Buffalo Draws NBC's Highest Rating

Even though the Sabres aren't there, Buffalo is still interested in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Apparently, they're more interested than some of the cities with teams playing. The Buffalo DMA drew a higher rating than any other market for the Flyers 2-0 victory over Washington on April 13th on NBC, including Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Buffalo clearly is a hockey town after the Bills’ season ends, with last Sunday’s playoff game between Washington and the Philadelphia Flyers and ex-Sabres Daniel Briere and Martin Biron getting a higher rating here (about a 5) than it did in Philly, D.C. and the rest of the country on NBC.

The roughly 5.0 figure in Buffalo exceeds the 3.8 rating in Philadelphia and the 3.0 rating in the Washington D.C. area. The game drew a 1.0 rating nationally, which was down from a 1.2 comparable rating last year. However, this year's first round matchup did have to compete with the Masters, which likely drew some viewers away.