Josh Yohe at the Trib revealed last week that NBC has slotted the Penguins’ season opener at Vancouver on Oct. 12 for a nationally televised broadcast on Versus.
↵In all, NBC has the Penguins scheduled to play in up to 12 nationally televised games, six on Versus and up to six on NBC.
↵NBC maintains flexible scheduling rights for their main station, allowing them to pick and choose which games they wish to televise in order to maximize ratings.
↵Numerous factors will influence how many Penguins games are actually televised on NBC, not the least of which is Sidney Crosby’s health. But, in slotting the team for frequent coverage from the start, it’s clear that NBC regards the Penguins as one of the top ratings draws in the NHL.