Networks Ponder Second Round Selections

With teams starting to advance from the first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, we are afforded a glimpse – albeit a hazy one – as to what the next round may look like. Here’s an early look at what the different networks are considering heading into tonight’s action:

Due to golf and poker commitments, NBC’s second round coverage will be limited to this upcoming weekend only, with telecasts scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 and Sunday at 2 o’clock. Although the network is predisposed to Western Conference games involving Detroit or Chicago, look for neither of these teams to be on NBC’s second round slate. Should the Red Wings qualify, they would open their series on the west coast against either San Jose or Vancouver, neither of which could accommodate an early afternoon start time on the east coast. Should the Blackhawks advance, they would open at home – a possible candidate for Sunday’s 2 o’clock telecast – but their opponent would be Vancouver and we all know that NBC isn’t too big on Canadian content. Instead, look for NBC to focus on the Eastern Conference, where it is guaranteed that a minimum of one series will be an all-U.S. matchup involving at least one of Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, or Washington.

On this side of the border, where Canadian teams drive ratings, it was good news and bad news for CBC over the weekend, with Vancouver winning its series and the Ottawa Senators losing theirs. Like the first round, there will be a draft between CBC and TSN to determine which series ends-up on which network, but CBC will no longer have to pick two Canadian teams at the expense of a third. Vancouver will be on CBC for sure, as will the Montreal Canadiens if they manage to win their series against Washington. If the Canadiens don’t advance, CBC would have to choose between Washington-Philadelphia and Pittsburgh-Boston/Buffalo. We know from the first round that the public broadcaster prefers Sidney Crosby and the Penguins over Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, so expect CBC to take the Penguins series should Vancouver be the only Canadian team to qualify. The ideal situation for CBC would be having the Canadiens and Bruins both qualifying for the next round, which would create a Canadiens-Penguins second round matchup.

Over at TSN, Ottawa’s elimination means that the specialty channel won’t cover a Canadian team in the second round. The network’s best shot at continuing its ratings bonanza is to have its Canadiens-Capitals series go seven games – perhaps with an overtime or two thrown in – but have the Capitals win in the end. As mentioned above, CBC can’t get all three of Vancouver, Pittsburgh, and Washington, so TSN would still have a marquee series going into the second round. Needless to say, the opposite outcome is desired at sister station RDS, which has a vested interest in seeing the Canadiens advance as far as they can go.

TONIGHT'S GAMES:
Capitals at Canadiens - Game 6, 7 p.m. (TSN)/(RDS)
Sabres at Bruins - Game 6, 7 p.m. (CBC)
Blackhawks at Predators - Game 6, 9 p.m. (TSN - joined in progress)