Penguins Game 5 tickets drop, but not all because it isn’t a potential clincher
Though the Penguins鈥� weekend loss in the Stanley Cup Final cut their series lead over the Nashville Predators in half at two games to one, the possibility of a championship-clinching victory Thursday at PPG Paints Arena still existed Monday.
And then it didn鈥檛.
Nashville鈥檚 4-1 home defeat of Pittsburgh that night in Game 4 not only evened the series at two games apiece, for the time being it also erased Pens fans鈥� chances to see their team lift the oldest and most iconic trophy in sports for the second time in as many years. The Penguins would be the first franchise since the Detroit Red Wings in the late 1990s to secure back-to-back NHL titles.
The sharp shift in trajectory of this year鈥檚 Stanley Cup Final has had a stark effect on some secondary ticket markets for Game 5. Secondary ticket marketplace TickPick on Tuesday morning saw a 50-percent decrease in average ticket price, according to director of client relations Jack Slingland, from the night prior. The average listing price in that span went from $1,529 with a get-in price of $662 dollars to $776 with a get-in price of $255.
At Vivid Seats, the minimum ticket price for Game 5 is $236.90 and the median price is $492.10.
Prior to that drop, Slingland said all Penguins home game prices had remained close to stagnant, at around $1,700, since the beginning of June, when the Penguins held a 2-0 series advantage. It was an expected lack of movement, according to Slingland.
鈥淎 lot of it has to do with what the sellers are protecting themselves against. When the games are so far out, they don鈥檛 want to price below the market,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f that Game 5 potentially was a clinching game 鈥� if they have a chance to win the Stanley Cup at home, that鈥檚 going to be the most expensive game for the series in Pittsburgh.鈥�
For Game 5 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, a potential clincher at then-Consol Energy Arena after the Penguins had taken a 3-1 lead over the San Jose Sharks, TickPick had an average ticket price of $1,068.82. That listing was up more than $400 from the average cost for the first two Pittsburgh home games and at series鈥� end ranked second only to the actual eventual clincher, Game 6 in San Jose, which had an average ticket price of $1,626.39.
In addition to the Penguins鈥� loss of ability to clinch, playoff fatigue could also have a role in the extent of the current drop. Prior to last season, Pittsburgh hadn鈥檛 reached the Stanley Cup Final since winning it in 2009.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just less hype around it (this year),鈥� Slingland said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e rallying for the first Cup in some years there鈥檚 a lot more excitement.鈥�
If the Penguins win Thursday to retake the series lead as they head back to Tennessee, Slingland said the Game 7 market still won鈥檛 move until after the conclusion of Game 6. All fans receive refunds for potential Game 7 purchases if the series doesn鈥檛 go that far. And similar to the movement trend for Game 5 after Game 3, sellers don鈥檛 gain anything by adjusting early.