Overview
- Thursday's Game 2 between the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights averaged about 4.7 million viewers on ABC, according to network and Nielsen figures.
- Through the first two games the series is averaging roughly 4.725 million viewers, an increase of about 93% from the 2025 Final.
- Sports Media Watch and other outlets report that this Game 2 is the most-watched and highest-rated Game 2 of a Cup Final since 2015, though Nielsen began adding out-of-home and large-scale smart-TV data in recent years, which affects historical comparisons.
- The series has been tightly contested with multiple overtime games, including a double-overtime Game 3 that gave Vegas a 2–1 lead, a drama that has helped lift live TV audiences.
- Strong audiences for both the NHL and NBA title series give ABC and Disney better advertising and rights leverage at a time when ESPN faces layoffs and the company is under stock pressure.