Entertainment

Stanley Cup Finals Game 2 nets big cable numbers

The Stanley Cup Finals continue to be a ratings bonanza for NBC — both on broadcast and on cable.

Last Saturday’s Game 2, a 2-1 Bruins victory over the Blackhawks in overtime, snared nearly 4 million viewers — the most-watched game in the history of NBC Sports Network, which airs on cable. That’s up a whopping 237 percent from the first Stanley Cup Finals game that aired last year on NBCSN.

It was also the most-watched Game 2 on cable in 16 years — and the most-watched Stanley Cup Finals game in 11 years, according to Nielsen.

The game’s viewership peaked at nearly 5 million viewers from 10:30 to 11 p.m.

The NBC mothership snared record ratings for Game 1 last Wednesday — a 4-3 triple-overtime victory for Chicago which netted the best Game 1 numbers in 16 years (over 6 million viewers), which fell just short of the 1997 Game 1 numbers (Detroit vs. Philly).