AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes
Tuesday’s NHL on ESPN ratings are in!
The ratings steam for the NHL continues to roll forward as last night’s ESPN doubleheader is the second most-watched regular season doubleheader ever, outside of opening night.
To begin the night, the Lightning vs Sabres at 7:30 PM ET averaged 552,000 viewers. This was up 12% versus last year’s comparable game which averaged 494,000 viewers between the Flyers and Lightning, and also marks the Sabres most-watched game under the new NHL TV deal.
Moving onto the nightcap, the Avalanche vs Kraken proved again that both of these fanbases can provide big numbers as the game averaged 513,000 viewers. This was up 51% from last year’s comparable contest which averaged 339,000 viewers between the Kings and Predators.
Overall, last night’s ESPN doubleheader averaged 535,000 viewers across the two windows, which is up 28% versus last year’s doubleheader that averaged 417,000 viewers.
We will see if the NHL’s ratings steam continues as tonight we have a single game on TNT at 7:30 PM ET with the Penguins and Red Wings!
great numbers for a typical Tuesday night doubleheader – sabres might become more of a strong team for ratings if they become more competitive, buffalo is a huge hockey market.
Buffalo and Detroit have both shown some great potential to once again draw numbers this season. If that is the case, it could be a monster year for ratings!