We know the NHL Network carries far fewer NHL games relevant to our audience in the second half of the season. The NHL isn't as bad as the CFL in this regard, but 2016 might shape up to come close.
The NHL Network has stopped carrying the late game of Hockey Night in Canada but the U.S. audience gets a decent share of the early Hockey Night in Canada contests.
If you still have the January 23 Montréal-Toronto game on your DVR, you might want to save that for posterity. There will be no HNIC telecasts in the States in February, outside of those sets that can get a CBC feed.
The first February weekend is Hockey Day in Canada; those games will air on the NHL Center Ice free preview (not officially confirmed). We hope the service will also carry the Hockey Day in Canada festivities since the NHL Network won't carry a second of the festivities.
The last February weekend is a Stadium Series game. NBC has an inane rule that no game involving a U.S. team can air for a second during the NBC coverage. The NHL Network isn't allowed to carry any game in that time slot.
The February 13 games include Toronto @ Vancouver, a matchup the NHL Network has run away from in the past. The network is often skittish in carrying 2 Canadian teams unless the game is the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs.
Vancouver has had 2 NHL Network games, both in 2015 on the road against U.S. teams. NBCSN stopped carrying the Canucks a long time ago.
The only other early game features the Ottawa Senators in the Ohio capital. Probably a good game but carrying that game would not fit the pattern of NHL Network telecasts.
The February 20 telecasts have possible NHL Network friendly matchups: Detroit-Ottawa and Philadelphia-Toronto. Winnipeg-Florida would be less likely than Ottawa-Columbus.
We should not assume that the NHL Network will return right away to Hockey Night in Canada in March. The March 5 contests are all-Canadian battles. Ottawa-Toronto and Montréal-Winnipeg would be very fine games. On occasion, we have seen a Battle of Ontario but when both teams are doing well. Winnipeg's only NHL Network game this season was against Montréal for Hometown Hockey on November 1. So there is a shot, however slim.
If the March 5 Battle of Ontario isn't acceptable for the NHL Network, the March 12 version won't work either. The Minnesota Wild are in Montréal that night; NBCSN carried the other contest so far on December 22. Colorado-Winnipeg is on the schedule but that won't end up on the NHL Network.
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There is a slim possibility for limited markets to get a Hockey Night in Canada game. The NHL Network is showing a game each Saturday night, except for the total ban on February 27.
So if you live in these markets, and the backup game is a Hockey Night in Canada game, you can watch the game on the NHL Network. The starting times for these games are not 7 pm Eastern so the channel might pick a different backup game. Check your local listings.
February 6 — Chicago @ Dallas, 8p
February 13 — Anaheim @ Chicago, 8:30p
February 20 — Boston @ Dallas, 8p
If you have the NHL Center Ice free preview and can get the CBC feed in HD, you are better off using that service instead of the NHL Network on February 6.
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The NHL Network changed the rules this season to spoonfeed its schedule month-by-month. So no cancellations but lowered expectations. The fact that the Canadian-based teams are not doing well does play a factor. Even when those teams have done well, 5 in last year's playoffs, telecasts don't go up that dramatically.
We are getting a healthy number of matinee rebroadcasts and live 3rd period look-ins of West Coast games. But live games will not be dominant for here to the end of the season.
If you have a CBC feed, you get a Saturday doubleheader every week, even on February 27. Gary Bettman wants you to buy the NHL Center Ice package for the rest of the season. If you are starved, the NHL is offering you a pretty expensive sandwich.
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The 2016 NHL All-Star Game airs Sunday night from Nashville at 5 pm Eastern. Dave Randorf, Garry Galley, and Glenn Healy will call the game on CBC. NBCSN's #1 crew will call the game in the United States.
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