TORONTO — An average of 2.67 million Canadian viewers tuned in to see the Stanley Cup final between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, Rogers Sportsnet said in a release Monday.

The sports broadcast network said the number is 18 per cent higher than the 2016 final between Pittsburgh and the San Jose Sharks.

Having five Canadian teams qualify for the post-season certainly helped overall ratings this season. Rogers said an overall average audience of 1.61 million Canadians tuned into the 2017 playoffs, up 94 per cent over last year when Canadian teams were shut out of the post-season.

Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final between Pittsburgh and the Ottawa Senators was the most watched game of the 2017 playoffs overall, with an average of 4.29 million viewers.