesn’t seem likely as the game has always aired live on NBC that Saturday.

My guess is CBC wants an early time slot for the game as they have some marquee match ups on the air at night in Detroit/Toronto and Tampa Bay/Montreal. Those are strong games and the way the schedule worked out, I don’t think CBC wanted to waste them by splitting it too much with regional coverage. I think CBC will show the game, and perhaps NBC Sports Network or NHL Network will pick it up in the US.  We shall find out soon!