NHL Playoffs Keep Delivering Big Numbers for ESPN, TNT

The second round is apparently doing what the league always hopes it will do: drag casual viewers into the deep end. ESPN and TNT are posting record numbers, which tells you the playoffs are still one of the few sports properties that can turn a random Tuesday into must-see TV. The bigger story here is that the audience is showing up when the games get tighter and the stakes get nastier, and that is exactly the oxygen the NHL wants.