Stanley Cup Finals: Which Streaming Service Lets You Watch Without Cable?

As the 2024 NHL season builds towards its climactic Stanley Cup finals next May and June, I’m watching closely to see which teams emerge as true contenders. From the Chicago Blackhawks to the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings to Pittsburgh Penguins, and even Canadian franchises like the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, the path to hockey’s ultimate prize remains wide open. At this stage, it’s impossible to predict which team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup when the dust settles.

One thing is for certain, the final – named after Lord Stanley of Preston – will see the top National Hockey League (NHL) teams in North America, from Calgary to Las Vegas, competing in all sorts of arenas to win the Stanley Cup championship and take home the cup.

Will your favorite hockey club have what it takes to be the winning team? Not even Wayne Gretzky knows at this stage but read on to find out how to stream all the action between now and then.

In a hurry? The Stanley Cup Finals are on TNT. These services allow you to watch it all and more:

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.

Sign Up for ExpressVPN

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.

See our NHL Playoffs Viewer’s Guide for more information about watching all the games without cable!

Stanley Cup Finals Channels

The Stanley Cup playoffs are spread over ABC/ESPN and Turner channels. The early rounds play primarily on TBS, TNT, ESPN, and ESPN2. The Conference Finals will air on either ABC or ESPN.

The Stanley Cup Finals will air on TNT. This is the first time that it has broadcast the event.

ABC Sports events are normally also shown live on ESPN3. But that is not the case this year for the NHL playoffs.

Unlike last year, it does not appear that ESPN+ will simulcast any of these playoff games.

2024 Stanley Cup Finals Schedule

See our NHL Playoffs Viewer’s Guide for the complete schedule. The Stanley Cup will take place in June. Check back for more details.

• Sat Jun 8 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers (ABC)
• Mon Jun 10 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers (ABC)
• Thu Jun 13 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers (ABC)
• Sat Jun 15 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers (ABC)
• Tue Jun 18 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers‡ (ABC)
• Fri Jun 21 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers‡ (ABC)
• Mon Jun 24 8:00 pm: Edmonton Oilers vs Florida Panthers‡ (ABC)

Watch 2024 Stanley Cup Finals

This is the first year since 1994 when you will need “cable” to watch the entire Stanley Cup Finals. Every game will air on TNT.

But some of the earlier games will air on ABC. So if you’ve been thinking of setting up an antenna, now is the time to do it. You will be impressed with everything you get. And it is all digital and in HD. See our Antenna Guide for complete information on doing it.

But to watch all of the playoffs without cable or satellite, you must choose a live TV streaming service.

• Sling TV: This is the cheapest choice to watch the whole NHL season including almost all playoff games. You get TBS, TNT, ESPN, and ESPN2 for just $40.00/month with Sling Orange. If you are wondering about the lack of ABC, all ABC Sports events are simulcast on ESPN3, which is included right in the Sling TV app! The plan is limited to one stream at a time, but this isn’t a big deal for most people. And it comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. (NHL guide, Stanley Cup Playoffs, schedule, and Final guide, and Sling TV review)
• DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV): For NHL fans, this is the way to go. It has an unmatched selection of RSNs, which will allow you to watch pretty much every regular season matchup of your hometown team(s). But it also gives you all the channels you need for the playoffs. To get access to all the RSNs, you need the Choice plan for $108.99/month. This also includes roughly 100 other channels. But to get NHL Network, you need to upgrade to the 130+ channel Ultimate plan for $119.99/month. It includes unlimited cloud DVR storage and streaming on 20 devices at a time. (DIRECTV STREAM review)
• Hulu + Live TV: Provides 85+ live TV channels including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT. But on top of that, you get Disney+ and ESPN+ for $76.99/month. The plan provides unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on two devices. (Hulu + Live TV review)
• YouTube TV: Good overall streaming service with all you need to watch the NHL playoffs for $72.99/month.

Devices to Live Stream the Stanley Cup Finals

There are some minor exceptions, but all the live TV streaming services support most of the following devices:

Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV also support the PlayStation.

Wrapping Up

You can watch all of the Stanley Cup Finals on ABC this year. So do it for free by hooking up an antenna. Or use one of the live TV streaming services we’ve highlighted above.

FAQs

Round 1

Round 2

Conference Finals

• FLA (4) vs NYR (2) (Eastern Conference)
• DAL (2) vs EDM (4) (Western Conference)

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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.

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