TNT Sports Posts Its Most-Watched NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Ever

TNT Sports posted its best Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round ever, which included Thursday’s Game 5 of the Montreal/Buffalo series which averaged 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched, Second Round, Game 5 on cable ever featuring a Canadian team. The game peaked at 2.3 million viewers at 8:30 p.m. ET

The Second Round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on TNT, truTV and HBO Max averaged 1.7 million viewers, up 33% vs. last season. Overall, TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs through the Second Round is averaging 1.3 million viewers, up 51% vs. 2025 through the Second Round. Women viewers aged 2+ continue to drive viewership growth, up 66% vs. last season through the Second Round.

TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round also set a series of new historical marks, including:

• The most watched Second Round, Game 1 on TNT Sports (Minnesota/Colorado, 2.2 million)
• The most watched Second Round, Game 3 on cable (Carolina/Philadelphia, 2 million)
• The most watched Second Round, Game 5 on TNT Sports (Minnesota/Colorado, 1.8 million)

TNT Sports will have exclusive coverage of the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Montreal Canadiens or Buffalo Sabres against the Carolina Hurricanes, starting with Game 1 on Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. Pregame coverage will start at 7 p.m., live from Raleigh, North Carolina with host Liam McHugh, alongside analysts Wayne Gretzky, Henrik Lundqvist, Anson Carter and Paul Bissonnette.