The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks brought plenty of drama and excitement to their Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 matchup Wednesday as Raffi Torres scored with 18.5 seconds left to give the Canucks a 1-0 win and a 1-0 series lead. And NBC reaped the benefits.
Last night's Stanley Cup Gm 1 did 3.2/6 overnight, best overnight for a Gm 1 in 12 years & up 14% vs. last year, which featured Chi-Phi #nhl
NBC drew a 3.2/6 overnight rating during Game 1, making it the best overnight for a Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 since 1999 (Buffalo Sabres vs, Dallas Stars), a number that is 14 percent higher than last year's Game 1 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers. The city of Boston drew a huge rating as well with a 25.5/39 and nearby Providence, Rhode Island, drew an impressive 16.7/24 rating.
The network's ratings peaked at 3.8/6 in the game's final half-hour, which Torres capped off with the game's first and only goal. And with such a cliffhanger like Torres' goal, NBC is sure to see plenty of viewers for Saturday's Game 2.