How to Watch NHL Games Live For Free to See Your Favorite Team on the Ice
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The 2023-2024 NHL regular season has begun, which will have any hockey fan excited to watch their favorite team on the ice. But if you don’t have a cable subscription (or want a cheaper option), you may be wondering how to watch NHL games live for free. Don’t sweat it, because we did the research and these are the best services to stream and save with this season.
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The National Hockey League, also known as the NHL, was founded in 1917 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The league consists of 32 teams total (24 in the United States and 7 in Canada). There are two conferences: the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Within the Eastern Conference, there’s the Atlantic Division and Metropolitan Division. Within the Western Conference, there’s the Central Division and Pacific Division. In the 2023 NHL regular season, which usually takes place from early October through early April, each team plays 82 games. From April through June, 16 teams compete in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The final two teams face off in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the winner is crowned the Stanley Cup champions.
Watch NHL Games
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The Las Vegas Knights took home the Stanley Cup in the 2022-2023 season, while the Montreal Canadiens hold the title for the most championships (24). The Toronto Maple Leaves are right behind them with 13 and the Detroit Red Wings have 11.
So where can hockey fans stream NHL games? Read on for how to watch NHL games live for free to see which two teams make it to the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.
How to watch NHL games live for free
NHL games air on ABC, TNT, and ESPN, which are available to stream on services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Sling Orange + Blue. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends (with $10 off your first three months), and includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and TNT. and Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, which starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends, and includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and TNT. Sling Orange + Blue doesn’t offer a free trial, however, it is cheaper per month than the other options. Sling Orange + Blue starts at $30 for your first month and $60 after the first month ends. You’ll be able to watch ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and TNT.
Some games are also available on ESPN Plus, which costs $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $99.99 per year for a yearly plan. This option also lets you watch games that are on ABC and it’s the best one for out-of-market fans since it has NHL Center Ice.
Best Overall Pick to Watch NHL Games: DirectTV Stream
Watch NHL Games With DirecTV Stream
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Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch NHL games live for free for its free trial, price (including its current deal), and channel selection. Direct TV Stream offers a five-day free trial and has a current deal where new subscribers can receive $10 off their first three months. Direct TV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $74.99 per month with the first three months at $64.99 per month; Choice, which costs $99.99 per month with the first three months at $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $109.99 per month with the first three months at $99.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $154.99 per month with the first three months at $144.99 per month.
As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch NHL games with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.
Visit streamtv.directv.com
Click “Shop Packages”
Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
Enter your information and payment method
Search for the channel of your choice and start watching NHL games
Best Budget Pick to Watch NHL Games: ESPN+
Watch NHL Games With ESPN+
$9.99+
ESPN Plus is ESPN’s streaming service with live sports events and thousands of hours of TV shows, movies and other content not aired on TV. It’s the best option for watching out-of-market NHL games because as part of its base-tier subscription, you get access to over 1,050 out-of-market NHL games from every team, all season long (blackouts and restrictions apply). ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $99.99 per year for a yearly plan, which saves customers about 17 percent or $20 from the monthly rate. ESPN Plus also offers exclusive UFC pay-per-view matches for $70 for existing subscribers. New subscribers can also get a special discounted bundle that includes a one-year membership to ESPN Plus, as well as one pay-per-view match for $89.98.
ESPN Plus is also included in The Disney Bundle, which offers three plans: Duo Basic for $9.99 per month (which includes ad-supported plans of Hulu and Disney Plus; Trio Basic for $12.99 per month (which includes ad-supported plans of Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus); and Trio Premium for $19.99 per month (which includes ad-free plans for Hulu, and Disney Plus and an ad-supported plan of ESPN Plus). The Duo Basic saves subscribers $5.98 per month from subscribing to Hulu and Disney Plus’ ad-supported plans individually; Trio Basic saves subscribers $12.99 per month from subscribing to Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus’ ad-supported plans individually; and Trio Premium saves subscribers $15.98 per month from subscribing to Hulu and Disney Plus’ no-ads plans and ESPN Plus’ ad-supported plan individually.
Best Free Trial Pick to Watch NHL Games: Fubo
Watch NHL Games With Fubo
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Fubo is our best free trial pick to watch NHL games live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers three plans: Pro, which costs $74.99 per month; Elite, which costs $84.99 per month; and Ultimate, which costs $99.99 per month. ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and FOX/FS1 are available on Fubo.
As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Ultimate includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch NHL games with Fubo’s free trial.
Visit Fubo.TV
Click “Start Free Trial”
Enter your information and payment method
Search for the channel of your choice and start watching NHL games
Best Upgrade Pick to Watch NHL Games: Sling
Watch NHL Games With Sling
$20+
Sling is our best budget pick to watch NHL Games based on its price and current deals. Sling offers two plans with ESPN: Sling Orange and Sling Orange + Blue. Sling Orange costs $20 for your first month and $40 per month after the first month ends. Sling Orange + Blue starts at $30 for your first month and $60 after the first month ends. You’ll want to pick the combined plan, Sling Orange + Blue, to watch NHL games on all of the different channels the games will air on.
As for the difference between the plans, Sling Orange includes 32 channels and the ability to stream on one device at a time, while Sling Orange + Blue includes 46 channels and the ability to stream on three devices at the same time. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch NHL games with Sling.
NHL Schedule
You can find the full NHL schedule for the 2023-2024 season here, but keep scrolling for a list of key dates, including the All-Star Game, Stadium Series, and more.
October 10, 2023 – 2023-2024 NHL regular season starts
October 29, 2023 – NHL Heritage Classic on TNT (Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames)
November 16-November 19, 2023 – NHL Global Series (Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs)
January 1, 2024 – NHL Winter Classic on TNT (Seattle Kraken and Las Vegas Golden Knights)
February 1-February 4, 2023 – NHL All-Star Weekend
February 3, 2024 – 2024 NHL All-Star Game on ABC and ESPN+
February 17-February 18, 2024 – NHL Stadium Series on ABC and ESPN+ (Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and New York Islanders)
April 18, 2024 – 2023-2024 regular season ends
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