The NHL season ended on a high note as the Capitals won their first championship in front of the largest Game 5 audience since 2002.
Thursday’s Capitals-Golden Knights NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 5 delivered a 3.9 rating and 6.6 million viewers on NBC, up 50% in ratings and viewership from Predators-Penguins last year (2.6, 4.38M) and up 30% and 32% respectively from Sharks-Penguins in 2016 (3.0, 5.01M).
Washington’s title-clinching win, which peaked with 9.1 million viewers from 11-11:15 PM ET, had a streaming audience of 124,000 (+100%). Combined across TV and streaming, the game had a combined 6.71 million — up 51% from last year (4.44M) and up 32% from 2016 (5.07M).
Ratings and viewership were the highest for a Game 5 in the Stanley Cup Final since 2002 (Hurricanes-Red Wings: 4.2, 6.8M). The previous highs were a 3.8 and 6.2 million for Penguins-Red Wings in 2008.
Overall, Game 5 delivered the eighth-largest NHL audience since NBC resumed airing games in the 2005-06 season.
Compared to previous Cup clinchers, Game 5 was flat in ratings and down 6% in viewership from Penguins-Predators Game 6 last year (3.9, 7.0M), but up 26% and 22% respectively from Penguins-Sharks Game 6 in 2016 (3.1, 5.4M).
Thursday’s game had a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49 (+46%), the highest Game 5 rating in the demo since 2014 (Rangers-Kings: 2.3). Regardless of game, it was the fourth-highest NHL rating in the demo in the past five years.
Game 5 also scored a 1.7 in adults 18-34 (+42%).
Game 5 Stanley Cup Final Ratings, Viewership
Past decade
