The ultimate recreation of the NHL‘s Stanley Cup Finals delivered each on the ice and within the scores.
The Florida Panthers’ 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Monday evening’s seventh recreation averaged 7.66 million viewers on ABC in the USA — the biggest viewers for an NHL recreation since 2019 (which was additionally the final time the finals went to a seventh recreation). It’s additionally the largest tune-in for ever for a Stanley Cup Finals not involving one of many league’s unique six groups (Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Montreal, the New York Rangers and Toronto). Viewing peaked at 10.3 million viewers for the closing minutes of the sport.
The sequence as an entire averaged about 4.2 million viewers. That’s up by 58 % from final yr’s five-game finals on TNT and TBS and down about 9 % from ABC’s final flip airing the finals in 2022. (The finals additionally streamed on ESPN+; viewers figures are for ABC’s broadcast solely.)
In Canada, recreation seven drew about 8.64 million viewers — roughly one fifth of the nation’s total inhabitants — on CBC, SportsNet and TVA Sports activities for a complete North American viewers of 16.3 million. The sequence averaged 8.8 million viewers throughout each international locations.
For the whole lot of the Stanley Cup playoffs, ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 1.8 million viewers per recreation, up 14 % from 2022 when ABC final aired the finals.
The Panthers gained the primary three video games of the sequence, with the Oilers coming again to assert the following three. With their win Monday, the Panthers claimed their first Stanley Cup and averted turning into the primary group in 82 years to lose the finals after going up 3-0.