The Blues' opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs start times from Edmonton have pushed the finishes of some games "after midnight in St. Louis," leading to a 27% "drop in television ratings in St. Louis over what the team drew in the first round last year," according to Dan Caesar of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. There have been five contests in the Blues-Canucks series to date, just one on a "night (Friday) when many fans do not have to get up early the next day." That one began at 5:39pm CT. The other four, "all on work nights," have "started between 9:39 and 9:45 at night and ended anywhere from 12:07 to 12:50 the next morning." When the Blues faced the Jets last season, the "latest start" was 8:44pm and the latest finish at 11:33pm. Four of those games were over "no later" than 10:06pm. Through five games this year, the telecasts have drawn an average 6.5 rating in St. Louis. Last year, the five-game figure was 8.9 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/21).
Late Starts For Blues Playoff Games Lead To Lower Ratings
