The Stanley Cup Final got off to a thrilling start, but the ratings for Game 1 of the Panthers-Oilers rematch were less than stellar.
Wednesday’s Panthers-Oilers NHL Stanley Cup Final Game 1 averaged a 1.2 rating and 2.42 million viewers across TNT and truTV, marking the lowest rated and least-watched Game 1 of the Cup Final since the COVID-delayed Canadiens-Lightning on NBCSN in 2021 (0.8, 1.61M). Excluding the two COVID-altered seasons, it was the least-watched Game 1 since Penguins-Red Wings on Versus in 2008 (2.35M).
Ratings declined 21% and viewership 22% from last year’s Game 1 between the same two teams, which aired in a Saturday night window on ABC and averaged a 1.6 and 3.1 million.
Compared to the previous Game 1 on TNT Sports two years ago (Panthers-Golden Knights), ratings declined a tick and viewership 12% from a 1.3 and 2.75 million. Keep in mind that the 2023 Cup Final aired on TBS, TNT and truTV, while this year’s series is airing only on the latter two networks.
Outside of the COVID seasons, the last Cup Final game to average a smaller audience was Devils-Kings Game 4 on NBCSN in 2012 (2.07M).
Head-to-head, Game 1 finished not much higher than the competing Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series Final on ESPN, which drew a 1.1 and 2.11 million.
While Panthers-Oilers is a rematch of last year’s seven-game Cup Final, it is still a Sun Belt vs. Canada matchup — and with every game airing on cable, viewership was a virtual lock to decline from last year’s soft levels. Even so, the Game 1 audience may have still come in under expectations given the storylines, the stars and the quality of play.
The presence of a Canadian team is almost always a ratings drag in the U.S., as Canadian viewership does not count toward U.S. television ratings. A silver lining is that stronger-than-usual viewership in Canada will tend to make up for any shortfall in the United States. In Canada, Game 1 averaged 4.49 million viewers — up 1% from last year and the highest since 2021, when the Canadiens made the Final.
Across the U.S. and Canada, the Game 1 audience was 6.9 million viewers. That still trails last year, when the combined figure was 7.1 million.
