ESPN’s figures for the first two rounds of the playoffs down on last year

The games averaged just 886,000 viewers. That’s simply awful for a national channel.

In simple comparison, the Canadiens’ first playoff game averaged 1.22 million viewers on TVA Sports, and we’re talking about a regional channel.

TNT Sports figures were down 19% on last year.

Having five Canadian teams in the playoffs may have slightly affected the American audience, but such a significant drop in numbers must still ring a bell for the NHL. There must be changes to the playoff format.

Many have criticized the divisional format with drafted teams, calling for a return to the format ranking only the top eight teams in order. Returning to this format could avoid redundancy.

We’d like to avoid having to listen to another first-round series between the Kings and Oilers every year.

The NHL could take a cue from the NBA with its play-in format. Instead of having two drafted teams advance directly to the playoffs, there could be four competing in a small tournament to determine who inherits the final two playoff spots.

The solution isn’t 100% clear, but NHL executives need to make changes to entice Americans to watch playoff hockey.

Overtime

– A story to follow on Monday.

– The Oilers fell apart in the first game of the series.

– More on this story.

– New Lightning signing.