Blackhawks TV announcer Pat Foley hit on a kernel of truth last night about the NHL's scheduling times.
Last night, NBCSN picked up the CSN Chicago feed of game five between the Blackhawks and Blues. Game five, like games one, two, and four, began at 8:45 Central, or 9:45 Eastern. That is a late start time, and the late starts have been exacerbated by the fact that these are two teams who have played a close series, going to single overtime once and double overtime once. Last night's game didn't end until 12:30 Central, or 1:30 Eastern.