Wild's late-night Game 2 is the latest example of leagues' disregard for fans

The average NHL game lasts a hair under three hours. Add a bit of time in the playoffs. 

And God forbid a game goes into overtime. 

It's safe to say Game 2 of the Western Conference first-round series between the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, scheduled for a 10 p.m. CT puck drop Tuesday, will be pushing bar close. Fans staying up can expect it to wrap around 1 a.m.

That's a late night for any Wild faithful in the Twin Cities who have to get up for work in the morning. And probably too late for any kids who have to catch the bus to school the next day. It's the latest example of a Western Conference team in the Central timezone getting a game time that makes absolutely no sense for their fans. 

Yes, it's all about the television schedule. Tuesday's game is in Vegas — 8 p.m. Pacific — and it's the only Western Conference game of the day. It's on ESPN and follows Game 1 between the East's Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 p.m.

But it doesn't seem like it would take moving mountains to put it on ESPN2, which already has Game 2 between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs at 6:30 p.m. At least that would move it up an hour, which is still late but more reasonable. 

Instead scheduled after Sens-Leafs? "Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL (Episode 2)." 

Game 1 Sunday night is hardly better, a 9 p.m. puck drop in Vegas, and probably less defensible on a day there are only three games, the first of which starts at 2 p.m. But because ESPN has Astros-Padres at 6 p.m., the Wild get the nightcap. ESPN couldn't possibly have predicted the NHL playoffs when it scheduled early-season baseball.

Meanwhile on ESPN2 before and after the Sens-Leafs drop the puck at 6 p.m.? Regular-season college baseball and more "Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL." 

It's not just an NHL problem, though the 10 p.m. puck drop is particularly disrespectful for fans. But it is reminiscent of last season's Game 5 tipoff between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, a 9:30 p.m. tilt — 8:30 p.m. Denver time. It made no sense for either fan base, rather a result of the NBA looking to avoid the Indiana Pacers competing with Caitlin Clark's debut. The solution was screwing the local fans. 

So far, it hasn't been as egregious for Wolves fans, though they'll get a 9 p.m. tipoff for Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, and an 8:30 p.m. tipoff for Game 3 at Target Center. At least that one's on a Friday. 

There's no question scheduling this time of year is difficult, and some late-night games for us Central timezoners are unavoidable. But for leagues concerned about ratings, you'd think making it accessible for fans in local markets only helps the cause.

In any respect, a 10 p.m. puck drop — 11 p.m. ET!! — is unjustifiable.