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NHL playoffs audience best since 1997 heading into Stanley Cup Final

NBCUniversal Media LLC's NBC Sports Group is riding ratings momentum ahead of its coverage of the Washington Capitals visiting the Vegas Golden Knights to open the Stanley Cup Final on May 28.

Through 78 games entering the championship round, NBC Sports Group averaged a Total Audience Delivery — viewing on NBC (US), NBCSN (US), CNBC (US), USA Network, Golf Channel (US), NBC Sports.com and the NBC Sports app of 1.21 million viewers, according to data from Nielsen Holdings and Adobe Analytics. That makes the first three rounds of this year's postseason the most-watched playoff run since 1997, when ESPN (US), ESPN2 (US) and FOX (US) averaged nearly 1.24 million watchers. The 2018 performance to date was up 7.1% from the corresponding stage of last year’s postseason that averaged 1.13 million TAD viewers.

Between NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, the 2018 playoffs to date totaled 3 million unique users and 504 million live minutes, respective jumps of 80% and 18% from the same span in 2017.

NBC Sports Group's TAD was lifted by 12 conference finals contests, which averaged 1.98 million viewers on NBC, NBCSN, the website and the app, a 9.4% jump from 1.81 million in 2017 and the most-watched third-round tally since 2.26 million in 2015.

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final the Capitals eliminated the Lightning 4-0 in Tampa Bay on May 23 netted a TAD of 2.69 million watchers, to stand as the most-watched game of the 2018 playoffs on cable to date. It also ranked as the most-viewed, non-overtime Game 7 since Tampa Bay-New York Rangers drew 3.33 million viewers on May 29, 2015.

All told, the Caps-Lightning series notched a TAD of 2.13 million viewers, the second-best Eastern Conference Final performance since an average of 2.93 million watched Boston-Pittsburgh in 2013.

In the Western Conference Final, Vegas’ five-game dismissal of the Winnipeg Jets posted a TAD of 1.77 million viewers, a 23.8% jump from the six-game Nashville-Anaheim matchup that registered with 1.43 million in 2017. Knights-Jets garnered the most watchers for a Western Conference Final series since Chicago-Anaheim drew almost 2.47 million in 2015.

Matching the sixth-largest Designated Market Area in Washington, D.C., versus 40th-ranked Las Vegas, the Stanley Cup Final promises to be a compelling one on the ice. The championship round pits the expansionist Knights, looking to become the first team in the history of the the big four U.S. sports the NFL, MLB, NBA and the NHL to win a championship during their rookie year, against the Capitals, led by one of the sport's all-time greats, Alexander Ovechkin. Washington, which entered the NHL in 1974, is also seeking its inaugural Stanley Cup victory.

The six-game 2017 Stanley Cup Final series Pittsburgh, DMA No. 23, repeated as champion with a win over Nashville, the nation's 27th-largest market scored a TAD of 4.76 million watchers, a 19% jump from the 2016 final round. From a TV perspective, the 2017 championship series earned a 2.67 household rating with 4.68 million viewers, up 18% and 19% from the six-game Pittsburgh-San Jose confrontation the year before.

When the Capitals skate against the Knights on Memorial Day from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with coverage on NBC, their first Stanley Cup Final battle will measure up against last year's Pittsburgh-Nashville starter, which averaged a TAD of 4.93 million viewers, including 4.85 million on NBC.

NBCSN will televise the second and third contests on May 30 and June 2, respectively. Game Four and any subsequent meetings in the best-of-seven series will air on NBC. All games start at 8 p.m. ET.