Everyone with a less than cursory knowledge of hockey ratings will tell you the NHL got a dream final. New York vs. LA! Hollywood vs. the Statue of Liberty! Tacos vs. Pizza! Tupac vs. Biggie! It’s the NHL’s best possible matchup.

It’s not such a sure thing. Los Angeles is still a market with a strong, core hockey fan base, yet the bandwagon that seems to come easily to the Lakers and Dodgers (and even this year’s Clippers) has been reluctant to jump on. The 4.8 rating for NBCSN’s broadcast of Game 7 on Sunday was the highest-rated hockey game ever on NBCSN in LA, and that includes the two games that were on that network during the 2012 Stanley Cup Final.

So the numbers will be good. There are plenty of stars familiar to casual hockey fans on both teams — Henrik Lundqvist, Martin St. Louis, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar, Rick Nash, pretty much any King who used to play for the Flyers… and the numbers will be fine. It’s just not the dream series, because honestly, that would’ve been New York vs. Chicago.

That said, there is something that could lead us to a record for a Stanley Cup Final audience just by happenstance: California Chrome’s Triple Crown run at the Belmont Stakes. The last bona fide Triple Crown drew 21 million viewers. An NHL lead-out — especially one featuring the New York market (where Belmont numbers are huge due to proximity) — could set records.

So, as I’ve annually done at various sites, let’s predict the audiences as if it’s going to be a seven-game series. I don’t think this one is going to go the distance, (personally thinking Kings in 6) but for the sake of fairness I predict what every game would draw. Enjoy.

Game 1 (Wednesday, June 4, 8 p.m. ET on NBC)

2013, Boston vs. Chicago (NBC): 6.36 million
2012, Los Angeles vs. New Jersey (NBC): 2.9 million
2011, Boston vs. Vancouver (NBC): 4.56 million
2010, Philadelphia vs. Chicago (NBC): 4.34 million
2009, Pittsburgh vs. Detroit (NBC): 4.51 million

I think we’re off to a slow start here, albeit not as slow as that Los Angeles-New Jersey number. Unless a ton of people just got seriously hooked by Game 7 of Kings-Hawks, I think you’ll see a number around those 2009-2011 numbers, should this game not go to overtime.

Prediction: 4.15 million viewers

Game 2 (Saturday, June 7, 7 p.m. ET on NBC)

2013, BOS vs. CHI (NBCSN): 3.96 million
2012, LA vs. NJ (NBC): 2.94 million
2011, BOS vs. VAN (NBC): 3.57 million
2010, PHI vs. CHI (NBC): 5.91 million
2009, PIT vs. DET (NBC): 5.33 million

I mentioned before that the last Triple Crown run drew 21 million viewers. Game 2 of the Final will go on the air the second NBC’s coverage of the Belmont Stakes ends, meaning a lot could lean on whether California Chrome actually wins the race. That said, just through circumstance, you may see numbers beyond what NHL Game 2’s have ever drawn in the past, but I’ll remain a bit conservative.

Prediction: 7.30 million

Game 3 (Monday, June 9, 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN)

2013, CHI vs. BOS (NBCSN): 4.00 million
2012, NJ vs. LA (NBCSN): 1.74 million
2011, VAN vs. BOS (NBCSN): 2.76 million
2010, CHI vs. PHI (NBCSN): 3.6 million
2009, DET vs. PIT (NBCSN): 2.95 million

Now we head back to cable, and a lot of what we see for Games 3 and 4 on NBCSN is going to depend on where the series is. If this is 2-0 Kings and headed for 3-0, it’ll be a lower number than Chicago-Boston last year. If it’s 1-1, you’ll see a more competitive number. I’ll bet on 1-1.

Prediction: 3.70 million

Game 4 (Wednesday, June 11, 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN)

2013, CHI vs. BOS (NBC): 6.45 million
2012, NJ vs. LA (NBCSN): 2.07 million
2011, VAN vs. BOS (NBCSN): 2.71 million
2010, CHI vs. PHI (NBCSN): 3.12 million
2009, DET vs. PIT (NBCSN): 3.44 million

Another cable game, this will be way down from 2013 just because Game 4 was on broadcast television. If the Kings are going for the sweep you may see big numbers in LA. If it’s competitive, you may see an NBCSN record.

Prediction: 3.95 million

Game 5 (Friday, June 13, 8 p.m. ET on NBC)

2013, BOS vs. CHI (NBC): 5.63 million
2012, LA vs. NJ (NBC): 2.8 million
2011, BOS vs. VAN (NBC): 4.35 million
2010, PHI vs. CHI (NBC): 5.95 million
2009, PIT vs. DET (NBC): 4.28 million

Back to broadcast for what I believe is the first Friday night Stanley Cup Final game since 2009. Hard to really determine what a Friday night game can do, and if it’ll be as poisonous as Saturday nights have been in the past. Again, a big difference between 3-1 and 2-2 here.

Prediction: 5.00 million

Game 6 (Monday, June 16, 8 p.m. ET on NBC)

2013, CHI vs. BOS (NBC): 8.16 million
2012, NJ vs. LA (NBC): 4.93 million
2011, VAN vs. BOS (NBC): 5.26 million
2010, CHI vs. PHI (NBC): 7.57 million
2009, DET vs. PIT (NBC): 5.45 million

This is where I legitimately think the Kings will win this series (by the way, sorry to be so presumptuous on a Kings win here) but if the Rangers have a 3-2 lead here, the power of a huge New York rating may actually be able to carry NBC to a record. One other thing to consider, however: the USA-Ghana game at the World Cup starts at 6 p.m. ET this day, and places where mass viewing might take place (bars, hotels) may be slow to switch over.

Prediction: 7.85 million

Game 7 (Wednesday, June 18, 8 p.m. ET on NBC)

2011, BOS vs. VAN (NBC): 8.54 million
2009, PIT vs. DET (NBC): 7.99 million
2006, EDM vs. CAR (NBC): 5.29 million
2004, CGY vs. TB (ABC): 6.29 million
2003, ANA vs. NJ (ABC): 7.17 million
2001, NJ vs. COL (ABC): 6.95 million

A New York-Los Angeles Game 7 could actually be a dream scenario for the league. It would make a ton of new hockey fans, grow participation in the sport in both New York and California, and would likely be talked about forever in both cities, where having a legend carries a ton of nostalgic weight. It would be huge for the NHL.

Prediction: 9.55 million

About Steve Lepore

Steve Lepore is a writer for Bloguin and a correspondent for SiriusXM NHL Network Radio.

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