How to Watch the NHL Without Cable All Season Long

The 2024-25 NHL regular season is just around the corner. I can’t wait to catch all the action on live TV through my streaming service, whether watching local matchups or games from across the continent.

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 $4.99/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.

The guide below will explain everything you need to know about how to watch the National Hockey League (NHL) online. Whether you’re looking for preseason, regular season, or championship games, you should be able to watch hockey online thanks to live streaming services like Fubo.

If you’ve cut the cord, there are several ways you can stream NHL without cable – check out our preferred options below:

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

Channels You Need to Watch NHL Games Online Without Cable

NHL coverage is available on many different channels but things have changed a lot starting in 2021. NBCUniversal used to air a lot of hockey games. But with the current restructuring of its sports division, they dropped their contract with the league.

Here are the national channels that air NHL games:

• ABC
• ESPN
• ESPN+
• NHL Network
• TNT/TBS.

Nationally Broadcast Games

Here are the number of games each team will appear on national broadcasts and streaming through Hulu / ESPN+ :

Regional Sports Networks

However, nationally broadcast games are only part of the picture. As with MLB and NBA, NHL games are primarily broadcast by regional sports networks (RSNs). In a particular area, the RSN will broadcast nearly all of the regular-season games of the local team.

Note that ESPN+ provides most live games but only out-of-market. So you won’t get to see any of the games involving your local team(s). Otherwise, you need to content yourself with nationally televised games or sign up with a service that offers you the appropriate RSN.

DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo offer almost all of them including the Bally Sports channels. The Canada-based teams don’t provide local broadcasting in the US and can be viewed with ESPN+, which can be purchased alone or with Hulu + Live TV.

Note that all the games of the NHL teams that have no RSN should be available through ESPN+, so you can watch via Hulu + Live TV.

How to Watch NHL without Cable: At a Glance

If you’ve cut the cord, you’ll find multiple ways to watch NHL all the way through the Stanley Cup Finals without cable. It should be noted that these options will cost some money, though the cost will generally be lower than regular cable or satellite subscriptions.

There is one way to watch NHL games for free: get a digital antenna. ABC normally airs at least some games throughout the regular season and some playoff games as well. Of course, most streaming services will provide you access to these games too.

Using Live Streaming Services to Watch NHL Online

When you first make the decision to cut the cord, it can be daunting while trying to find a replacement for some of the channels you’ve lost. This is where a streaming TV service comes in handy. Luckily, there are plenty of services available and all of them offer something for everyone.

From Hulu Live to Fubo, live TV streaming options offer packages at a lower cost with a large selection of channels.

In most cases, a channel lineup will include everything from sports and news to other entertaining options. Smaller packages may contain only 20-30 channels, but you can find larger packages with over 100 channels.

These streaming packages work a lot like cable packages, they just allow you the freedom to watch where you want at a lower price.

The main difference beyond a lower bill is that these services work by streaming through an Internet connection. You’ll also need the proper device to stream your favorite shows. The following devices are supported by all the services (see our reviews for more options):

• Amazon Fire TV
• Android mobile devices
• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• iOS devices (iPhones, iPads)
• Roku devices
• Samsung smart TVs
• Web browsers.

Once you pick and sign up for a service, it will be easy to watch NHL without cable. Learn more about the recommended services available to stream NHL without cable.

Fubo Lets You Watch Hockey Online All Season

When it comes to streaming live sports, it’s hard to beat Fubo (formerly FuboTV). This popular streaming service boasts over 150 channels, many of which offer local, national, and international sports.

Sign Up for a Free Fubo Trial

For fans wanting to watch hockey online, Fubo offers regional sports networks in many US markets (see table above). They also provide ESPN, CBS Sports TV, and much more. For $7.99/mo more, you can get Fubo Extra, which gives you NHL Network and 47 other channels.

• $79.99/month ($91.98/month with one RSN and $94.98/month with two or more)
• No contracts
• Over 150 channels
• Record NHL games and more with unlimited cloud DVR storage
• Stream on all the devices above plus Hisense, LG, and Vizio smart TVs as well as Xbox One gaming systems
• Our Fubo review has a whole lot more info.

The Fubo free trial is a great way to try it out and see if it’s right for you while you watch NHL online for free for a week.

DIRECTV STREAM Is the King of RSNs

To get good hockey coverage with DIRECTV STREAM, you need to step up to its Choice plan for $114.99/month. But if you do, you should be very happy. They offer the RSNs associated with the vast majority of teams. In most cases, they are simply the only option.

