Did you get rid of your cable subscription? Fear not, you can still watch the pucks fly this NHL season with the right video streaming service. Our guide explains everything you need to know about choosing the best service for watching hockey, from the complexities of regional sports networks (RSNs) to the new home of the NHL TV package. The 2022-23 NHL season begins this October, so there’s still time to figure out your streaming lineup.
With that in mind, we’ve gathered the best services for streaming the NHL. Read on for our top picks, followed by everything you need to know to determine the right streaming service for you.
More About Our Picks
Best for Watching NHL Games and On-Demand Content
Bottom Line:
Hulu + Live TV offers most of the national channels you need to watch regular-season NHL games, except NHL Network. You get 50 hours of DVR storage with your subscription, plus access to Hulu’s library of shows and movies.
Pros
- Excellent selection of TV series
- Extensive live TV channel lineup
- Robust cloud DVR option
- Available on nearly every media streaming device
Cons
- Base on-demand plan includes ads
- Offline downloads feature requires premium account
- Fewer high-quality originals than competitors
- Missing most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
Why We Picked It
When it comes to hockey, Hulu + Live TV’s lineup includes ABC, ESPN, TBS, and TNT, but not NHL Network. It is missing all of the Bally Sports and SportsNet RSNs, but includes NBC Sports RSNs. Other sports channels on Hulu’s roster are CBS Sports Network, Golf Channel, and Olympic Channel. Aside from sports, subscribers can dive into Hulu’s impressive library of on-demand shows and movies.
Who It’s For
Hulu is for hockey fans who want multiple ways to watch all their games. By default, Hulu offers 50 hours of DVR storage, but the Enhanced Cloud DVR add-on increases this limit to 200 hours. Consider splurging for the Unlimited Screens add-on, too, which lets you stream from an unlimited number of devices on your home network. Together, the Enhanced Cloud DVR and Unlimited Screens add-ons cost $14.98 per month, or you can purchase them separately for $9.99 per month. Hulu supports 1080p/60fps live streams on select channels and platforms.
In addition to watching Hulu + Live TV on the web, you can download apps for mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku), smart TVs, and game consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch).
Best for Recording NHL Games
Bottom Line:
YouTube TV has many of the channels you need to watch nationally airing games this season, but not NHL Network. The service offers an unlimited amount of cloud DVR storage at no extra cost.
Pros
- Excellent lineup of sports, news, and entertainment channels
- Robust and easy-to-use DVR features
- Intuitive interface
- Supports three simultaneous streams per account by default
- Excellent add-ons
Cons
- Lacks most SportsNet and all Bally Sports RSNs
- Only basic parental control options
Why We Picked It
ABC, ESPN, TBS, and TNT are all available on YouTube TV, although NHL Network is not. That’s still a solid lineup for watching most NHL games. As with Hulu + Live TV, you get NBC Sports RSNs, but not Bally Sports or SportsNet RSNs. Other sports channels you can watch on YouTube TV include MLB Network, NFL Network, Tennis Channel, and Olympic Channel.
Who It’s For
YouTube TV is a top option for hockey fans who want to record the games, because it offers unlimited cloud DVR storage (and the service retains recordings for up to nine months). YouTube TV supports up to three simultaneous device streams across six accounts, plus 1080p/60fps live streams on select platforms and channels. In addition, a new 4K Plus add-on unlocks offline downloads for DVR recordings, an unlimited number of simultaneous streams on your home network, and 4K live streams for select channels on some devices.
You can watch YouTube TV via the web, mobile platforms (Android and iOS), media streaming devices (Apple TV, Chromecast, and Fire TV), smart TVs, and game consoles (PlayStation and Xbox).
Best for Sports Fanatics
Bottom Line:
FuboTV is missing several of the channels you need to watch nationally airing, regular-season NHL games, including TNT and TBS. However, you can get NHL Network via an add-on.
Pros
- Tons of live sports and on-demand entertainment content
- Reliable streaming
- Excellent web interface
- Capable DVR functionality
- Some 4K content
Cons
- Costly add-ons and packages
- No A&E, Bally Sports, or Turner channels
- Most live streams limited to 720p
Why We Picked It
FuboTV offers ABC and ESPN in its lineup, but not TBS or TNT, which is a problem for NHL fans. On the bright side, NHL Network is available as part of the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on ($10.99 per month). Other sports channels on fuboTV include NFL Network, Olympic Channel, and NBA TV.
Who It’s For
The fact that it offers the NHL Network should make hockey fans consider FuboTV, but it’s also a top pick for sports streaming services in general. The service’s Lookback feature lets you watch some sports events up to 72 hours after they aired, while its Startover feature enables you to start some live programs from the beginning. Also, like other entries in this roundup, FuboTV’s lineup of news and entertainment channels is quite strong; it has lots of channels from Viacom and Discovery. In addition, many TV shows and movies from those networks are available to stream on-demand.
