Fans will have to pay more than ever for the opportunity to watch the Rangers’ run to the Stanley Cup in person.
Tickets for Thursday’s Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Canadiens at Madison Square Garden were selling for an average of $601 on the secondary market on Tuesday, making it the most expensive NHL ticket aside from the Stanley Cup finals since at least 2010, according to online ticket aggregator SeatGeek. Tickets for Game 5 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals between the Rangers and Devils at the Garden — selling for $461 — were the previous high.
The Rangers bring a 2-0 series lead back to New York, with Game 3 ticket prices up 58 percent from the start of the series and up 15 percent from Monday. The cheapest ticket costs $320.
With the Rangers at home for the first time in 11 days, Chris Matcovich, vice president of data & communications for TiqIQ, isn’t surprised by the overwhelming demand to see a team whose championship hopes have soared since it last played a game in New York.
“Also consider in 2012 fans had six opportunities to see the Rangers play, as both teams play within miles of each other,” Matcovich said. “That helped to ease demand a bit as you could go see either team home or away.”
If the Rangers win two more games and advance to the Cup finals for the first time since 1994, Matcovich expects fans will see ticket prices on par with February’s Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium.
“Right now, you are most likely looking at $800-$1,000 to get into any of the three possible Stanley Cup games at the Garden,” Matcovich said. “If the Rangers have the chance to clinch in either Game 4 or 6, I could see those going up to as high as $1,500-$2,000, which would rival the get-in price for the Super Bowl.”