Washington Capitals: National TV broadcasts to look different
There will be a lot of things different about the Washington Capitals and NHL season in 2021-22. While some things remain the same like the core, the local broadcasts, and the like, the Caps will get a different look on the national scale. In fact, so will every team.
Goodbye NBC and Pierre McGuire (don’t worry, NBC Sports Washington is still here!). And the other Alex Ovechkin critics. Hello ESPN and Turner Sports! Partnering up with ESPN is beneficial for both the network and the league. ESPN has often been criticized for their lack of hockey coverage. That won’t be an issue anymore. As for the NHL, this partnership only helps grow the game.
The Caps will have 13 games nationally televised this upcoming season. One game will be on ABC, three on ESPN, four on ESPN+ and Hulu, and five on TNT. The season opener against the New York Rangers will be the first ever NHL game to be broadcasted on TNT and the broadcast team will feature a familiar face among Caps fans.
Caps beat writer Tarik El-Bashir is among one of the contributors to the network and he will still be covering the team for The Athletic. He also covered the Caps for The Washington Post as well as NBC Sports Washington. He spoke to us via text message about his new role with TNT:
"“My role is going to be a mix of in studio and in arena reporting and analysis.”"
We are very excited about Tarik and be sure to look for him during that broadcast of the season opener against the Rangers.
More. Washington Capitals: Breaking down the core strengths of the team for 2021-22. light
Here is the list of the remainder of the games on national TV:
Wednesday Oct. 13 vs. New York Rangers 7:30 p.m. TNT
Tuesday Oct. 19 vs. Colorado Avalanche 7 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu
Friday Dec. 10 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins 7 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu
Tuesday Dec. 21 at Philadelphia Flyers 7 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu
Thursday Jan. 20 at Boston Bruins 7 p.m. ESPN+/Hulu
Wednesday Feb. 2 vs. Edmonton Oilers 7 p.m. TNT
Thursday Feb. 24 at New York Rangers 7 p.m. ESPN
Wednesday March 9 at Edmonton Oilers 8 p.m. TNT
Wednesday April 6 vs. Tampa Bay Lightning 7:30 p.m. TNT
Saturday April 9 at Pittsburgh Penguins 3 p.m. ABC/ESPN+
Sunday April 10 vs. Boston Bruins 1:30 p.m. TNT
Tuesday April 12 vs. Philadelphia Flyers 7 p.m. ESPN
Tuesday April 26 vs. New York Islanders 7 p.m. ESPN