Fans might be able to save some money if they're willing to miss out on the handful of games on the NHL Network. The NHL Network is not included in many basic streaming services or cable packages and is not available at all on Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV. If you want it, chances are you are going to pay extra for it.
TV, moves to ESPN Plus for no extra charge. So what does all this mean for hockey fans desperately looking to stream their team's games? The good news is that you don't need cable to watch hockey this year, but it still might be the easiest and cheapest choice depending on where you live. Read more: MLB 2022: How to Watch Your Baseball Team This SeasonLive TV streaming services vs. cableDie-hard sports fans are beholden to regional sports networks, or RSNs, that carry the majority of the games for their local team.
Many cable and streaming services group NHL Network into a multinetwork sports bundle. For example, Sling's Sports Extra bundle costs $11 per month on top of a Sling Orange package and includes the NHL Network along with 13 other sports channels like NFL RedZone. FuboTV includes the NHL Network in its $8-per-month Fubo Extra package. This can be purchased alongside any of Fubo's subscription offerings, though Fubo Extra is included in the $80-a-month Elite streaming tier. Lastly, DirecTV Stream users can only get the NHL Network if they subscribe to the $105-per-month Ultimate or the $150-a-month Premier package. DirecTV Stream is expensive.
These RSNs are usually included in local cable packages, so most cable subscribers never have to worry about gaining access to the broadcasts on these channels: They can simply turn on the TV and watch the game. Cord-cutting hockey fans have a tougher path. Because of rights agreements, most live TV streaming services like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV don't carry many RSNs. DirecTV Stream is the exception.
Note: None of the US-based services carries the RSNs for the Canadian hockey teams. That means fans of the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks need to use ESPN Plus to watch all the games that are not either on your local RSN or on a US national broadcast. RSN availability by US team and streaming service Team Network Name DirecTV Stream FuboTV YouTube TV Hulu Plus Live TV Sling Blue Anaheim Ducks Bally Sports SoCal Yes No Arizona Coyotes Bally Sports Arizona Boston Bruins NESN Buffalo Sabres MSG Carolina Hurricanes Bally Sports South Chicago Blackhawks NBC Sports Chicago Colorado Avalanche Altitude Columbus Blue Jackets Bally Sports Ohio Dallas Stars Bally Sports Southwest Detroit Red Wings Bally Sports Detroit Florida Panthers Bally Sports Florida Los Angeles Kings Bally Sports West Minnesota Wild Bally Sports North Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils MSG Plus New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers NBC Sports Philadelphia Pittsburgh Penguins AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh San Jose Sharks NBC Sports California Seattle Kraken Root Sports Northwest St.
TV package. Disney is also planning to show exclusive games on Hulu, so the $14-a-month Disney bundle might end up being an even better buy for hockey fans who also love TV and Disney/Marvel/Star Wars. Those looking to just get ESPN Plus to watch their local team's games will be out of luck, however.
Sabres host surprising Devils on Friday - Audacy
NHL in 2022: How to Watch the Rest of the Hockey SeasonThe NHL regular season is coming to an end and the playoff picture is starting to come into focus. In the East, the top eight teams appear to be set, with Boston fighting with Tampa Bay for the third spot in the Atlantic Division. The Washington Capitals have a firm grip on the final Wild Card slot, but are also attempting to chase down their arch rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The race for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference is coming down to the wire. The Vegas Golden Knights are hoping a late season push will propel them into the playoffs once again.
New Jersey Devils Archives - MSGNetworks.com
FuboTV only offers 12 RSNs for hockey, while Hulu Plus Live TV and YouTube TV only have four. Sling TV doesn't offer a single RSN. One other note: If you don't recognize the name of some of these channels, don't worry. The Fox Sports RSNs have been rebranded as Bally Sports, because the channels are no longer owned by Fox but Sinclair, which has since partnered with casino group Bally's and renamed them. NHL Network: It's still around, but costs extra and you probably don't need itThe NHL Network, run by the league, is still available as a stand-alone station. This season the network will air 90 games that will be considered national for those out-of-market. This means that you will still be able to watch your local team play on your RSN, but viewers around the country will need the NHL Network in order to watch the game as it will be blacked out on ESPN Plus.
