Stanley Cup Final Game 1 draws biggest audience since 2019

The NHL’s strong television run continued with Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final drawing its largest audience in seven years.

Game 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes averaged 4.8 million viewers on ABC, the largest audience for a Stanley Cup Final Game 1 since St. Louis Blues–Boston Bruins on NBC in 2019. The game peaked from 10:45 to 11 p.m. ET, in the third period, at 5.5 million viewers.

Viewership for Game 1 was up 98% from Game 1 of the Edmonton Oilers–Florida Panthers series last year (2.4 million), which aired on TNT Sports, and up 54% from Game 1 of the same matchup in 2024 (3.1 million) on ABC.

Comparisons to previous years are skewed by Nielsen’s shift to the new Big Data + Panel ratings methodology in September 2025, which has generally boosted viewership for live sports by around 15%. It goes without saying, but a 98% and 54% increase from previous years is not simply the product of that shift.

The NHL had already seen strong viewership entering the Stanley Cup Final. The Vegas Golden Knights’ sweep over the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final averaged 2.2 million viewers, up 44% versus last year’s Western Conference Final.

The Eastern Conference Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens on TNT Sports averaged 2 million viewers, up 49% versus last year.

First-round viewership increased by 68% year over year.

This is the first year since 2023 that the Stanley Cup Final has not featured a Canadian team. Viewership for Game 1 is up 14% from the last all-U.S. matchup on ABC in 2022 (Tampa Bay Lightning–Colorado Avalanche). That series featured the most-watched Game 3 in Stanley Cup Final history.

Already up over 2022, the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals seems to be well on its way to a viewership record of its own.