Even With Stanley Cup in Reach, Kings Tickets Can't Surpass Rangers

After the New York Rangers fell into a 3-0 series hole in the Stanley Cup Final, tickets on the secondary market for Game 4 at Madison Square Garden took a nosedive, falling as much as 48%. The cheapest ticket on the secondary market even fell below face value, from a premium that at one point was as high as 100% above face value. For Rangers fans, that price drop was reflective of their despondence and the reality that the end was neigh. Even with the dramatic drop, however, tickets for game 4 were only 5% below price for the upcoming Game 5 at Staples Center.

If the Kings win game five, they’ll claim their second Stanley cup in three years. Yet, even with the possibility of living up to their name, the average price of $1,407 and the get-in price is $601 are dwarfed by every game at Madison Square Garden, except the aforementioned Game 4.Throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kings tickets were among the cheapest in the league, as they had the cheapest series average for all four conference finalists at just a $461 average. The prospect of seeing the cup hoisted on home ice doesn’t seem to be moving market dramatically.

With a hint of life breathed back into the Rangers, if the series returns to the Garden, prices will once again be exorbitant. Currently the average price for Game 6 is $2,540 with a get-in price of $1,163. That would be the most expensive game of the series, 80.5% above the Game 5 average. To put that price into perspective, it would be enough to get above average tickets to over 30 games on the Yankees Schedule or premium tickets to every game on the Jets Schedule. It would also be more expensive than tickets to the SuperBowl at Metlife stadium this February. Of course, at this point prices for Game 6 are a bit theoretical, as there’s a good chance it won’t happen at all. If this post-season is an indicator, though, it’s best not to count the Rangers out. So far this postseason, the Rangers have won seven games in enemy territory, including a game seven at Consol Energy Center to advance to the Eastern conference finals. If the Rangers can win their eighth road game of the playoffs, game 6 prices will likely increase even further. While it’s a long shot, it wouldn’t be the first time the Kings let a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Finals get to a Game 6. In 2012, the New Jersey Devils won two straight after dropping the first three games of the series.

If the Rangers can somehow force a Game 7, the average price is on pace to top $2,000 at the Staples Center for the first time this postseason. If the Rangers were to win that game seven, it would only be the second time in the history of the NHL’s seven-game format that a team came back from a 0-3 deficit to claim the Cup. The average ticket price for Game 7 is currently $2,119 and the get-in price is $890, which 16% below the average price of Game 6. While there’s no question about what direction game six prices would take if the Rangers force it, if they’re able to return the series to LA, it will be interesting to see how much Kings fans pay up for a chance to be on the wrong side of history.