Caps-Lightning Game 7 ratings sank double-digits, but the NHL is still riding high entering the Stanley Cup Final.
Wednesday’s Capitals-Lightning NHL Eastern Conference Final Game 7 delivered a 1.5 rating and 2.58 million viewers on NBCSN, down 12% in both measures from Senators-Penguins last year (1.7, 2.92M) and flat and up 2% respectively from Lightning-Penguins in 2016 (1.5, 2.52M).
Washington’s four-goal win, which peaked with 3.0 million viewers from 10:30-10:45 PM ET, ranks as the tenth-most watched NHL telecast ever on NBCSN (excluding the Stanley Cup Final).
Including the 114,000 who streamed the game on NBC Sports’ digital platforms — a 20% increase over last year’s Game 7 (95K) — Game 7 had an audience of 2.69 million. That is still down 11% from last year’s TV+streaming audience (3.02M) but up 4% from 2016 (2.59M).
For the postseason, Wednesday’s game ranks third in viewership behind Penguins-Capitals Game 5 in the second round (4.3M) and Capitals-Lightinng Game 5 on Saturday (2.9M). Those two games aired on NBC immediately following Triple Crown horse races.
Game 7 had a 12.6 rating in Washington D.C., the market’s highest for an NHL game on NBC or NBCSN. It had a 10.3 in Tampa-St. Petersburg, down 5% from the Lightning’s Game 7 loss two years ago (10.8) but down 13% from the team’s Game 7 win in 2015 (11.9).
The Capitals-Lightning series averaged 2.13 million viewers across NBC’s TV and digital outlets. NBC did not disclose last year’s Penguins-Senators average in a Thursday press release.
Including the Golden Knights-Jets series, the NHL conference finals averaged 1.98 million — up 9% from last year (1.81M) and the highest average in three years (2015: 2.26M).
The complete Stanley Cup Playoffs has averaged 1.21 million TV+streaming viewers through three rounds, up 7% from last year (1.13M) and the highest average since 1997 (1.24M).
Largest NHL Audiences Ever on NBCSN
Excluding Stanley Cup Final
