The Maple Leafs and Bruins are once again meeting each other in a Game 7 scenario. Unlike the other times during the NBC era with the NHL, this year’s series-clinching game will air on ABC in primetime on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET. In simpler terms, the stakes could not be higher for the league’s opening round.
The sixth game of this year’s series between the Leafs and Bruins averaged 1,441,000 viewers on TBS for Thursday night, which is the most-watched opening round Game 6 on cable in history. Dating back to 2012, the NHL’s highest-viewed opening round game in history came during Game 6 of the Bruins and Capitals, which aired on NBC during a Sunday afternoon. That game averaged 3,519,000 viewers and hasn’t been uncrowned since. Will Saturday’s Maple Leafs and Bruins primetime Game 7 showdown surpass any previous opening round records? Here is what JHeaps and I think:
Braylon’s Prediction:
- Game 7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC): 3,674,000 viewers
JHeaps’s Prediction:
- Game 7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC): 3,821,000 viewers
Furthermore, we have also both provided our Canadian viewership predictions for Saturday’s game:
Braylon’s Prediction:
- Game 7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins (CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS): 4,987,000 viewers
JHeaps’s Prediction:
- Game 7: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins (CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS): 4,716,000 viewers
For context, here are our previous viewership predictions throughout the 2023-2024 NHL regular season:
Tuesday, TNT Election Day Doubleheader on 11/8/23:
- Red Wings vs. Rangers (7:30 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 685K, JHeaps: 706K, Result: 532K
- Devils vs. Avalanche (10:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 374K, JHeaps: 289K, Result: 288K
Wednesday, TNT Doubleheader on 11/9/23:
- Panthers vs. Capitals (7:30 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 391K, JHeaps: 402K, Result: 390K
- Kings vs. Golden Knights (10:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 308K, JHeaps: 237K, Result: 334K
Wednesday, TNT Doubleheader on 12/6/23:
- Stars vs. Panthers (7:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 352K, JHeaps: 388K, Result: 311K
- Hurricanes vs. Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 211K, JHeaps: 258K, Result: 179K
Thursday, ESPN Doubleheader on 12/7/23:
- Stars vs. Capitals (8:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 426K, JHeaps: 477K, Result: 470K
- Devils vs. Kraken (10:30 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 408K, JHeaps: 412K, Result: 255K
Monday, TNT Winter Classic on 1/1/24:
- Golden Knights vs. Kraken (3:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 1.462M, JHeaps: 1.296M, Result: 1.10M
Saturday, ABC Hockey Saturday on 1/13/24:
- Rangers vs. Capitals (1:00 p.m. ET): Predictions – Braylon: 992K, JHeaps: 1.098M, Result: 954K
Friday, NHL Skills Competition on 2/2/24:
- 2024 NHL All-Star Skills Competition (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN): Predictions – Braylon: 1.118M, JHeaps: 1.099M, Result: 823K
Saturday, NHL All-Star Game on 2/3/24:
- 2024 NHL All-Star Game (3:00 p.m. ET, ABC): Predictions – Braylon: 1.418M, JHeaps: 1.297M, Result: 1.398M
Saturday, NHL Stadium Series on 2/17/24:
- 2024 NHL Stadium Series, Flyers vs. Devils (8:00 p.m. ET, ABC): Predictions – Braylon: 1,089,000 viewers, JHeaps: 1,216,000 viewers, Result: 1,132,000 viewers
Sunday, NHL Stadium Series on 2/18/24:
- 2024 NHL Stadium Series, Rangers vs. Islanders (3:00 p.m. ET, ABC): Predictions – Braylon: 1,216,000 viewers, JHeaps: 1,383,000 viewers, Result: 1,568,000 viewers