NBC Sports Opens NHL Playoffs with Nielsen Momentum

NBC Sports Group heads into tonight’s Stanley Cup playoffs opening tripleheader with Nielsen momentum on its side.

NBCSN enjoyed its best-regular season with the puck sport, while NBC is on pace to score its best mark since it began broadcasting National Hockey League action during the 2005-06 campaign.

The programmer, which is in the third year of a $2 billion, 10-season rights deal with the NHL, faces off its comprehensive coverage of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, with a trio of encounters on NBCSN and CNBC, starting with NHL Live at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on NBCSN. Contest coverage begins at 7 p.m. on CNBC when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. NBCSN’s game coverage begins with the Columbus Blue Jackets visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m., followed by the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks at 10 p.m.

For the full story go to Multichannel.com.