The National Hockey League on Tuesday said its Stanley Cup Qualifiers games will start Aug. 1, with NBC Sports airing up to 120 hours of coverage.
The NHL’s regular season was canceled in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The league will resume play with 16 teams competing in a round of qualifying games, and eight other teams playing in a round robin to determine playoff seeding. Those will be followed by the Stanley Cup playoffs and championship.
NBC Sports will show games on NBC, NBC Sports Network and USA Network, with 10 hours of action each day from Aug. 1 to Aug. 5 starting with the New York Rangers taking on the Carolina Hurricanes.
NHL Network will air seven round robin and qualifying games over the first five days of the playoffs. The network will also offer studio coverage, including NHL Tonight, before and after each game.
The league also said that 21 games will be available on NHL Center Ice for streaming on NHL.TV, with local blackouts. NHL.TV costs $4.99.
The 12 Eastern Conference teams are playing in Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and the 12 Western Conference teams will compete at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
