Catch the Rivalry Night fever, everyone.
After a breakout season in which franchise records of wins (50) and points (108) were established, the Columbus Blue Jackets raised their national profile and introduced themselves to the NHL as a contender. Such an arrival, however, has done nothing to impact their standing with the league's U.S. broadcast partner, NBC.
The Blue Jackets will make a grand total of one (1) appearance on the NBC family of networks in 2017-18. Want better news? That appearance is a Wednesday Night Rivalry game against the vaunted, evil Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 25 (8 p.m. ET) at Nationwide Arena, so if you want to get appropriately amped up for this showdown, you may want to start now.
If you weren't aware, this rivalry runs deep.
Know what team OWNS Buffalo? That's right. Columbus. Jackets have best Win% of any Eastern Conference team against the Sabres.
— Travis Yost (@travisyost) July 31, 2017
For reference, the Philadelphia Flyers - a team that missed the playoffs last season - are scheduled for 16 games on NBC this coming season.
The expansion Vegas Golden Knights will get five NBC games in their inaugural season, including their home opener on Oct. 10 against the Arizona Coyotes.
