The game, played at the Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field with more than 40,000 in attendance, drew just 920,000 viewers across the two main TV networks, 16% down on last year's event between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The downturn in popularity has been partly attributed to the date change with the game moved from its usual New Year's Day slot to New Year's Eve - a move made due to a clash with college football.
The game itself also didn't help with the visiting St Louis Blues winning 6-2 against the Blackhawks in what never looked like being a true contest.
The malaise of viewing figures across the NHL, is certainly an issue for the league, with audiences consistently down throughout the season. A small glimmer of hope though may be in the fact it was the most-watched game of the season so far. However, that only suggests larger problems for the world's biggest hockey league.