How To Watch NHL Games 2023–2024: Streaming, Cable, and More

You can watch your favorite hockey teams during the 2023–2024 NHL season across the same channels as last season. That means you’ll need ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT in your channel lineup to watch the most essential national coverage.

Of course, you’ll also want your regional sports network (RSN) to catch local NHL games. And you should consider an out-of-market service like ESPN+ or NHL Center Ice if you support a team far from home.

That’s a lot of channels and services to keep tabs on. But don’t worry. Our guide will give you the complete rundown—highlighting the best TV providers, so you don’t miss a single body check.

Jump to:

• NHL channels
• NHL schedule
• Best ways to watch the NHL
• Watch the NHL for free

What channels are NHL games on?

During the 2023–2024 NHL regular season, you’ll need the following four channels to watch most nationally televised games.

• ABC
• ESPN
• NHL Network
• TNT

ESPN+ and Hulu also share 50 exclusive national matchups, while ESPN2 and TBS occasionally act as overflow channels for ESPN and TNT.

NHL on regional sports networks

To become the Wayne Gretzky of watching the NHL, you’ll need every national channel, your local NHL team’s RSN, and an out-of-market viewing package. That’ll ensure you have access to all 1,312 regular-season games this campaign.

Two out-of-market options exist for NHL fans: ESPN+ and NHL Center Ice. Both allow you to watch over 1,000 out-of-market games, which don’t air on local or national TV.

NHL Center Ice ($69.99 a season) is an add-on you can purchase through most cable and satellite TV providers. However, for $40.00 more a year, ESPN+ ($109.99 a year) has 50 exclusive games and many other live sports. You can also pay $10.99 a month for ESPN+, which equals $76.93 before tax for the seven-month NHL regular season.

NHL schedule: key events and channels

For a better understanding of the league’s network lineup, you’ll want to keep tabs on the official NHL schedule. But here’s a breakdown of this year’s major NHL events.

Data effective as of post date.

Best TV providers for NHL games

• Editor’s choice: DIRECTV STREAM ($69.99–$159.99/mo.*)
• Most customizable: Sling TV ($40.00–$55.00/mo.)
• Best cable or satellite provider: DIRECTV ($69.99–$159.99/mo.†)
• Best for out-of-market games: ESPN+ ($10.99/mo. or $109.99/yr.)

Editor’s choice: DIRECTV STREAM

• Large channel counts
• Wide selection of regional sports networks
• No contract

• Expensive plans
• No out-of-market NHL add-on
• Limited included Cloud DVR (20 hrs.)

DIRECTV STREAM is our favorite service for watching NHL games because it has the best channel coverage of any live TV streaming service. Not only does it carry every national NHL channel except ESPN+/Hulu, but it also offers a fantastic range of RSNs in its CHOICE plan and above.

RSNs are crucial if you want to watch your in-market NHL team play. And no other live TV streaming service offers the number of RSNs available through DIRECTV STREAM. It even carries the Bally Sports RSNs—the only other place you can stream those is on Fubo and Bally Sports+.

We single out a live TV streaming service as our top NHL viewing option because there are no lengthy contracts or bulky equipment requirements. But you’ll need a strong and reliable internet connection to avoid frequent buffering issues. If that kind of internet coverage is unavailable in your area, we recommend DIRECTV’s traditional satellite TV service instead.

The biggest drawback of DIRECTV STREAM is its price. To stream NHL Network in your channel lineup, you’ll need to sign up for the ULTIMATE plan, which usually costs $119.99 a month. And yeah, we don’t blame you if you spit your beverage out while reading that price. That’s a lot of money for a streaming service—especially if you still want that separate subscription to ESPN+ for its out-of-market coverage and 50 exclusive games.

If you don’t need RSN coverage, you can try our best-in-value option, Sling TV, for less than half the cost of DIRECTV STREAM. Keep scrolling to learn more about that.

Most customizable: Sling TV

• Low price
• Customizable packages
• No contract

• Poor local channel coverage
• Weak DVR storage options

Sling TV is less expensive than DIRECTV STREAM for watching national NHL games. Its Sling Orange plan is $40.00 a month and gets you ESPN and TNT, while its Sports Extra add-on ($11.00 a month) has NHL Network. Add a separate subscription to ESPN+ to the mix for $10.99 a month, and you’ll have nearly complete access to every NHL game, apart from any in-market RSN matchups.

The main NHL channel missing from Sling Orange is ABC. Most local channels are hard to come by on Sling TV, but the streaming service provides in-app access to ESPN3—an overflow channel that hosts all NHL on ABC simulcasts. ABC is available with Sling Blue in select markets.

With Sling TV, you’re in the Zamboni driver’s seat to decide what channels you want. But it’s the cheapest way to watch national games—including every Stanley Cup playoff game—because Sling Orange with the Sports Extra add-on is just $51.00 before tax. It’s also an inexpensive way to watch NBA and college basketball action, should you share a passion for hockey and b-ball.

