NEW YORK — The triple-overtime thriller in the Stanley Cup finals Monday night drew the highest ratings for a Game 5 since 2002.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' 4-3 win to avoid elimination against the Detroit Red Wings earned a 4.3 overnight rating and an 8 share on NBC. That's a 79 percent increase over last year's 2.4 for Game 5 between Anaheim and Ottawa.

It was the best Game 5 rating since the Carolina-Detroit matchup in 2002 drew a 4.5.

Game 4 on Saturday earned a 2.3 national rating and 5 share, up 21 percent over last year's 1.9.

The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.