Non-Penguins NHL Games 2023-24

[King Colby]

For sure. But this year has definitely been the haves and have nots

[JC2]

I figured you'd be rooting for the Stars given your previous whining about the playoff cap that keeps benefiting Vegas...

[Orlando Penguin]

And in a decision that should surprise nobody, ESPN comes off the Vegas-Stars game and Van Pelt starts his show with 15 minutes of Lakers-Nuggets. It's a pity that ESPN has such a big stake in NHL cuz they constantly show how much they care about it.

[King Colby]

It's super annoying and they have the SCF this year. TNT is so much better its not even close

[MR25]

I'm mostly annoyed even the games on ESPN aren't being shown simultaneously on ESPN+

What's the point of having the service if you're only going to let people watch the games on demand after they're over?

[mikey]

Yeah, that's very silly...do they really get more money out of being a small part of a cable subscription than someone directly paying monthly for their app...? I'd think I'd want as many people paying for and watching my app as possible.

[nocera]

Not sure if its the same this year (it probably is) but the Conference and Stanley Cup Finals will be on ESPN+. I don't know why exactly the first two aren't on ESPN+ but I'm sure it has something to do with the first two rounds being on RSNs and licensing and cable providers and fart noise.

Actually, are ESPN nationally televised games during the regular season also on ESPN+? There's likely something in their contract with cable providers that nationally televised games won't simulcast on ESPN+ to force people to the providers. Playoffs were never included with nhl.tv/game center so the final two rounds being there is somehow an improvement.

[MR25]

Yeah, that's very silly...do they really get more money out of being a small part of a cable subscription than someone directly paying monthly for their app...? I'd think I'd want as many people paying for and watching my app as possible.

My only theory was network ratings but I feel like those are an obsolete metric at this point.

[mikey]

ESPN exclusive games were not on ESPN+ during the regular season, no.

[nocera]

Yeah, that's very silly...do they really get more money out of being a small part of a cable subscription than someone directly paying monthly for their app...? I'd think I'd want as many people paying for and watching my app as possible.

My only theory was network ratings but I feel like those are an obsolete metric at this point.

My guess is those numbers are still important to ESPN in negotiations with both providers and advertisers. ESPN gets far more money per subscriber from TV providers than it does from ESPN+ (it's nearly double I believe) so traditional cable is still their main money maker.

[mikey]

That's crazy...

[Orlando Penguin]

And in a decision that should surprise nobody, ESPN comes off the Vegas-Stars game and Van Pelt starts his show with 15 minutes of Lakers-Nuggets. It's a pity that ESPN has such a big stake in NHL cuz they constantly show how much they care about it.

In Van Pelt's show, they did not mention hockey until about 50 minutes in and then it was only the Panthers-Lightning highlight because it knocked out Tampa. I'll give them credit for running sound from Cooper and Stamkos afterwards but to have zero acknowledgement of the game you just came off of is producing malpractice, not to mention running the postgame interview of another network.

OK, TV insider rant over.

[MR25]

I wrote a paper in college on ESPN's "coverage" of sports during SportsCenter and how that played into ratings for the big sports.

A small part of me is curious how that tracked up to now but I think whoever was keeping track on Deadspin stopped like 10 years ago.

[nocera]

[Lemon Berry Lobster]

[meow]

asking your goalie to make 21 saves in a period of an elimination name is probably not a great idea

[mikey]

Nylander walks the entire team, passes a perfect pass into the mid slot to a wide open guy...and it's Joel Edmundson...a player with 29 goals in 9 seasons...must be tough.

[Ad@m]

The rat got flopped by the ref.

[dodint]

Ugly 2 on 1 there by Domi.

[nocera]

Isles lol.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

Varlolamarv

[mikey]

Wow, what a sequence for the Canes. That's one of the most (un)fortunate non-human bounces I have ever seen...

[nocera]

Bummer. Hopefully this just means Leafs fans will get their hearts broken in person instead.

[shafnutz05]

Lol that guy angrily banging his hat on the boards.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

that Marchand move looked so amazing but he didn't even get a shot on goal on it