Even with an overtime finish, the second game of the Stanley Cup Final hit a multi-year low in the metered markets.
Game 2 of the Sharks/Penguins Stanley Cup Final earned a 1.9 overnight rating on NBCSN Wednesday night, down 34% from Bruins/Blackhawks in 2013, the last Game 2 to air on NBCSN (2.9). In each of the past two years, Game 2 aired on the NBC broadcast network immediately after The Belmont Stakes. Blackhawks/Lightning had a 4.8 last year and Rangers/Kings a 4.6 in 2014.
The Penguins’ overtime win earned the lowest overnight for any game of the Stanley Cup Final in four years, since Game 4 of Devils/Kings in 2012 (1.7). It had the lowest overnight for a Game 2 since at least 2008, with the caveat that only one other Game 2 has aired on cable over that span.
Locally, Wednesday’s game had a 27.5 rating in Pittsburgh — down 13% from Game 2 of the 2009 Penguins/Red Wings final on NBC (31.7). It also had a 5.6 in the Bay Area, up 6% from Game 1, which aired opposite a Warriors Game 7.
(Wed. numbers from NBC Sports Group Press Box)
