With Boston blowing out the Blues, Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final hit a three-year low in the overnight ratings.
Saturday’s Bruins-Blues Stanley Cup Final Game 3 earned a 2.1 overnight rating on NBCSN, down 16% from Golden Knights-Capitals last year (2.5) and down a tick from Penguins-Predators in 2017.
Boston’s five-goal win posted the lowest Stanley Cup Game 3 overnight since Penguins-Sharks in 2016 (1.9), and the second-lowest since Devils-kings in 2012 (1.4).
The 2.1 is also the third-lowest for any Stanley Cup Final game since Devils-Kings, ahead of only games 2 and 3 in 2016.
Game 3 had a 20.6 rating in Boston, down 24% from Blackhawks-Bruins in 2013 (27.6), and down 12% from Canucks-Bruins in 2011 (23.4). The 20.6 trails every game of the 2011 and 2013 series, none of which dipped below a 21.9.
The game also had a 16.2 rating in St. Louis, down 26% from Game 2 (22.0) and down 44% from Game 1 on the NBC broadcast network (29.0).
In addition to the lopsided score, Saturday’s game had to contend with stiff competition in both home markets. In the same Saturday night window, FOX aired Red Sox-Yankees and Cardinals-Cubs as part of its regular Baseball Night in America regional coverage. The Red Sox game had a 5.6 rating in Boston and the Cardinals game a 4.7 in St. Louis (excluding rain delay coverage).
While the NHL won the head-to-head in both markets, it is likely that the competition played a role.
[Numbers from NBC Sports; local MLB from Fox Sports]
