It’s onto the playoffs for the New York Rangers. And their regular season home–MSG Network–provides live extensive coverage of the first-round series starting Thursday night at 7.

The Rangers begin the 2012 post-season against the Ottawa Senators at MSG.  Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti call the action from the booth.

In addition, the Rangers Game Night starts an hour before the puck drops and the 60-minute post-game show immediately follows each game. Al Trautwig hosts each playoff game, while John Giannone reports from rinkside.  Trautwig host the pre- and post-game segment with analysts Ron Duguay and Mike Keenan, who coached the Rangers to their 1994 Stanley Cup Championship.

Starting at 2 p.m. on each game day, Bill Pidto and Duguay anchor live, one-minute updates twice-an-hour.

The remaining first round schedule looks like this:

Game 2–Saturday at 7 p.m.
Game 3–Monday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Game 4–Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m.
*Game 5–Saturday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
*Game 6–Monday, April 23   TBD
*Game 7–Thursday, April 26   TBD
*if necessary

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WCBS' Lonnie Quinn and Chris Wragge accompanied by their new Emmys.

The best and brightest on the New York TV scene were on display last night at the 55th annual local Emmy Awards. FishbowlNY was on hand for the  four-hour awards ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

The biggest winner was MSG with 14 trophies, while WNBC/Channel 4 led all over-the-air outlets with 11 Emmys.

WCBS/Channel 2 took home the top prize of Best Evening Newscast–Over 35 Minutes–for its Hurricane Irene Aftermath. Anchors Maurice DuBois and Kristine Johnson were not there to accept their statuettes, but weathercaster Lonnie Quinn was in attendance.

Quinn already was selected Best On-Camera Weather Anchor, and colleague Chris Wragge was back at the podium as Best News Anchor. A one-time personal trainer, Wragge rushed back to Manhattan after competing in a Miami triathlon earlier in the day.

“This morning I knew my only shot of winning anything was coming to these Emmys,” Wragge deadpanned.

WABC cornered the market in the morning and daytime newscast categories. The on-air team of anchors Ken Rosato and Lori Stokes, meteorologist Bill Evans won for Eyewitness News This Morning and the noon broadcast following the Death of Osama bin Laden.

Telemundo WNJU/Channel 47 won the Best Newscast Under 35 Minutes.

More results from last night’s Emmys after the jump

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Some things never change at Madison Square Garden. Buzz will be in the air when the Los Angeles Lakers make their one appearance of the season at 7th Avenue and 33rd Street.

With that in mind, MSG will have a special edition of Knicks Blue Carpet beginning at 7 p.m.

Several former Knick stars, will walk the “runway” to the World’s Most Famous Arena. Some of the newly crowned Super Bowl winning Giants will also attend the game.

Bill Pidto, Kelly Tripucka, and Alan Hahn host Blue Carpet in the MSG studios, while Tina Cervasio and Jill Martin interview the celebrities arriving for the exciting matchup.

Basking in the big night, Super Bowl champs Justin Tuck and Brandon Jacobs; supermodel Kate Upton; actors Billy Crudup, Chase Crawford, and Dylan McDermott; Al Roker; and famed Knicks from yesteryear: Allan Houston, Bernard King, Larry Johnson, Anthony Mason, John Starks, and Herb Williams.

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The avid and amateur runners unite for the annual pilgrimage through the five boroughs Sunday. WNBC/Channel 4 will cover the New York City Marathon starting at 9 a.m. with the pre-race warm-up from Staten Island and continuing until 2 p.m.

Approximately 47,000 participants will make their way through the city, crossing bridges, cheering along the way, until reaching the finish line, 26.2 miles later, in Central Park.

WNBC sportscaster Bruce Beck hosts the telecast with morning anchor Darlene Rodriguez.   Al Trautwig calls the race along with analysts Toni Reavis and Juli Benson.  Also reporting from the sidelines will be WNBC weekend sports anchor Scott Stanford, along with reporter Erika Tarantal, and Cat Greenleaf, who hosts Talk Stoop on New York Nonstop.  

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Tomorrow isn’t just the New York Rangers home opener. It marks the official completion of phase-one of the Madison Square Garden transformation project.

MSG Network will celebrate with special day-long Rangers programming starting at 10 a.m.

Then at 6 p.m., hosts Tina Cervasio and John Giannone talk to Ranger alumni and celebrity fans on the Rangers Blue Carpet. The guests will share thoughts of the first game of the season, and the first in the reworked Garden.

Following the walk on the blue carpet, MSG Network brings viewers to Rangers Game Night. The pre-game show is hosted by the veteran Al Trautwig, with Rangers legend Brian Leetch.

The puck drops at 7 p.m., with longtime Rangers voice Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti back for another year to call the action.

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Hockey Night Live (HNL) is back on MSG for a sixth season. The comprehensive hockey program begins with three weeks of NHL previews tomorrow night. They will air on MSG at 11 p.m.

Host Al Trautwig will be joined by Devils great Ken Daneyko, former Rangers captain Dave Maloney, and NHL correspondent Billy Jaffe for the three preseason episodes as the group discusses the upcoming Rangers, Devils, and Islanders 2011-12 season, while also examining the entire league.

“MSG Networks produces more live NHL telecasts than any other network in North America and Hockey Night Live is the flagship of our total hockey coverage,” said Dan Ronayne, executive vice president and general manager, MSG Networks. “With an unparalleled panel of experts and former players, and a free-flowing, unscripted format, HNL is must-watch television for hockey fans in New York.”

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