Predators were eliminated more than two weeks ago but impact of local interest remains clear

It has been two weeks since the Nashville Predators were eliminated from the NHL playoffs, but the impact of their participation in the first two rounds remains clear.

With the Stanley Cup Finals set to begin Monday, NBC Sports touted its ratings for the postseason up to this point and revealed the top markets in terms of viewership.

Nashville was among the top five in terms of average ratings for all of the playoff games that have aired on NBC and NBC Sports Network this spring. In fact, the average rating locally exceeds those in Washington, D.C., and Tampa, the two cities that had teams battle in a seven-game Eastern Conference final, which ended Wednesday.



A rundown of the top 10 markets, with average rating, for the 2018 NHL playoffs (through Wednesday): Pittsburgh -- 4.21 Las Vegas -- 3.17 Buffalo -- 2.95 Nashville -- 2.52 Tampa -- 2.41 Washington, D.C. -- 2.11 Boston -- 1.82 Providence -- 1.64 Ft. Myers -- 1.48 Baltimore -- 1.36

This year’s Western Conference final between the Winnipeg Jets, which eliminated Nashville, and record-setting expansion franchise Vegas Golden Knights averaged a total audience delivery (TAD), which includes live streaming of events, of 1.766 million viewers. The figure is up 23 percent from the mark of last year’s series between the Predators and Anaheim Ducks (1.434 million). It was the most-watched Western Conference final in three years.

Vegas won the series in five games and will face Washington in the Stanley Cup Finals.



