NBC Releases Chicago Blackhawks’ 2018-19 National Schedule

On Monday, August 13th, 2018, NBC released their NHL TV schedule for the upcoming 2018-19 season. They’ve made some changes, so let’s take a look at how it affects the Chicago Blackhawks.

2018-19 Schedule

Twitter reacted in a major way about the “big” changes happening in NBC as far as how they cover hockey. After reading this, it’s fair to think Twitter was more or less overreacting in a way Twitter has a tendency to do.

However, there are some changes worth noting. Kevin Allen of USA Today pointed out a very interesting point in regards to the schedule in his article about NBC’s changes.

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Allen wrote “NBC Sports will televise the Vegas Golden Knights twice in the first week of the NHL season. The Nashville Predators will be featured three times in the first month. The Arizona Coyotes, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning will appear on NBC before Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins.”

The league continues to expand which is evident given Allen’s point. It’s good for hockey, which means it’s good for everyone.

However, NBC isn’t going through as big of a change as you might anticipate after reading that. Translation: the Chicago Blackhawks still lead in nationally televised games.

NBC is diversifying their NHL coverage this season. You'll be able to catch both Washington at Chicago *and* Chicago at Washington. pic.twitter.com/ycnevhUkOC
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) August 13, 2018

The gap is becoming a bit narrower as the years go by. Your last place central division Chicago Blackhawks still lead with 19, but the Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals are close behind with 18. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers are tied at 15. Additionally, the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are tied at 14. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild are the only other clubs in double digits for this coming season.

So, nearly all of the major United States hockey cities are covered.

Here’s a detailed list of your 2018-19 nationally televised Chicago Blackhawks games from the Chicago Blackhawks official website. Home games are bolded. All times are central.

Wednesday / Nov. 14 / vs. St. Louis / 7:00 p.m. / NBCSN

Friday / Nov. 23rd / at Tampa Bay / 6:30 p.m. / NBCSN

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Tuesday / Nov. 27th / vs. Vegas / 7:00 p.m. / NBCSN

Wednesday / Dec. 5th / at Anaheim / 9:30 p.m. / NBCSN

Wednesday / Dec. 12th / vs Pittsburgh / 7:00 p.m. / NBCSN