The Montreal Canadiens — the one team remaining in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs — continues to win over hockey fans from all across Canada.
Take a look at the overnight estimated data from Game Four of the Canadiens 2nd Round series against the Buffalo Sabres (and their Canadian anthem-singing fans). That game on Tuesday, May 12 drew 1,463,000 2+ viewers on CBC plus another 1,206,000 viewers on Sportsnet National +Com for a combined same day audience in English Canada of 2,869,000.
Add another million plus cheering on the Habs on the exclusive french language carrier TVA and the all Canada total pushes close to four million viewers. TVA Sports reports their 2nd Round coverage has averaged over a million per game this round. Game 5 shifts back to Buffalo Thursday night on CBC, Sporstnet and TVA.
Meanwhile, Stanley Cup Round Two games between two American teams — such as the Anaheim Ducks and the Vegas Golden Knights tilt later on May 12 — are hovering around the half million mark on Sportsnet.
The competition on other channels that same night in conventional broadcast and specialty is tepid at best. Top import that night on Global was the original NCIS with an estimated 657,000 in overnights. What is just 220,000 viewers? The audience for CTV’s highest rated series that same night, import or otherwise, which was Celebrity Jeopardy! Citytv almost doubled that with 406,000 watching Howie Mandel host the shot-in-Toronto gamer The Price is Right Tonight.
Other Round Two numbers:
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Sunday May 10
Game Three of the 2nd round series found Buffalo at Montreal with a robust CBC Total audience of 1,524,000. Add the Sportsnet National+Coms tally of 1,170,000 for a 2.7 million English Canada tally.
That easily beat the total number of viewers who watched that same game that night in the States on ESPN: 2.1 million. The Disney-owned sports cable network was happy with that take, posting it was an 86 per cent increase in viewership year over year.
Back in Canada, the late game May 10 between Vegas and Anaheim drew 510,000 on Sportsnet National+Com plus 62,000 on 360.
TSN’s top draw that day was a NASCAR Cup race viewed by 158,000. CTV’s import drama hit Tracker tracked down 668,000 on the 10th. (Keep in mind scripted imports can pull 30 to 50 per cent more viewers over the next 7 to 30 days in banked and digital viewing). Global got 438,000 in overnights watching old reliable 60 Minutes. City’s biggest draw was an episode of Hudson & Rex, which fetched under 200,000.
Friday May 8
Game Two of the Habs vs Sabres drew 1,275,000 on CBC Total plus another 884,000 on Sportsnet National soaring well past the two million mark across English Canada. Ducks-Knights drew 443,000 in the late game on Sportsnet.
Wednesday May 6
Habs/Sabres did 1,106,000 on CBC plus 944,000 on Sportsnet National for another 2.05 million audience Anglais. Ducks-Knights did 510,000 in the late game the same night on Sportsnet. TSN countered with hoops and netted an estimated 80,000 for a Nets-Philly tilt. There was import reality and drama competition that Wednesday night, with Survivor‘s 90-minute, 50th edition episode playing to 944,000 in overnights on Global. City’s Chicago Med admitted an estimated 642,000.
