I've said for years now I think the networks screw this up trying to maximize complete game windows. I'm sure someone is making decisions off data but I'm convinced they are wrong. They should treat this like the NCAA tournament first round with staggered starts. Even in a 2 game window like last night, they should have scheduled puck drop for a little before 8PM CT targeting 2nd intermission of the early game. They should go to studio for a 2 minute recap then go to "puck drop" of our game on ESPN during 2nd intermission, have our game air on ESPN 2 until early game concludes, then it should work out where, absent OT, the early game would finish right as our 2nd period is about to start. So in addition to getting more casual viewership in central cities (only real 'fans' are going to stay up until 11:30 on a Monday), you might get more east coast hockey fans committed to actually finishing the late game. For example, I have a NYC client that is a big hockey fan that watched our first period but called it a night after that considering 2nd period would start around 11ET.
Also, for us locally, the late starts really hurt building fandom for the kids as they can't stay up for this. If we win, when I get home, I leave a rally towel and a glow bracelets (they hand out at playoff games) set to green outside my son's door as a signal that we won (and if not there he knows we lost). He told me he asked Alexa what the score was before he fell asleep and it was 1-0 so I'm glad Wyatt scored fast enough he got to hear that before dozing off LOL.