Best for Out-of-Market NHL Games
Bottom Line:
ESPN+ is the new home of NHL.TV in the US and offers the most hockey games for your money. It also includes lots of other live sports.
Pros
- Lots of live sports, particularly college sports
- Reliable streaming performance
- On-demand access to ESPN’s high-quality archives
- Supports offline downloads on mobile
Cons
- Does not include most of ESPN’s core programming
- No live NFL or NBA games
- Lacks DVR functionality
Why We Picked It
ESPN+ is the new home of the NHL.TV package, which means hockey fans can watch over 1,000 out-of-market games this season, plus 75 exclusive ones. ESPN+ also includes other live sports, such as select MLB games, national and international soccer league matches, and various NCAA events. The service is also the home of UFC PPV events.
Who It’s For
If you truly care about following an entire sport, and not just your preferred team, ESPN+’s out-of-market hockey options are perfect for you. The service seemed to support 1080/60fps streams when we last tested it and allows you to stream on up to three devices simultaneously. One drawback of ESPN+, however, is that you can’t record live games to DVR storage.
Best for Channel Add-Ons
Bottom Line:
With the right Sling TV plan and add-on you can watch most NHL games that air on national channels this season. You get 50 hours of DVR storage with your subscription.
Pros
- Good selection of channels
- Flexible subscription options
- Free tier
- Reliable streaming performance
- Movie rentals available
Cons
- Prices continue to increase
- Limited offering of local channels and regional sports networks
- Confusing distribution of channels
Why We Picked It
If you want to watch NHL games, you can stream ESPN, TBS, and TNT with Sling TV’s Orange plan ($35 per month). However, the Sports Extra add-on, which includes NHL Network, costs an extra $11 per month. Unfortunately, Sling TV doesn’t have ABC in its streaming channel lineup, but you can get that network via Sling TV if you set up an antenna to capture your local channels over the air. Sling TV does not offer RSNs.
Who It’s For
Sling TV empowers viewers who want to customize their streaming packages, but it falters when it comes to its local channel coverage. For example, you do not get CBS affiliates or local ABC channels with Sling TV, although you do get FOX and NBC affiliates in most major markets. Still, Sling TV’s offerings might be ideal for viewers who only care about hockey and can craft a plan that best works for them.
Sling TV’s Orange plan supports one stream at a time, while the Blue plan lets you stream on up to three devices simultaneously. The Sling Orange & Blue plan lets you stream on up to four devices simultaneously. Sling TV now lets you record up to 50 hours of content to DVR storage, but you can pay an extra $5 per month to expand the storage to 200 hours. You can watch Sling TV on your mobile phone (Android and iOS), streaming device, Xbox console (but not PlayStation), and the web.
Best for RSN Coverage
Bottom Line:
With DirecTV Stream’s Ultimate plan, you can watch every nationally broadcast NHL game this year. Plus, its excellent support for RSNs means that you can likely stream your local RSN, too.
Pros
- Reliable streaming performance in testing
- Supports 20 simultaneous streams on home network
- Lineup includes RSNs from AT&T, Comcast, and Sinclair
- Includes parental control options
Cons
- Expensive
- Some interface quirks
Why We Picked It
DirecTV Stream has all the hockey you could want, if you can swallow the price. You need to pay for DirecTV Stream’s Ultimate plan ($94.99 per month) to get all the channels you need to watch games on national channels: ABC, ESPN, NHL Network, TBS, and TNT. That pricing tier also gets you access to all of the RSNs the service offers.
Who It’s For
DirecTV Stream is for hockey fans looking for unique viewing tools. For example, the Lookback feature allows NHL viewers to watch games that aired up to 72 hours in the past, while Rewind lets you restart certain live streams from the beginning of the broadcast. It also now offers unlimited DVR storage, and you can keep recordings for up to nine months. Not only is this a massive improvement that brings it closer in line with competing services, but it’s also perfect for sports viewers. In addition, DirecTV Stream supports 20 concurrent streams at home and three simultaneous streams per account away from home, which is impressive.
How to Watch NHL Games Without Cable
Regular-season NHL games air on national channels and RSNs, so to watch every NHL game available to you in your market this season, you need a live TV streaming service that offers both types of channels.
The NHL recently renegotiated broadcast rights(Opens in a new window) for nationally airing games. The NHL’s linear channel (NHL Network) has national broadcast rights, as do Disney (ABC and ESPN) and AT&T’s WarnerMedia via Turner Sports (TBS and TNT). Although it’s too soon to look ahead to the playoffs, it’s still handy to know that every postseason NHL game will air on those same Disney- and Turner Sports-owned channels.
