I’m watching pro hockey action with help from my NHL Viewer’s Guide!

Hockey is a diverse sport with competition starting with toddlers and moving all the way up to the action-packed competition at the Winter Olympics and NFL.

In a hurry? Since the season has already started, you may want to skip the deep dive and just start watching. These are our top picks for local fans:

Fubo

Known for its outstanding sports coverage, Fubo’s 150+ live TV channels provide a broad selection that appeals to most people. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

DIRECTV STREAM

The king of RSNs, this is the streaming service for MLB, NBA, and NHL fans with its Choice Plan! New customers get a 5-day free trial with DIRECTV STREAM.

Hulu Live

Get 95+ live TV channels along with the Hulu Bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+! Try it today with a free trial.

Why You Need a VPN Today

However, first you need a VPN to unblock US streaming services from . Our favourite is ExpressVPN. It’s definitely not the cheapest option at $6.67/month, but it just works – and across all your devices.

They have servers in 25+ US cities/states and 105 countries, which unblock access to premium streaming platforms available only in the US, as well as free “on demand” TV services worldwide.

You’ll have access to local platforms as if you were in the country, meaning you can watch BBC iPlayer as if you were in the UK, CBC Gem as if you were in Canada, plus hundreds more worldwide.

Hotdog users get three months free at ExpressVPN, so it’s a “no-brainer” for us. Decide for yourself with their 30 day money-back guarantee.

IMPORTANT: Once you’ve installed your VPN and connected to a US server, you’ll still need to subscribe separately to access premium streaming services.

Table Of Contents

1 Channels You Need to Watch NHL Games Online Without Cable
2 Devices to Livestream Hockey
3 Wrapping Up

We are still working on creating more information about watching hockey. But here are our main guides:

Olympics Guide
NCAA Hockey Tournament
NHL
- NHL Playoffs
- Stanley Cup
NHL Network
2023 Hockey Hall of Fame Induction

If you’ve cut the cord, there are several ways you can stream hockey without cable and they are all discussed below.

Channels You Need to Watch NHL Games Online Without Cable

Hockey is broadcast on many channels. You will find most NCAA hockey either on RSNs or ESPN+. This is also largely true of the NHL, which uses ESPN+ as its out

Here are the national channels that air NHL games:

ABC
ESPN
ESPN+
NHL Network
TNT/TBS.

In addition, Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) show lots of local NHL and NCAA hockey. This list shows the RSNs for the media markets of each NHL team:

Team (RSN)	DIRECTV	Fubo	Hulu
Anaheim Ducks (Bally San Diego/SoCal)	✅	✅	❌
Arizona Coyotes (Bally Arizona)	✅	✅	❌
Boston Bruins (NESN)	✅	✅	❌
Buffalo Sabres (MSG)	✅	✅	❌
Calgary Flames (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
Carolina Hurricanes (Bally South)	✅	✅	❌
Chicago Blackhawks (NBC Chicago)	✅	✅	✅
Colorado Avalanche (Altitude Sports)	✅	✅	❌
Columbus Blue Jackets (Bally Ohio)	✅	✅	❌
Dallas Stars (Bally Southwest)	✅	✅	❌
Detroit Red Wings (Bally Detroit)	✅	✅	❌
Edmonton Oilers (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
Florida Panthers (Bally Florida)	✅	✅	❌
Los Angeles Kings (Bally West)	✅	✅	❌
Minnesota Wild (Bally North)	✅	✅	❌
Montreal Canadiens (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
Nashville Predators (Bally South)	✅	✅	❌
New Jersey Devils (MSG)	✅	✅	❌
New York Islanders (MSG)	✅	✅	❌
New York Rangers (MSG)	✅	✅	❌
Ottawa Senators (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
Philadelphia Flyers (NBC Philadelphia)	❌	✅	✅
Pittsburgh Penguins (SportsNet Pittsburgh)	✅	✅	❌
San Jose Sharks (NBC Bay Area)	✅	✅	✅
Seattle Kraken (Root Sports Northwest)	✅	✅	❌
St Louis Blues (Bally Kansas City/Midwest)	✅	✅	❌
Tampa Bay Lightning (Bally Sun)	✅	✅	❌
Toronto Maple Leafs (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
Vancouver Canucks (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅
~~Vegas Golden Nights (AT&T SN RM)~~	❌	❌	❌
Washington Capitals (NBC Washington)	✅	✅	✅
Winnipeg Jets (ESPN+)	❌	❌	✅

Note that all out-of-market games of the NHL stream on ESPN+.

Devices to Livestream Hockey

All of the major streaming services support the most popular devices:

Amazon Fire TV
Android Mobile
Android TV-based smart TVs
Apple TV
Chromecast

iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Roku
Samsung smart TVs
Web Browsers

Wrapping Up

FuboTV is our top pick for hockey fans. Fubo allows you to try out its service with a free trial.

Image cropped from Women’s Ice Hockey Japan vs Sweden by Sandro Halank under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Page Updates ▼▲

Apr 20, 2023

Added links to streaming services. Added buttons for streaming services. Added sub-section. Added links. Mentioned offers. Pricing updates.
Apr 5, 2023

Updated some section headings. Changes to some sections. Updated some sub-sections.
Jan 7, 2023

Added links to streaming services. Added sub-section. Image changes. Linking. Misc content updates. Cleaned up list.
Sep 21, 2022

Added buttons for streaming services. Image changes. Updated some section headings.
Jul 22, 2022

Added buttons for streaming services. Mentioned channel info. Updated some section headings. Image changes. Pricing updates. Cleaned up list.
May 24, 2022

Added info about guide. Pricing updates. Additional links. Misc content updates.
Mar 17, 2022

Added links to streaming services. Added sub-section. Mentioned channel info. Updated some section headings. Linking. Pricing updates. Cleaned up list.
Oct 1, 2021

Added a few links. Reformatting.

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Frank Moraes

I am a Senior Content Editor at Hotdog.com, specializing in sports streaming and regional programming issues. With a PhD in Atmospheric Physics from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and extensive experience in remote sensing technology, including early video streaming, I bring a unique technical perspective to the streaming industry.

My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.