The biggest limitation of the Sling Orange plan is that it allows one stream at a time. We also don’t like that Sling TV’s best DVR package is a measly 200 hours of recording space. But if you get ESPN+ on the side, you won’t need to worry about recording NHL games for later because it comes with full-match replays.

Best cable or satellite TV provider: DIRECTV

• Large channel counts
• Wide selection of regional sports networks

• Expensive plans
• 2-yr. contract
• Bulky satellite dish

We already explained why DIRECTV STREAM is great for watching the NHL, and DIRECTV isn’t much different with its content offerings. That’s why we label it the best traditional service for viewing NHL games because it’s ideal for anyone unable to commit to a streaming service.

DIRECTV offers a wide selection of RSNs and carries every national NHL channel. You can even add NHL Center Ice to your DIRECTV package for complete out-of-market NHL access—something DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t offer.

We recommend DIRECTV’s ULTIMATE All-Included plan because that’s where you’ll find NHL Network. It’s $114.99 a month and comes with a free three-month trial of several premium services, including Max. You’ll also get over 140 channels, which ought to hold you over between hockey games.

The reason we chose DIRECTV STREAM over DIRECTV as our top choice for watching NHL games is because of the commitment that comes with DIRECTV. You must sign a two-year contract and deal with the satellite dish and its corresponding cables, which we know is impossible for some who live in apartments or condos. There are also some hidden costs of DIRECTV that you should be aware of before signing up.

Best for out-of-market games: ESPN+

• Every out-of-market NHL game
• Home and away team commentary feeds
• Access to every NHL game replay

• Local blackouts for non-exclusive games
• Delayed replay access for blacked-out games
• No watchlist feature

ESPN+ is an essential streaming service for NHL coverage in the U.S. It’s primarily the home for out-of-market NHL matchups (branded as NHL Power Play on ESPN+), offering the same coverage as NHL Center Ice. The big advantage of subscribing to ESPN+ is that it has slightly more live games and tons of additional sports content. Plus, you can watch every NHL game on-demand after it airs—but you must wait 24 hours to watch blacked-out game replays.

This season, ESPN+ will show 50 exclusive NHL game telecasts on top of its out-of-market coverage. Any Hulu subscription will carry those same 50 games, a bonus to anyone already subscribed.

You won’t get any of the traditional ESPN channels with ESPN+, which is why it works best when paired with a live TV provider. Usually, we would recommend signing up for Hulu + Live TV because it includes ESPN+ at no extra cost. But Hulu + Live TV doesn’t carry NHL Network, and you can get complete national NHL coverage through Sling TV for around $20 cheaper.

Beyond live and on-demand hockey games, ESPN+ includes NHL-themed shows like In The Crease, Quest for the Stanley Cup, and The Point. But the puck doesn’t stop there. ESPN+ has many live college sports—meaning you can catch men’s and women’s college hockey during fall, winter, and spring. Even some Ice Hockey World Championship matchups stream exclusively on ESPN+.

If you’re a more casual hockey fan who only cares about your local team’s games, then ESPN+ isn’t all that necessary. Your team will be live on ESPN+ only if they appear in any of the service’s 50 exclusive games. Therefore, you’re more suited to sign up for a TV service that offers your RSN—like DIRECTV STREAM.

How to watch NHL games for free

You can watch NHL matches for free on over-the-air (OTA) TV as long as you live within range of an ABC network affiliate. During the latter half of the 2023–2024 NHL regular season, 15 matchups will air on ABC—on top of the NHL All-Star Game and NHL Stadium Series. The channel also alternates carrying every Stanley Cup Final game with TNT. So you’ll be able to watch the championship series on ABC in even years like 2024 and 2026.

Of course, you’ll need a digital antenna and a TV with an Antenna In port to access OTA stations like ABC. The antenna will also need a maximum range strong enough to pick up your area’s nearest ABC station.

One of our favorite antennas is the Mohu Leaf 50. It has a 60-mile range and an added amplifier for improved signal reception. You can also check out more top-rated antennas on our Best OTA Antennas page.

How to watch NHL games FAQ

Why you should trust us

Our sports experts immersed themselves in 12 of the nation’s top TV providers to determine the best options for watching the NHL. Over the last NHL season, we tested each provider’s features and reliability while comparing prices and channel offerings. We rationalized our recommendations using our editorial star rating system.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.

Disclaimer

Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

*for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.

†for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.

**Data connection req’d. Recordings expire after 9 months. In a series recording, max 30 episodes stored with unlimited hours of cloud DVR and max 10 episodes stored with 20 hours of cloud DVR (oldest deleted first which may be in less than 9 months). Restrictions apply.

^‡Amazon.com price as of 2/23/24 11:30 a.m. CT. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

DTV and DTV STREAM: New approved residential customers, price incl. TV pkg & equip. fees for first TV. Add’l fees may apply to non-qualified customers. Early agmt termination fee applies ($20/mo.) & add’l fee(s) may apply if equip. not returned. Credit card req’d. Restr’s apply. $19.95 activation & equipment lease req’d for satellite customers. Equipment lease req’d for DIRECTV via Internet customers in some sales channels.