The second game of the Stanley Cup Final was an exciting back-and-forth battle and it appropriately attracted a big audience. NBC announced that Tampa Bay’s 4-3 victory over Chicago had a 4.8 metered market rating, which is a new record compared to the previous Stanley Cup Final Game 2s that have aired on NBC.
Among the contests it beat was Game 2 of last year’s New York Rangers vs. Los Angeles Kings series. That contest went to double overtime and posted a 4.56 rating.
NBC was also the top network in both Chicago (22.6 rating) and Tampa Bay (15.1) over the course of the game. Buffalo (8.6), Milwaukee (6.7) and Ft. Myers (6.5) were the other markets in the top five.
Monday and Wednesday’s contests will air on NBCSN and Game 5 will be on NBC on Saturday. If they’re necessary, Game 6 and 7 will also air on NBC. All of the remaining contests have 8:00 p.m. ET scheduled start times.