The final game of the Penguins/Rangers series could not quite match last year.
Game 5 of the Penguins/Rangers Stanley Cup playoff series drew 627,000 viewers on NBCSN Friday night, down 5% from Blackhawks/Blues last year (662K). The national broadcast was blacked out in home markets Pittsburgh and New York, but ratings on RSNs Root Sports and MSG Network were not immediately available.
The Rangers’ full five-game series victory averaged a combined 4.64 rating on MSG Network and MSG Plus (four telecasts), up 38% from last year’s comparable first round series between the Rangers and Flyers. The series average was a full point higher — 4.74 — entering Game 5, indicating that Friday’s game slipped opposite competition from the Mets/Yankees Subway Series.
In other action Friday, Game 5 of Wild/Blues drew 523,000 on NBCSN. In Minneapolis-St. Paul, the game drew a 13.4 rating on Fox Sports North.
Finally, Senators/Canadiens Game 5 drew a series-low 228,000 on CNBC. That does not include Game 1 of the series on NHL Network, which is not Nielsen rated.
(Fri. numbers from Sports TV Ratings, MSG Network, twincities.com)
