NEW YORK, NY – MAY 13: Derick Brassard #16 of the New York Rangers celerbates with his team after defeating the Washington Capitals by a score of 201 to win Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 13, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Game 7 matchup between the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals was a smash hit for NBCSN, drawing a 2.3 overnight rating on Wednesday.

That 2.3 is the third-best non-Stanley Cup Final overnight ever for the network, which is pretty ridiculous given that we’re only in the second round of the playoffs *and* that the game overlapped with Game 5 of Wizards-Hawks on TNT.

In both local markets, the game drew record-setting overnights – a 9.3 in New York (which is absurd, given the size of the market) and a 7.9 in DC.

NBC could end up in a good position with this year’s Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final because of the results of this year’s NBA playoffs. The Bulls’ elimination by the Cavaliers on Thursday leaves the Blackhawks as Chicago’s lone team still standing. The Rockets improbably dragged the Clippers to a Game 7 on Thursday, and one more Rockets win means that the Ducks would be the only Southern California team left in either league’s playoffs.

The only local competition that the Rangers and Lightning will be facing will be the Yankees, Mets, and Rays, and those three teams only have three exclusive nationally televised games over the rest of the month.

[Sports Media Watch]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.

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