A poor-performing Lightning/Canadiens series ended on a low note.
Game 6 of the Canadiens/Lightning NHL playoff series drew 932,000 viewers on NBCSN Tuesday night, down 52% from Rangers/Penguins last year, which was a Game 7 (2.0M). The Lightning’s series-clinching win was the third game of the six-game series to slip below the one million mark.
Lightning/Canadiens struggled to attract a national audience. Viewership never rose beyond the 1.1 million for Games 1 and 2, and the final three games had year-over-year declines of at least a third.
As one might expect, the numbers were far stronger on a local level. Game 6 drew a 7.0 rating in Tampa-St. Petersburg, the market’s second-highest ever for a Lightning game on an NBC cable network. Game 7 of the 2011 Bruins/Lightning Eastern Conference final drew a 7.9.
(Tue. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily, NBC Sports Group Press Box)
