Flyers games won’t be airing on NBC Sports Philadelphia for a while

The Flyers will take on the New Jersey Devils tonight outdoors at MetLife Stadium, the latest incarnation of the NHL’s annual stadium series. But don’t expect to tune into NBC Sports Philadelphia to watch.

In fact, don’t expect to see any Flyers games on NBC Sports Philadelphia in a while.

Tonight’s game, which will air at 8 p.m. in Philadelphia on 6abc, begins a streak of four straight games where the Flyers will hit the ice in front of a nationally televised audience. Over the next couple of weeks, the Flyers will face both the Devils and New York Rangers on ABC, while TNT will get Flyers games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Flyers fans will hear a familiar voice in a couple of those games. NBC Sports Philadelphia analyst Brian Boucher, a former Flyers first-round pick who replaced Keith Jones in the booth, will call both upcoming games on TNT alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Kenny Albert.

This is the third season of a seven-year deal both ESPN and TNT landed to broadcast NHL games, and for the third straight year, the Flyers are appearing on both networks in as many games as their deals allow. For the past two seasons, it’s been 13 games — eight on ESPN networks and five on TNT. The rest must air on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Here’s the Flyers schedule through the end of the month:

The exposure comes as the Flyers chase their first playoff appearance since 2020. The Flyers enter Saturday’s game tied for second place in the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes, with both teams entering play Saturday with 65 points. It’s a remarkable turnaround from last year, where they ended the season in seventh place with 75 points and were eliminated from playoff contention by April 1.

“At the end of the day, it’s another hockey game and we need to treat it as a big game for us [against a] divisional opponent,” defenseman Nick Seeler told The Inquirer. “So we’re excited for it, but, obviously, we know what’s at stake.”

It’s the third time the Flyers have been featured in the NHL’s stadium series, which began as an annual event in 2014. It’s worth noting the league has two additional series of outdoor games that are separate from the stadium series — the annual NHL Winter Classic, which featured the Seattle Kraken winning against the Vegas Golden Knights on New Year’s Day, and the Canada-centric NHL Heritage Classic, which saw the Edmonton Oilers defeat the Calgary Flames back in October.

» READ MORE: For many of the Flyers, outdoor games bring back memories of family and freezing temperatures

Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will make his debut as an NBA All-Star tonight when he competes in the skills competition for “Team All-Stars” alongside Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. Among those Maxey will be competing against tonight are San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama and Orlando Magic power forward Paolo Banchero, last season’s rookie of the year.

The skills competition is basically an appetizer for both the three-point contest and the slam dunk competition, and this year there will be an added bonus — a special three-point contest between Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and New York Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu, who leads the WNBA this season shooting 44.8% from beyond the arc.

Coverage is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on TNT and TBS, with Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller, and Kenny Smith calling all the action. It will also stream on Max via the B/R Sports add-on, which runs $9.99 a month but is currently offering a free promo trial.

TNT host and Philly native Adam Lefkoe will host an alternate broadcast on truTV featuring Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum, and other guests throughout the night.

The NBA is hoping to attract a bigger audience for All-Star Saturday than last season, when just 3.4 million viewers tuned in to watch former Sixers guard Mac McClung rescue the slam dunk contest — a record low for the event by a wide margin. McClung, who is averaging 25.4 points per game this year for the NBA G-League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, will be back tonight looking to become the first back-to-back slam dunk champion since Zach LaVine in 2015 and 2016.

» READ MORE: Third-stringer to All-Star: Tyrese Maxey finds his place among the NBA’s best