The Chicago Blackhawks delivered big numbers in their earliest-possible swan song.
Thursday’s Blackhawks-Predators Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 4 earned 799,000 viewers on NBCSN, up 117% in viewership from Penguins-Rangers last year (368K) and up 52% from Lightning-Red Wings in 2015 (527K). The game had a 0.5 final rating (last year’s comparable figure was not available).
Chicago’s season-ending loss, which peaked with 1.4 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 PM ET, ranks as the most-watched game of the postseason on cable. Despite lasting just four games, the Nashville-Chicago series generated three of the five largest playoff audiences regardless of network.
Locally, the game earned a 6.9 rating across NBCSN and Fox Sports Tennessee in Nashville, the second-highest Predators rating in team history. Local numbers in Chicago were not available.
In other action Thursday, Rangers-Canadiens Game 5 had 633,000 viewers on USA Network — up 20% from Red Wings-Lightning last year (528K) and up 133% from Islanders-Capitals in 2015 (272K), both of which aired on CNBC.
Sharks-Oilers Game 5 finished off the night with a 0.3 final rating and 515,000 viewers on NBCSN — down a tick in ratings and 25% in viewership from Blackhawks-Blues last year (0.4, 690K) and down a tick but up 1% respectively from Blackhawks-Predators in 2015 (0.4, 511K).
Blue Jackets-Penguins Game 5 aired on NHL Network, which is not Nielsen rated.
(Numbers via Programming Insider 4.21, ShowBuzz Daily 4.21, The Tennessean 4.21)
