Capitals-Golden Knights Game 2 Averages Total Audience Delivery of 3.788 Million Viewers, Up 16% Vs. Last Year and Up 47% Vs. 2016
Game 2 is NBCSN’s Most-Watched Primetime Program in Three Years
NBCSN Ranks No. 1 Across all TV in Adults 18-49 Demo for Capitals-Golden Knights Game 2
Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., Set Local Cable Ratings Records
Golden Knights-Capitals Game 3 Saturday at 8 pm ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 31, 2018 – Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final last night between the Washington Capitals and the expansion Vegas Golden Knights set numerous consumption records across NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app, including:
- the most-watched Stanley Cup Final game on NBCSN in three years;
- the most-watched primetime program on NBCSN in three years;
- NBCSN ranking No. 1 across all of television among Adults 18-49;
- Total Audience Delivery (TAD) increases of 16% and 47%, respectively, vs. the 2017 and 2016 Stanley Cup Final Game 2s;
- the most-streamed NHL game ever;
- and the highest-rated NHL game on NBCSN for both Las Vegas and Washington, D.C.
Alex Ovechkin scored his 13th goal of the postseason and his first ever in a Stanley Cup Final, helping the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The Game 2 TAD of 3.788 million viewers, according to Fast National data by the Nielsen Company and streaming data by Adobe Analytics, was up 16% vs. last year’s Nashville-Pittsburgh Game 2 (3.278 million) on NBCSN, NBCSports.com, and the NBC Sports app, and up 47% vs. the comparable 2016 game (San Jose-Pittsburgh, 2.579 million).
NBCSN averaged a TV-only audience of 3.648 million viewers, making it the most-watched NHL game and the most-watched primetime program on the network in three years, both since the Tampa Bay-Chicago Stanley Cup Final game on June 10, 2015 (3.914 million). Game 2 now ranks as the fifth-most watched Stanley Cup Final game on NBCSN (25 games), and the network’s most-watched non-Chicago Stanley Cup Final game ever. TV-only viewership peaked at 4.701 million viewers between 10:45-11 pm ET. NBCSN ranked No. 1 in all of television in the P18-49 demo for Game 2.
Digitally, Game 2 is now the most-streamed NHL game in history, with 366,000 uniques (+60% vs. 2017) and 27.0 million live minutes (+32%). Game 2 also set the streaming record for Average Minute Audience with 140,000 viewers.
Locally, both Las Vegas (19.8) and Washington, D.C., (13.4) delivered their highest-rated NHL games ever on NBCSN.
Following are the ratings for the Top 10 markets for last night’s Stanley Cup Final Game 2 on NBCSN:
| Rank | Metered Market | Rating |
| 1 | Las Vegas | 19.80 |
| 2 | Washington, D.C. | 13.37 |
| 3 | Baltimore | 8.43 |
| 4 | Buffalo | 8.14 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 7.14 |
| 6 | Richmond | 5.39 |
| 7 | Minneapolis | 4.43 |
| 8 | Tampa | 3.60 |
| 9 | Chicago | 3.40 |
| 9 | Denver | 3.40 |
STANLEY CUP FINAL GAME 3 – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS AT WASHINGTON CAPITALS – SATURDAY AT 8 PM ET ON NBCSN FROM CAPITAL ONE ARENA
Alex Ovechkin scored his 13th goal of the postseason and his first ever in a Stanley Cup Final and Braden Holtby made 37 saves, including a spectacular stick save in the waning moments of the third period, as the Washington Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights, 3-2, in Game 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Holtby amassed 15 saves in the final period. Brooks Orpik extended the Capitals’ lead to 3-1 in the second period with his first goal of the playoffs and his first goal in 220 games.
Washington hosts Vegas for the first time since Feb. 4, a game in which the Golden Knights prevailed, 4-3. The Capitals are 4-5 at home in these playoffs, while the Golden Knights are 6-2 on the road. Through two games, Vegas and Washington have combined for 15 goals from 14 different players. The Capitals’ Evgeny Kuznetsov, who leads the team in both assists (14) and points (25), suffered an injury in the first period of Game 2, and his status is uncertain for Saturday.
–NBC SPORTS–
