Seen on Screen: NHL Announces Plans for First-Round Playoff Coverage; ESPN Broadcasts Historic Golden State Game

by Alicia Montanaro, Editorial Assistant

The National Hockey League released the dates, starting times, and national television coverage for the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round, which began on Wednesday, April 13. NHL Network is providing extensive live playoff coverage of this round, with playoff previews for both the Eastern and Western Conferences. NHL Tonight will continue to air live before and after every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs…

…Sportsnet announced its 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round broadcast schedule. Game coverage began with three games on Wednesday, April 13 — starting with the Detroit Red Wings versus the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:00 p.m. ET on CBC and Rogers NHL GameCentre Live. Also, Sportsnet is providing extensive coverage of the playoffs, for example during the nightly Hockey Central pre-game show hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. All Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final games are available on Sportsnet, CBS, Sportsnet 360, FX, and Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE, as well as via Sportsnet NOW for streaming…

…ESPN broadcast the historic Golden State Warriors versus Memphis Grizzles game at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 13. With a 125-104 win over the Grizzles, the Warriors broke the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ all-time wins record by going 73-9. Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and reporter Doris Burke provided commentary. Simultaneously, ESPN2 televised NBA icon Kobe Bryant’s final game as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Utah Jazz at 10:30 p.m. ET. Mike Tirico, Hubie Brown, and reporter Lisa Salters called the action…

…ESPN televised a two-hour SportsCenter Special: NFL Schedule Release show on Thursday, April 14, coinciding with the National Football League’s announcement of the 2016 regular season schedule. The special began at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and switched to ESPN2 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The program was also  available via WatchESPN…

… The 2016 NFL schedule was released on NFL Network, NFL.com, NFL Now, and NFL Mobile from Verizon on Thursday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET. NFL Network’s coverage was highlighted by 2016 NFL Schedule Release Presented by Verizon on Thursday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET, a three-hour special hosted by Rich Eisen and featuring analysts Eric Davis, Kurt Warner, Shaun O’Hara, Brian Billick and Michael Silver. The special broke down the entire 2016 NFL regular season schedule, division by division, analyzing the top matchups and primetime games, including the 18-game Thursday Night Football schedule on CBS, NBC, and NFL Network…

…ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 Shorts documentary series returns with a spring lineup of five new short films that are set to debut every Tuesday, except April 26, over the next six weeks. The first film, “Tiger Hood” debuted on Wednesday, April 12 and showcased unique golfer Patrick Q.F. Barr. The other four shorts include: an Elvis Presley documentary titled “When The King Held Court,” “Gonzo @ The Derby” which focuses on Hunter S. Thompson and the birth of gonzo journalism, “A.C. Green: Iron Virgin” about the former Lakers forward who played more consecutive games than anyone in NBA history, and “The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere,” which tells the story of thoroughbred mare Haru Urara. The films make their digital premiere at 10:00 a.m. ET each Tuesday, and then later on Friday Night Movie Night, during the 6:00 p.m. ET hour of SportsCenter. Each short is set to become available for viewing on WatchESPN, the ESPN app, and espn.com after its digital premiere…

…Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and CSNPhilly.com are providing extensive multiplatform coverage of the Philadelphia Flyers first round NHL Playoff series against the Washington Capitals. Jim Jackson, Bill Clement, and Chris Therien are broadcasting the series, which kicked off on Thursday, April 14 on CSN. CSN is delivering pre and postgame coverage complete with interviews and analysis before and after each game. For additional access to Flyers playoffs, fans can follow @CSNFlyers on Twitter or follow along with the hashtag #FlyersTalk…

…NBC Sports Group continues “Marathon Month” in April with live coverage of the 120th annual Boston marathon this Monday, April 18, at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN. Coverage begins with a Boston Marathon preview show on Sunday, April 17, at 4 p.m. ET on Universal HD. For the first time, NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will offer a dedicated camera at the finish line, allowing fans, and runners’ family and friends, the ability to see all runners cross the finish line on Boylston Street. The Boston Marathon finish line camera feed will be available online for 30 days following the race. Encore coverage of the Boston Marathon will be available on Universal HD Monday at 8 p.m. ET. Tom Hammond calls the action, joined by analysts Craig Masback, Tim Hutchings, and reporter Carolyn Manno. NBC Sports Group’s April “Marathon Month” concludes with live coverage of the London Marathon on Sunday, April 24, at 3:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN or Universal HD…

…Marquette, Ohio State, Vanderbilt, and Navy will headline the 2016 Veterans Classic on CBS Sports Network. The third-annual showcase at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD begins on Friday, November 11 — the opening day of the 2016 college basketball season. Vanderbilt will face Marquette at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by Ohio State vs. Navy at 9:00 p.m. ET. In addition to the games, the three participating schools will have the opportunity to get a glimpse of life as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, including touring the ‘Yard’ and watching noon meal formation. CBS Sports Network will provide an inside-look at the schools’ visit to the Naval Academy on the 30-minute special, “Hoops Confidential: Veterans Classic”…

…HBO Sports will re-broadcast Broad Street Bullies in tribute to the Philadelphia Flyers’ founder Ed Snider, on Saturday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET on HBO Signature. First aired in May 2010, the documentary showcases the backstories of the Flyers’ championship athletes and their belligerent style that provoked criticism…

…ONE World Sports announced that it will begin airing matches from the Professional Rugby Organization (PRO), a new U.S.-based professional rugby league. The network will begin its coverage with the inaugural match between Sacramento and San Francisco on Sunday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET. In total, ONE World Sports will air 11 PRO Rugby matches, utilizing ONE CONNXT for video transportation services…

…NBC Sports Group kicks off its presentation of nine Premier League match days in a 10-day span (April 16-25) with full on-site coverage from the United Kingdom this Saturday, April 16 through Tuesday, April 19. This week’s Premier League coverage began on Wednesday, April 13, with Premier League Live at 2:00 p.m. ET, followed by Crystal Palace vs. Everton at 3:00 p.m. ET. Furthermore, following NBC Sports Group’s full on-site coverage, the U.S.-based crew will present Liverpool v. Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday, April 20 at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN. NBC Sports Group’s full overseas coverage features on-site studios for pre-match, halftime, and post-game shows, as well as pitch-side locations…

…NBC Sports Group will present live coverage of Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series from New York City, for the first time since 1920. Featuring the best sailors in the world, six crews from six countries will be competing in wing sailed catamarans—an updated version of the AC45 multihull boats raced in previous series. The coverage begins Saturday, May 7, at 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Live Extra and continues on Sunday, May 8 at 2:00 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. In addition, on Saturday, May 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET, NBC will broadcast a one-hour highlight show featuring racing from the entire weekend of events in New York. Todd Harris will handle the play-by-play, joined by analyst and former America’s Cup sailor Ken Read…

…Showtime announced that it will broadcast the 154-pound massive junior middleweight championship triple-header on May 21. Erislandy Lara will put his WBA title on the line against former Olympian Vanes Matirosyan. The last time the two competed in 2012, it ended in a draw. In addition, Jermall Charlo will defend his IBF belt against former world champion Austin Troute, while his twin brother, Jermell Charlo, will face John Jackson for the WBC Version of the title. The Charlo brothers have a chance to make boxing history as the first twins to hold world titles in the same division simultaneously. All of the action will be televised live on Showtime beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.