The Rangers’ return to the Eastern Conference Final is fueling big gains for ESPN.
Through three games, the Rangers-Panthers NHL Eastern Conference Final is averaging 2.2 million viewers on ESPN and ABC (based on Nielsen fast-nationals for Games 2 and 3) — up 45% from the first three games of Panthers-Hurricanes on TNT last year (1.51M) and 42% from the first three games of last year’s ESPN/ABC conference final, Stars-Golden Knights in the West (1.54M).
Compared to the last time the Rangers made the East Final — against Tampa Bay two years ago — viewership is about even (-1%).
Sunday’s Game 3 averaged 2.4 million viewers on ABC, per Nielsen fast-nationals — up 59% from Hurricanes-Panthers on TNT last year and the second-largest audience of the postseason. Only Maple Leafs-Bruins Game 7 in the first round, which also aired on ABC, ranks higher (3.24M). Compared to ABC’s comparable conference final window last year, Stars-Golden Knights Game 2, viewership jumped nearly 50 percent from 1.62 million.
Friday’s Game 2 averaged 2.1 million on ESPN, also per Nielsen fast-nationals — up 28% from Panthers-Hurricanes on TNT last year (1.64M).
Shifting to the Western Conference, Thursday’s Oilers-Stars Game 1 averaged a combined 1.5 million across TNT and truTV — down from last year’s Stars-Golden Knights Game 1 on ESPN (1.71M) but up 8% from last year’s conference final opener on TNT, Panthers-Hurricanes (1.43M). Figures for Saturday’s Game 2, as well as the rest of the weekend final nationals, are delayed due to the Memorial Day holiday.