It’s easy to find a live TV streaming service with those five channels, but navigating the world of RSNs is anything but simple. The first thing to know about RSNs is that they are available only to subscribers who reside in the local markets they cover. In other words, someone who lives in Detroit can’t watch an RSN based in Seattle. These channels also typically have exclusive broadcasting rights to the teams they cover, so even if a game is set to air on a national channel, it may be blacked out to the local RSN for anyone who lives within the involved team’s markets.
Most RSNs are owned by AT&T(Opens in a new window) (SportsNet), Comcast(Opens in a new window) (NBC Sports), or FOX(Opens in a new window) (Bally Sports), but others are operated jointly either in partnership with NHL teams or other media companies. Many of the SportsNet RSNs are affiliates of Bally Sports, for example. RSNs are not the same thing as your local broadcast affiliate channel, even though the channel ownership may overlap. For instance, NBC Sports Boston is not the same as your local NBC station in Boston.
AT&T handles broadcasts for three NHL teams, Comcast covers five teams, and FOX-owned RSNs air games for 18 teams. The Sports Network covers games for several Canadian NHL teams, but those RSNs aren’t available to US subscribers on any of the live TV services we tested.
DirecTV Stream is the only live TV streaming service we’ve reviewed that offers all the Bally Sports and SportsNet RSNs, but it is missing a few of the NBC Sports RSNs. FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV no longer offer Bally Sports RSNs, but they have all the NBC Sports ones. FuboTV also offers a few SportsNet RSNs. Sling TV does not offer any RSNs.
Don’t immediately rule out a live TV streaming service because it lacks a particular subset of RSNs. Which RSN you need depends on where you live and whether you care about watching your local, in-market team. To find out which RSN covers your team, check out this list of regional NHL broadcasters(Opens in a new window) or search for a specific team on The Streamable(Opens in a new window).
Which Streaming Services Have the NHL Network?
As we mentioned earlier (and as the name implies) the NHL Network is the NHL’s own official linear channel for nationally broadcasting hockey games. Sports streaming rights are so confusing across the board that no single channel lets you watch everything, but the NHL Network is still a good comprehensive resource. Of the services listed here, you can access NHL Network on DirecTV Stream, Fubo.TV, and Sling TV.
What Happened to NHL.TV?
Previously, the NHL offered its own live streaming service called NHL.TV that, like the NBA’s various League Pass plans, let you watch live, out-of-market games. For subscribers in the US, the NHL.TV package is now a part of ESPN+. NHL fans who subscribe to that service can watch up to 1,000 live, out-of-market games this season, as well as 75 exclusive ones.
What Else Do NHL Fans Need to Know About Streaming?
Before picking a sports streaming service, you should compare the technical specifications. For example, if you want to record every game, pick a streaming service with generous DVR storage limits. If you live in a household with several other people, choose a service that supports multiple concurrent streams. Make sure that prospective live TV streaming services offer apps for all the media streaming devices you own, as well.
Another consideration is a service’s streaming resolution. Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV both support up to 1080p/60fps live streams, and, when we tested it, ESPN+ appeared to do so as well. FuboTV and YouTube TV (via an add-on) also technically support 4K live streams, but it does not appear that either service will air any NHL games at that resolution for now. Higher streaming resolutions result in a sharper picture and faster frame rates help smooth out fast action.
Recommended by Our Editors
If you are ever not in the mood for hockey or sports, several of the video streaming services here offer impressive libraries of on-demand shows and movies. Most of these services are pricey, so you likely won’t use them only for watching NHL games. A service’s on-demand library might make it more compelling than a competitor that doesn’t have as strong of a streaming collection.
Video Streaming Services: What You Should KnowHow to Watch the NHL on Cable or With a Digital Antenna
One easy way to ensure that you can watch all the NHL games this season in your market is to sign up for a cable plan with a premium sports package (one that includes NHL Network). Cable plans are typically more expensive than live streaming alternatives, but they are great for people who want to get the widest possible variety of cable TV networks for one price.
Because some (but not many) NHL games air on ABC, you can pick up those games with a digital antenna. Setting up a digital antenna, of course, is not as simple as launching the streaming app of your choice. It also requires you to pay extra money for the hardware. Based on the number of potential games you can watch with this method, it may not be worth the effort. Locast used to be a cheap option for watching local channels, including ABC, but that service has since shut down.
Want to watch sports other than the NHL? Follow all the NBA action with one of the best NBA streaming services. Both the NFL and MLB are going strong, too; we have roundups of the best NFL streaming services and MLB streaming services.
Kim Key and Ben Moore contributed to this story.
Hits: 0
