Viewership for the Stanley Cup playoffs has been mostly down in recent days.
Game 3 of the Capitals/Flyers Stanley Cup playoff series drew 613,000 viewers on NBCSN Monday night, down 15% from Rangers/Penguins last year (719K) and down 1% from Penguins/Blue Jackets in 2014 (618K). In the nightcap, Sharks/Kings Game 3 had 370,000 — down 35% from Ducks/Jets last year (572K) and down 21% from Ducks/Stars in 2014 (471K).
CNBC bucked the trend with 246,000 for Stars/Wild Game 3, up 22% from Blues/Wild last year (202K) but down 40% from Blues/Blackhawks in 2014 (408K).
The previous night, NBCSN scored 529,000 for Panthers/Islanders Game 3 and 326,000 for Predators/Ducks Game 2 — down 37% and 34%, respectively, from last year’s all-Canadian doubleheader of Canadiens/Senators (835K) and Canucks/Flames (497K). CNBC drew 522,000 for Lightning/Red Wings; there was no comparable game on the network last year.
Shifting to Saturday, Sharks/Kings Game 2 scored 471,000 on NBCSN — up 68% from Jets/Ducks last year (281K) and down 17% from Wild/Avalanche in 2014 (565K). Wild/Stars Game 2 earned 433,000 earlier in the night, down 49% from Blue Jackets/Penguins in ’14 (850K). Last year’s comparable Rangers/Penguins game aired on the NBC broadcast network. Wrapping up the day’s results, Flyers/Capitals Game 2 had 449,000 on CNBC; there was no comparable window last year.
