The NHL ratings continue to increase.

NBC announced Monday that its coverage of the Stanley Cup conference finals earned a combined 1.6 overnight rating and a 4 share, an increase of 14 percent over last year (1.4/4), according to Nielsen Media Research.

Saturday's broadcast of Game 5 in the Western final between the Dallas Stars and Detroit Red Wings earned a 1.5/4 (1:30-4:15 p.m.), a 25 percent increase over 2007 (1.2/3, 2-4:45 p.m., Ottawa at Buffalo). Dallas won the game in regulation, 2-1, helping NBC avoid any potential conflicts with the Preakness Stakes, something that affected the Ottawa-Buffalo coverage last year when that game went into overtime. NBC left the game to begin Preakness coverage, while Versus picked up the overtime session.

Sunday's coverage of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Eastern final-clinching 6-0 rout over my Philadelphia Flyers (yes, I’m down about it) in Game 5 earned a 1.7/4 (3-5:45 p.m.), a 6 percent increase over 2007 (1.6/4, 3-6:30 p.m., Anaheim at Detroit). Pittsburgh led the way, garnering a 26.1/46.

The top five markets for Saturday’s broadcast were Detroit (14.1/34), Dallas (4.0/12), Pittsburgh (3.4/8), Buffalo (3.1/8) and Minneapolis (2.9/10).
For Sunday, it was Pittsburgh, Philadelphia (7.6/14), Buffalo (4.8/10), Detroit (2.6/6) and, in somewhat of a shock, Cleveland (2.5/5). Considering that the Cavaliers were playing the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference semifinal at the same time ion ABC (which got a 22.5 rating in Cleveland), and that Cleveland doesn’t have an NHL team, it doesn’t make any sense that Cleveland would be in the top five. Unless there are Clevelanders who hate anything that has Pittsburgh attached to it and were rooting for the Flyers.