“Two seasons ago, the Caps’ local broadcasts on Comcast SportsNet didn’t hit the 2.0 ratings mark until the playoffs. Last season, the Caps hit at least 2.0 14 times in their 76 CSN broadcasts. Well, Friday’s game against the Hurricanes averaged a 2.18 on CSN in the D.C. market, good for about 51,000 homes., according to Nielsen data. That was the 15th time the Caps have hit at least 2.0 this season, which is obviously something that’s never happened before. And they needed just 59 broadcasts to get there. Much of this has come since Dec. 23, when the imminent end of Redskins season or the cold weather or Gary Bettman imperial brain waves caused a surge in local interest. In the 25 rated CSN games since that date, the Caps have averaged a 1.97 rating in the D.C. market, and have gone over the 2.0 mark 12 times. The season average for local broadcasts is now 1.74, which is 10 percent higher than last year’s ratings at this point in the season. The increase is even higher in the 18-49 age bracket. And houeshold ratings in the Baltimore market are up 51 percent over last year’s ratings at this time, “ according to DC Sports Bog.