We have some hockey-related news for you today after the Vegas Golden Knights had six of their regular season games in 2019-20 selected for National Television.
If, like us, you are a hockey fanatic and we guess you are based on the fact that you visit this website, then you will no doubt be counting down the days until Oct, 2, (57 days and counting) when the Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks in their home opener.
That tilt should provide plenty of fireworks given what happened between the Knights and the Sharks during the postseason last year, although we don’t need or want to rehash those details again. And NBCSN certainly agree with that sentiment given that they will be broadcasting Vegas’ season opener as part of their 2019-20 opening night schedule, which will also feature the Washington Capitals at Stanley Cup champions the St. Louis Blues, who will raise the first-ever Championship banner in franchise history.
Vegas will feature on NBCSN a total of six times throughout 2019-20, including four times on NBCSN’s hugely-popular and successful “Wednesday Night Hockey” program, including a matchup against original six franchise the Chicago Blackhawks, plus two tilts against the Arizona Coyotes down the stretch.
Here’s the full list of Vegas Golden Knights games that will be broadcast on National TV in 2019-20 (All Pacific Times & subject to change):
- V San Jose Sharks, Wed, 2, Oct, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
- V Chicago Blackhawks, Wed, 13, Nov, 7:00 p.m. (NBCSN)
- At Anaheim Ducks, Sun, 23, Feb, 7:00 p.m. (NBCSN)
- V Los Angeles Kings, Sun, 1, Mar, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
- At Arizona Coyotes, Wed, 18, Mar, 7:00 p.m. (NBCSN)
- V Arizona Coyotes, Wed, 25, Mar, 7:30 p.m. (NBCSN)
It is also worth noting that AT&T SportsNet will broadcast the other 76 regular season games for the Vegas Golden Knights within the Golden Knights authorized distribution territory.
What is also interesting when doing a deeper dive into the National TV schedule is the disparity between certain teams when it comes to national exposure on the small screen. For example, the Philadelphia Flyers will have 20 games on National TV, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have 16, the New York Rangers will have 13 and the Boston Bruins will have 12 while the Ottawa Senators won’t feature on National TV at all in 2019-20.
Of course, those teams are in bigger and more established markets but, for Vegas, six games on National TV makes sense given that the Golden Knights are only in their third year as an NHL franchise. The games that will feature should captivate a national audience, especially the season opener against the San Jose Sharks which should be a fiery war of attrition given the history between the two teams. Also, the two televised games against the Arizona Coyotes down the stretch could well hold playoff implications for both franchises, which would of course make for captivating TV.
While the Golden Knights will only be exposed to a wider audience on six occasions in 2019-20, they should prove hugely popular on local TV once again. It has become crystal clear that Vegas loves its hockey, as backed up by the fact that the Las Vegas market had the third highest TV ratings in the country for US hockey markets in 2018-19, which is simply incredible for a third-year expansion team.
Anyway, this is just a small something to tide you over until hockey season arrives, with 2019-20 officially beginning when the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Arizona Coyotes on Sun, 15, Sept, a game that will mark the start of the NHL’s preseason schedule.
Bring it on!