NBC earned a 1.4 fast-national Nielsen rating and 2.57 million viewers for the Flyers' OT win over the Sabres on Sunday in Game Six of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series, marking the most-viewed NHL non-conference final game in 12 years. Sunday's game is also up 27% and 44%, respectively, from a 1.1 rating and 1.78 million viewers for the comparable Red Wings-Coyotes Game Six last year. Versus also had a record-setting game on Sunday with its telecast of Canucks-Blackhawks Game Six. The game averaged 1.16 million viewers, marking Versus' most-viewed NHL Conference Quarterfinal ever and the most-viewed Conference Quarterfinal on cable TV since '03. Through the weekend's games, Versus is averaging 591,000 viewers for the NHL postseason, up 7% from 552,000 viewers at the same point last year (Austin Karp, THE DAILY). USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes the Flyers' win on Sunday to force a Game Seven "was great for Comcast, which owns the team and controls the network that aired the game." The overtime finish "helped its ratings." Also, with the Capitals advancing into the next round, Hiestand notes DC "is a TV opportunity for the NHL, given its NBA Wizards and MLB Nationals are anything but TV stars" (USA TODAY, 4/26).
HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: NESN earned a 13.0 local rating for the Bruins' double OT win over the Canadiens in Game Five Saturday night, the third highest-rated Bruins playoff game in network history in the Boston market. The last three games of this series have all set records as the top-three rated non-Game Seven ratings in NESN history (NESN)....Sunday's Flyers-Sabres game earned a 24.0 rating on WGRZ-NBC in the Buffalo market, the Sabres' "highest in four years" (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/26)....Comcast SportsNet Chicago earned a 12.45 local rating on Sunday for Canucks-Blackhawks Game Six, marking the net's highest Blackhawks rating ever.The previous record was set during Game Five of the series, which averaged a 10.58 local rating (CSN Chicago).
GETTING BETTER AS THE SEASON GOES ON: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones wrote NBC's playoff coverage "was the highlight of the weekend, especially a moment during Saturday's broadcast of Game 5 of the Capitals-Rangers series." Capitals D Mike Green, who missed a "good chunk of the season with head problems," blocked a slap shot "near his shoulder-head area and did not get up." Not only did NBC discuss his history of head issues, "it showed us." While Green "was still being tended to on the ice, NBC showed replays of two incidents that happened this year -- one of Green getting hit with a similar shot and another of him taking an elbow to the head." Then, in the "most fascinating replay of the week, NBC showed a super-slow-motion shot of the screws coming out of Green's helmet as he blocked the shot against the Rangers." Meanwhile, Jones wrote Sun Sports Lightning announcers Rick Peckham and Bobby Taylor both have "brought their A-games" for the series against the Penguins. Peckham has "saved emotional calls for the truly important moments of the game," while Taylor "continues to bring excellent X-and-O analysis and hasn't shied from being critical when the situation calls for it" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 4/25). In N.Y., Phil Mushnick wrote Kenny Albert, who called the Capitals-Rangers series for ESPN Radio 1050 N.Y., is "stronger on hockey than other sports." Mushnick: "His confidence is obvious; he takes control of the broadcast. And that makes analyst Dave Maloney better because he doesn't have to force things" (N.Y. POST, 4/25).
