The Bruins are on top … of the ratings.
For the third straight season, the Bruins drew the largest audience of all NHL teams, with an average of 661,000 homes tuning into each game on NESN, per Sports Business Journal. But the Bruins also posted their lowest average rating on NESN (2.8). That number was good for sixth in the league, directly behind the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Penguins enjoyed the NHL's highest ratings for the second straight season with an average number of 5.3. The Blues (4.28 average) and woeful Sabres (3.78) comprised the rest of the top three.
The Bruins' ratings news is interesting for a couple of reasons. The fact they drew the largest audience shows Boston is a strong market, though the decline in ratings may indicate some ennui in the fan base — though a thrilling come-from-behind series win over the Hurricanes would likely change that.
The Bruins have been bounced in the second round in each of the last two seasons, and are underdogs against Carolina.
Ratings represent the average number of viewers in the population tuned into a TV program at a particular time.
Overall, local NHL TV ratings fell down 23 percent this season, but that's not shocking, considering this was the first full season since the Covid-19 pandemic. The NHL signed seven-year deals with ESPN and Turner Sports last offseason for a combined $625 million annually. '
While local numbers were down, national ratings were on the rise, interestingly enough. That may be a trade the NHL is willing to make.
