NHL TV listings: Winter Classic should stave off ‘The Mondays’
Welcome to Top Shelf TV, a preview of the week’s national NHL TV schedule. We comb through what’s airing on NBC, NBCSN, and NHL Network to tell you which games are worth your time and which ones to skip.
The NHL TV schedule picks up a bit this week as the calendar turns to 2018. Before we get to the usual weekend NHL Network games and fun Tuesday doubleheader, New Years Day brings us the NHL’s marquee regular-season event – the Winter Classic.
This will lead an exciting week of NHL hockey, so let’s get started.
Monday (Jan. 1)
New York Rangers at Buffalo Sabres (1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT on NBC)
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The Good: This is going to be the 10th Winter Classic. There have been 26 NHL outdoor games since 2003’s Heritage Classic.
These games should have lost their novelty by now, but as we said with the NHL 100 Classic, a chilly, clear outdoor game is always a great visual. Bonus points that it’s a heck of a way to get over your New Year’s Day hangover.
Seeing grown men skating around outside like they’re kids is great. It’s something all players and kids alike dream about.
The Bad: The Sabres are awful, but at least Jack Eichel is on absolute fire, and Evander Kane hasn’t been traded yet.
Also, somehow this is a road game for the Rangers.
The Verdict: Must watch. You watch outdoor games for the spectacle.