St. Louis ? The NHL is moving its network telecast package from ABC to NBC next season, and the number of the league’s games airing nationally on cable will drop significantly under agreements announced Wednesday.

NBC will air regular-season games on seven Saturdays, beginning in January. It also will show playoff games on six Saturday afternoons, and Games 3-7 of the Stanley Cup.

On cable, ESPN2 will carry 40 regular-season games and ESPN none. They combined for 70 telecasts this year.