Ratings Recap: ABC Hockey Saturday Gains, Red Wings Boost TNT Sunday and ESPN Tuesday, TNT Wednesday Falls

Since this past Saturday, the NHL has seen six nationally televised games across its two broadcast partners in the United States. For the most part, the numbers have been positive, along with a decline in one of the days, so let’s dive into this week’s ratings recap of all the games.

ABC Hockey Saturday Hits Season High

Saturday brought us NHL fans two action-packed games as a part of ABC’s Hockey Saturday coverage. The first of which was between the Lightning and Penguins, which dropped the puck at 1:00 p.m. ET with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Ryan Callahan (analyst), and Leah Hextall (reporter) on the call from Pittsburgh. The Penguins’ win averaged 883,000 viewers, and while there was no comparable window last year, the Lightning-Penguins comes in as the second most-watched 1:00 p.m. ET ABC game this season, only trailing the Rangers-Capitals on January 13th (954K).

Moreover, the second game of Saturday’s ABC slate was the Panthers and Bruins at 3:30 p.m. ET, which has become a bit of its own rivalry as of late. Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Ray Ferraro (analyst), and Emily Kaplan (reporter) were on the call from the TD Garden for Saturday’s matchup. The Bruins’ overtime win averaged 1,218,000 viewers, up 7% vs. last year’s comparable window (Bruins-Penguins, 1.142M). Saturday’s overtime thriller is also ABC’s most-watched NHL game of the season, excluding the Stadium Series.

Through 16 games, the NHL on ABC is averaging 925,000 viewers, down a slight 7% from the same time last season (992K). ABC closes out its regular season with a tripleheader on Saturday, which can be found here.

Red Wings Boost TNT Sunday and ESPN Tuesday Viewership

Sunday provided us with two more nationally televised games, as we had a typical TNT Sunday game alongside a rare ESPN Sunday game, which was a lead-out to Sunday Night Baseball.

Beginning the day was the Sabres and Red Wings at 1:00 p.m. ET on TNT, with Brendan Burke (play-by-play), Jennifer Botterill (analyst), and Darren Pang (analyst) on the call from Little Caesar’s Arena. The Red Wings’ win averaged 448,000 viewers, up 15% vs. last year’s comparable window (Rangers-Capitals, 390K), and the most-watched 1:00 p.m. ET TNT Sunday game this season.

Later in the day was the Stars and Avalanche, which dropped the puck shortly after 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN as a part of lead-out coverage for Sunday Night Baseball. John Buccigross (play-by-play), Ray Ferraro (analyst), and Emily Kaplan (reporter) were on the call from Denver. The Stars’ lopsided win averaged 430,000 viewers, as there was no comparable window last season.

Shifting over to Tuesday, ESPN hosted an exclusive doubleheader with the Capitals and Red Wings kicking things off at 7:00 p.m. ET. Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Ryan Callahan (analyst), and Emily Kaplan (reporter) were on the call from Detroit. The Capitals’ 2-1 win averaged 635,000 viewers, up 85% vs. last year’s comparable window (Maple Leafs-Lightning, 343K). In addition, the Capitals-Red Wings are ESPN’s most-watched NHL game on the channel since January 4th, which included the Bruins and Penguins (846K). Through Detroit’s seven exclusive games on cable this season, they are averaging 587,000 viewers, the highest of any team in the NHL.

Closing out ESPN’s Tuesday doubleheader was the Wild and Avalanche at 9:30 p.m. ET. On the call from Denver was John Buccigross (play-by-play), AJ Mleczko (analyst), and Leah Hextall (reporter). Colorado’s 5-2 averaged 350,000 viewers, down 10% vs. last year’s comparable window (Oilers-Avalanche, 388K).

Overall, ESPN’s Tuesday doubleheader averaged 493,000 viewers across the two games, up 35% vs. last year (355K).

TNT Wednesday Declines with Non-Exclusive Game

TNT’s weekly Wednesday timeslot brought us a lone game this week, the Golden Knights and Oilers at 8:30 p.m. ET. Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Eddie Olczyk (analyst), and Jackie Redmond (reporter) were on the call from Edmonton. The Oilers’ dominating 5-1 win averaged 211,000 viewers, down 7% vs. last year’s comparable game, which was an exclusive broadcast between the Oilers-Ducks (228K).

Despite the increase in non-exclusive games and lackluster Sunday lineups, through 58 games, the NHL on TNT is averaging 364,000 viewers, up 3% vs. the same point last season (355K).

To close out this week, we have an ABC tripleheader on Saturday, along with the Men’s Frozen Four title game at 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.