![]() This is a league that left ESPN to air games on the Outdoor Life/Versus Network. This is the league that has had three separate lockouts within the past 30 years. To make things worse, this isn’t an isolated incident for the NHL. Instead, it’s pushed to TNT and condemned to competing with the Miami Heat. Add in an interstate rivalry and the fact that these are two high-quality teams from nontraditional markets, and the league should want everyone to pay attention to the series. Tampa may be suffering through some injuries, but it’s still the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion and boasts elite talent. The Panthers are an exciting team capable of scoring four goals on any given night. The Panthers-Lightning series should be exactly what the NHL wants to promote. The NHL has a history of shooting itself in the foot, and this scheduling choice is another instance of short-sighted thinkingĪt the risk of trying to get inside the mind of Gary Bettman and company, their thought process was probably something along the lines of, “Why reschedule the series? Hockey fans will choose us over basketball.” While that may be true, it’s short-sighted and only further condemns the NHL to being the fourth-place challenger in a three-horse race. “The NHL ultimately sets the schedule, not ESPN,” a source told Jackson. With that being said, though, the NHL reportedly has the “right to overrule ESPN’s choice if there are arena conflicts or extenuating factors.” For whatever reason, though, it didn’t push the issue. Since TNT will be carrying the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, the hockey games have to go head-to-head with the Heat and Celtics games. ESPN chose to broadcast the New York Rangers series, which pushed the all-Florida affair to TNT. The NHL, however, didn’t play ball.Īs Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald explained, TV rights are the complicating factor. The Panthers reportedly asked to move their home games so they wouldn’t be competing directly against the Heat. If that seems like less-than-ideal scheduling, you aren’t the only one to think that. The Florida Panthers will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the NHL postseason, and, on the hardwood, the Miami Heat will meet the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. On Tuesday, May 17, two different playoff series will kick off in the Sunshine State. In the NHL, however, fans got a glimpse behind the curtain. While a great deal of work goes in behind the scenes, fans only see the finished product. Under most circumstances, sports schedules just appear. Not sure why NHL couldn't flip days of its two Eastern semis to avoid this mess.- Barry Jackson May 16, 2022 ![]() For whatever reason, the NHL did not or could not make that happen. The Panthers, over the weekend, conveyed to the NHL that they would prefer to play on a different night than the Heat.
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