Get DIRECTV STREAM Free Trial

Additionally, this plan comes with NHL Network, ESPN, TBS, TNT, and ABC. You should be able to see all the games you want this season.

The plan comes with only unlimited cloud DVR storage as long as you sign up online. But it allows you to stream on unlimited devices at once at home or away from home. So it’s a great package for large households.

See our DIRECTV STREAM review for all the details.

Hulu + Live TV is a Great Way to Watch NHL Without Cable

You can watch hockey online along with plenty of other sports and TV shows, thanks to Hulu + Live TV. Everything you need for hockey streaming, with the exception of NHL Network is available in its 85+ channel package.

Get Hulu + Live TV Free

This includes sports access for baseball, basketball, and other sports, as well as both local and network TV.

Hulu + Live TV also comes with Disney+ (ad-supported) and ESPN+. The latter is very important to NHL fans because it is the league’s out-of-market provider. So if you are a fan of a team outside your broadcast area, this is a great option.

Hulu Live is an affordable option that provides many of the channels you might have had with cable but for a cheaper price. Using Hulu + Live TV is simple. Most people will be able to figure things out in no time. It works on most streaming devices. Here are some added details:

• Offers 85+ channels of live TV and Hulu’s on-demand service (deal details)
• Costs just $82.99/month
• No commitments – no contracts or termination fees
• Includes ESPN, TNT, TBS, ABC
• One of the top ways to watch sports without cable
• Stream on the devices listed above plus LG and Vizio smart TVs and the gaming systems Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch

Hulu + Live TV offers a large enough package to provide all kinds of entertainment. The only thing missing to watch NHL without cable is NHL Network. You can learn more with our Hulu + Live TV review.

ESPN+ for Out-of-Market NHL

NHL.TV used to provide access to all out-of-market (non-blackout) games — very much like MLB.tv or NBA League Pass. But it was shut down and largely moved to ESPN+, which now airs the vast majority of NHL games each season.

Sign Up for ESPN+ Now!

If you want access to the maximum number of games and you don’t live in the local market of the team you follow, this is a great way to do it. It should be mentioned that ESPN+ is a sports-only service. It doesn’t provide other kinds of channels or local channels. It doesn’t even provide the other ESPN channels.

But at $10.99/month or $109.99/year, it’s hard to beat. For all the details, see our ESPN+ review.

ESPN+ is going to be best for fans not living near their teams or diehard fans who want to watch as many games as possible and don’t mind if the local games won’t air in live stream. It’s actually a great addition to a complete cable replacement service like Fubo.

Other Ways to Watch NHL Without Cable

While the streaming services above are great options, other ways exist to watch hockey online without a cable subscription. Here are some of the other options out there that will allow you to watch NHL online.

• Sling TV: Sling Orange includes ESPN, TBS, and TNT for $40.00/month. You can get NHL Network with the Sports Extra add-on for $11/mo more. Our NHL guide, Stanley Cup Playoff Schedule, 2024 Draft guide, and Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Guide have more details. If you’re also into college hockey, the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament is happening in late March/early April. Also see our Sling TV review.
• YouTube TV: Get 100+ channels including ABC, ESPN, and TNT for $72.99/month. It does offer a handful of RSNs.

All of the services above are similar to Hulu Live and other streaming services. The differences are in price, number of devices you can stream on, and channel availability.

2024-25 NHL Season

The NHL preseason runs from Saturday, September 21st through October 5th. The regular runs from Tuesday, October 4th through Thursday, April 17th.

Regular Season Games

Here are the upcoming NHL games. When a game has no TV channel listed, it should appear on the team’s RSN in-market and ESPN+ out-of-market.

Playoff Games

See our NHL Playoffs guide for up-to-date information about the 2025 postseason schedule.

Wrapping Up

That’s it. Those are the best ways that you can watch NHL without cable. As there is no real, legal option to watch hockey without cable, a streaming service will be required if you want to watch without a cable or satellite subscription.

You can learn more about streaming sports in our guide that details how to watch sports online. If you want to get rid of cable without sacrificing your favorite shows, we can help you find the service you need that won’t break the bank.

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

FAQs

How do I watch the NHL playoffs?

We have pages for watching the NHL playoffs generally and the Stanley Cup finals:

• NHL Playoffs Viewer’s Guide
• Stanley Cup Viewer’s Guide

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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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