It's the priciest of the five major live TV streaming services, but it's also the one with the most RSNs. Its cheapest, $70-a-month Plus package includes ESPN, ABC, TNT and TBS. You'll need to move up to the $90-a-month Choice plan to get any available RSN. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels and RSNs are available in your area. The NHL Network is available starting at the $105-a-month Ultimate package. Best options for nationally broadcast gamesAside from DirecTV Stream, the odds are long that a live TV streaming service carries the RSN for your local team's games, which makes the other four services better bets for watching nationally televised games. Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and carries four RSNs for hockey along with ESPN, ABC, TBS and TNT, but not NHL Network. The service now also includes the Disney Bundle, which comes with ESPN Plus and Disney Plus.
It costs $7 a month or $70 a year and shows all out-of-market games along with up to 75 exclusive ESPN-produced telecasts per year. The catch is that your local team's games are blacked out when they appear on ESPN Plus. Nevertheless, this is a huge savings for long-time NHL. TV users, as the all-access package used to cost subscribers $145 a year. Even better for hockey fans, ESPN Plus just reached a deal to show 130 Kontinental Hockey League games -- Russia's top hockey league -- including the playoffs and the Gagarin Cup finals. This is on top of ESPN's NCAA college hockey coverage. That's a lot of hockey for a little more than half the price of the old NHL.
It has nearly every RSN, particularly the Bally Sports channels (formerly Fox Sports) offered by Sinclair, but the company just increased its prices, and you'll need to spring for its now $90-a-month plan to access them. Read more: DirecTV Stream Review: Expensive, but the Best Option for Streaming NBA and NHLUltimately, depending on location, getting a cable subscription that includes ESPN, TNT and the local RSN might actually be cheaper and easier for you than streaming -- especially if it's bundled with the home internet you'll likely be getting anyway. Whether or not you have cable, ESPN's stand-alone streaming service is great for casual fans and is a must-have accessory for the zealots.
Meanwhile, Disney (ABC, ESPN and Hulu) and Turner Sports (TNT, TBS) signed long-term deals to share coverage of the NHL starting this season, and that's where all the games will reside for the foreseeable future. TNT will broadcast 50 NHL games, as well as half of the Stanley Cup playoffs. ESPN or ABC will air 25 games along with half of the playoffs and all of the Stanley Cup Finals, while ESPN Plus and Hulu will stream 75 exclusive matchups. The NHL's out-of-market streaming service, formerly known as NHL.
New Jersey Devils Videos - NHL | FOX Sports
Most fans are in-market, meaning they follow the local team, and RSNs have broadcast exclusivity in the region that they cover. That means local NHL games are blacked out on ESPN Plus. If you're living in Philadelphia for example, you won't be able to watch Flyers games on ESPN Plus. The same goes for Rangers fans in New York, Bruins fans in Boston and so on. The only way to watch most of those home team games in your home market is to get a service that has the local RSN, respectively NBC Sports Philadelphia, MSG or NESN. Services like ESPN Plus use IP addresses to block out games in viewers' regions -- you'll just get a black screen if you try to watch those games.
Otherwise, one of the league's newest teams will face a regular season exit for the first time in franchise history. They currently sit just three points behind Dallas for a playoff spot, while Vancouver and Winnipeg are just a few points behind Vegas and remain in the hunt. The Vegas Golden Knights are hoping to celebrate another trip to the playoffs. They are currently three points behind Dallas for the final Wild Card spot. Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty Images Those looking to see how it all shakes out in the last few weeks of the season will have to remember that they need access to ESPN and ABC, and not NBC, as it no longer carries NHL games.
New Jersey Devils vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction - Statsalt
Louis Blues Bally Sports Midwest Tampa Bay Lightning Bally Sports Sun Vegas Golden Knights AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain Washington Capitals NBC Sports Washington Some key takeaways:The RSNs above are typically only available to local subscribers. Refer to the individual service's details below to find out if you live in a place where you can receive a particular RSN. DirecTV Stream's $90-a-month Choice package includes all of the RSNs for hockey with the exception of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Flyers fans hoping to catch a glimpse of Gritty will have to look elsewhere. They could jump over to FuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV or YouTube TV, which all carry NBC Sports Philadelphia, but fans of other teams will mostly be out of luck.
Buffalo Sabres vs New Jersey Devils: 2022 NHL Live Stream