NHL Playoff TV Ratings: Capitals Vs. Bruins Game 6 Tops Winter Classic As Most-Watched This Season

Sunday afternoon was a rainy day on the East Coast. Boston and Washington, D.C. are both on the East Coast, and the hockey teams that play in those cities met at the Verizon Center in the Nation's Capital. People were not outside in the rain. They were inside watching hockey, and NBC appreciates that very much.

Bruins Gm 6 OT win over Caps registers 2.5 overnight on NBC, best for any non-SC Final NHL playoff game in 14 years & +56% vs. last year

— NBCSportsPR (@NBCSportsPR) April 23, 2012

The 56 percent rise from last year is the truly impressive part. In the early window on Sunday afternoon, Flyers vs. Penguins Game 6 pulled a 2.4 overnight rating. Puck The Media has more analysis:

Earlier Sunday, the Penguins and Flyers topped their terrific Game 3 ratings in an earlier timeslot, as Game 6′s Philadelphia clinching drew a 2.4 overnight. This was up 38% from last week's Noon ET game (NSH/DET, G3: 1.5). It is now tied as the second-highest playoff overnight since 1998.

Those are more great numbers for NBC. It's the first year in recent memory that every single playoff game is on national television, and the network has done a phenomenal job with its coverage, especially since turning the page from Versus to NBC Sports Network at the turn of the year.