Toronto and Detroit aren't just tied to each other by the Winter Classic; they are battling for a playoff spot. Toronto needs to start playing well enough to win or the Habs may be Canada's only playoff hope.
Both CBC and the NHL Network will get a dose of the Winter Classic teams Saturday night. CBC in Quebec will show the Habs and their many Florida fans in the stands in Sunrise against the Panthers. Bob Cole and Greg Millen with Rob Pizzo will work that game.
The NHL Network will even show a rare Sunday rebroadcast of the Red Wings and Maple Leafs.
We have our final CBC late game split for the next 12 years. Canada outside the usual Jets split will see Anaheim in Vancouver while Manitoba and Saskatchewan will show the Jets in Los Angeles. Both Vancouver and Winnipeg are sitting just out of that #8 spot in the West, so each audience will be interested in the other game.
Rick Ball will work with the usual Western crew in Vancouver. Mark Lee and Garry Galley with Cassie Campbell-Pascall will be in Los Angeles.
TSN action will see a lot of New York teams but not in New York. The Rangers will be in Edmonton (Sunday) and Vancouver (Tuesday). The Islanders get their turn on Wednesday in Ottawa. TSN will also carry the Bruins in Toronto on Thursday on a very busy week.
The NHL Center Ice free preview starts Monday thanks to MLB Extra Innings. You should keep an eye out for Tuesday night's game with the Habs in Tampa, a likely 1st-round playoff matchup.
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NHL Network
Saturday
Detroit @ Toronto, 7p (CBC simulcast)Tape delayed
Friday Montréal @ Detroit, 3p
Sunday Detroit @ Toronto, 12:30p
Tuesday Carolina @ Ottawa, 1p
Wednesday NY Rangers @ Vancouver, 1p
CBC
Saturday
Detroit @ Toronto, 7p (National except Quebec)
Montréal @ Florida, 7p (Quebec)
Anaheim @ Vancouver, 10p (National except Jets split)
Winnipeg @ Los Angeles, 10p (MB, SK, AB)
TSN
Sunday
NY Rangers @ Edmonton, 8p
Tuesday
NY Rangers @ Vancouver, 10p
Wednesday
NY Islanders @ Ottawa, 7p
Thursday
Boston @ Toronto, 7:30p
NHL Center Ice free preview
Monday Carolina @ Ottawa, 7:30p
Winnipeg @ Anaheim, 10p
Tuesday Calgary @ Toronto, 7p
Montréal @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
NY Rangers @ Vancouver, 10p
Winnipeg @ Phoenix, 10p
Edmonton @ San Jose, 10:30p
Wednesday NY Islanders @ Ottawa, 7p
Edmonton @ Anaheim, 10p
Thursday Boston @ Toronto, 7:30p
Calgary @ Tampa Bay, 7:30p
Pittsburgh @ Winnipeg, 8p
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Chris Cuthbert, Mike Johnson, Gord Miller, and Pierre McGuire. All 4 worked Monday night's game in Boston with Cuthbert and Johnson working for TSN and Miller and McGuire teaming up on NBCSN. Miller tweeted that this was the first time that he and Cuthbert worked the same game since the 1996 Grey Cup.
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If NBCSN uses Gord Miller more often next season, we heartily suggest NBCSN use Miller to call games involving Canadian-based teams. Miller ended up calling 40% of the NBC/NBCSN games involving Canadian-based teams: 2 out of 5 games.
Though Miller and McGuire rarely work together, there were moments where the old chemistry was back. When Miller and McGuire were talking about the Mike Cammalleri 2012 trade where the Habs traded him to Calgary in the middle of the game. Both pointed out quickly this was the previous Habs regime.
The chemistry could return if Miller works more for NBCSN next season since McGuire is a workaholic between the benches.
Monday's game was brutal and disturbing but not necessarily because of the telecast. Pierre McGuire was too Boston-biased, screaming twice during the game over potential too many men on the ice penalties against Montréal.
The second of those potential penalties was after Alexei Emelin was speared by Milan Lucic. The fact that Lucic speared Emelin was only a concern about where Emelin was speared.
McGuire was the messenger when Lucic talked about waking up a sleeping bear after Emelin did a legal hip check against Lucic early in the game.
Zdeno Chara's response after a legal hip check was to check Emelin from behind, whack him with a stick, and threw a punch. The 2-minute penalty went to hit Emelin from behind; the extra hits gained no further penalty. Chara looked angry, really angry.
Johnny Boychuk threw a punch at P.K. Subban and missed, and then dragged down Subban by the neck and threw Subban to the ice. This isn't to say Subban is a saint, but Boychuk only got 2 minutes.
Kevan Miller cross-checked Dale Wiese into the boards and knocked Travis Moen out of the game in the subsequent fight. Wiese and Moen did not return for the Habs.
For those who enjoyed Olympics hockey, where the hockey took over and the fighting stopped. the Boston Bruins Monday night were the extreme of what is wrong with the NHL.
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When Montréal acquired Thomas Vanek, one major advantage is that Vanek has traditionally been a "Boston killer." The topic came up at the Bell Centre telecast on March 12 but no announcer mentioned that Monday night. Vanek didn't score a goal in either game against Boston. Still, someone should have mentioned that Vanek wasn't scoring.
Cuthbert mentioned on TSN during the shootout that Vanek has more goals against Boston than any other active player.
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"After Hours" spent time with Edmonton's Matt Hendricks and Jordan Eberle after one of the worst losses in the Battle of Alberta. The Oilers had played well before losing to Buffalo and then the Calgary loss.
The folks at Studio 42 spent a lot of time talking about the spillage from a thrown water bottle. Maybe the microscope is a bit tight on the Canadian-based teams.
Ben Scrivens, a recent guest on "After Hours," is my new hero for taking the latest Oilers sweater on the ice and using his stick to hoist the sweater back into the crowd. Essentially saying, "We don't want that in our house." The Edmonton team needs more of that passion.
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The NHL Network used the Rogers Sportsnet Ontario feed for the Wednesday rebroadcast of the Blues and Leafs. The channel uses the St. Louis feed at times, so that was a pleasant surprise. Then again, the rebroadcast was the 1-hour version.
I heard the Habs-Panthers game is to be shown in BC as well this Saturday. You guessed it, because of Luongo. But I'm not sure if that's accurate or not.
Posted by: Tyler | March 28, 2014 at 11:44 AM
Luongo won't play Saturday night due to injury. So if CBC thought about that move, they likely changed their minds.
Posted by: Chad | March 28, 2014 at 04:23 PM
Yeah, they did. My Shaw Direct program guide showed Habs-Panthers in BC but the Red Wings-Maple Leafs game was shown instead.
Posted by: Tyler | March 31, 2014 at 12:01 PM
Turns out you were spot on. If Luongo had been healthy, B.C. would have had the Habs.
The other mystery is why Alberta got the Jets instead of the Canucks. Next season, all of these games will be national.
Posted by: Chad | March 31, 2014 at 03:25 PM