NBC Sports Network adds late games tonight and Friday

Around this time last year, the NBC Sports Network started adding extra hockey games en masse. It appears that will be the case again this year.

NBCSN will air an NHL doubleheader tonight. First up is the well-promoted Wednesday Night Rivalry game between the Penguins and the Rangers which was known already, at 7:30 p.m. ET. NBCSN announced yesterday, however, that they will follow up that game with the game between the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks. The CSN Bay Area (a corporate partner of NBCSN) feed, starring Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda, will have the call. The game will be blacked out in St. Paul and the Bay Area.

That’s not it for NBC Sports Network this week. On Friday night, NBCSN will air another Sharks game, as they host the Calgary Flames at 10:30 p.m. ET. That will not be a doubleheader, NBC will just get on the air at 10:30 p.m. ET. Hahn and Remenda have the call, and it will be blacked out in the Bay Area also. NBCSN will likely provide it’s own studio crew for the games, since there is usually an NHL Overtime crew working for the network on Friday nights.

One would think we’ll see more games as the season wraps up, particularly west coast games, but then again there’s not that much to add this year. NBC Sports Network broadcasts on 18 of the last 25 days of the season. However, it’s always fun to see more free hockey.