Watch NHL Games 2023–2024 on TV and Streaming

Broadcast and streaming rights for the national NHL games are shared between ABC, ESPN, TNT, and ESPN+/Hulu. Regional games air on regional sports networks and are available outside of local markets on NHL Center Ice and ESPN+. Select regional games are exclusively available outside of local markets on the NHL Network.

You can stream all national NHL games with Hulu + Live TV, which also includes ESPN+ for out-of-market games. However, DIRECTV, DISH, or Xfinity TV may be a better choice for some out-of-market fans.

Keep scrolling to learn the best ways to watch every NHL game on TV this season.

NHL on TV and Streaming

How to Watch National NHL Games

NHL partners with the following networks for national games:

• ABC
• ESPN
• TNT
• ESPN+

You can get ABC, ESPN, and TNT with any satellite or cable TV service. However, 50 national NHL games will be available exclusively for streaming on ESPN+ and Hulu.

We recommend Hulu+ Live TV as the best way to watch all national NHL games. It has ABC, ESPN, TNT, and Regional Sports Networks and includes ESPN+ and Disney+ at no additional cost.

How to Watch Regional NHL Games

You can watch all local market games on your Regional Sports Networks. Out-of-market games are available through NHL Center Ice and ESPN+.

NHL Center Ice is an add-on that’s available through most TV providers. Alternatively, you can subscribe to ESPN+ or get it with Hulu + Live TV.

Certain regional games are also broadcast outside of local markets on the NHL Network. The NHL Network is usually only included with high-tier plans from TV providers. These games are not available out-of-market on NHL Center Ice or ESPN+.

How to Watch Free NHL Streams

Many TV providers have apps that allow you to watch all your TV channels on any device. If your TV service has ABC, ESPN, TNT, Regional Sports Networks, and NHL Network, you can stream all available NHL games through the provider’s app.

NHL TV Schedule

The TV schedule for most preseason, regular season, and post-stream games is available on the official NHL Schedule page. Here’s where you can watch some of the major NHL games.

 

Where to Watch NHL Games 2023–2024

Hulu + Live TV is our top recommendation for this NHL season. Scroll down to see why DISH, DIRECTV, and Xfinity TV may be better for some people. The following table shows a summary of what’s included with each of our recommended providers for NHL fans.

Best overall: Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV allows you to watch nearly all national, local, and out-market games. It has TNT, ESPN, and ABC which each air different national games. 50 of these games are exclusive to Hulu/ESPN+.

Hulu + Live TV also has Regional Sports Networks where you can watch local games. ESPN+ is included at no additional cost where you can watch more than 1,050 out-of-market games. However, Hulu + Live TV doesn’t have the NHL Network, so you can’t watch the few out-of-market games that air nationally.

Pros:	Cons:
●       No broadcast TV fee or regional sports fee ●       Unlimited DVR ●       ESPN+ included ●       Competitive rate	●       Doesn’t have the NHL Network

Best value: DISH

You can find most NHL TV networks in our  included even with the starter plan.

America’s Top 120 ($69.99/mo. for 2 months) package from DISH includes ABC, TNT, ESPN, NBC Sports, and NHL Center Ice. You can watch most national games on cable networks and local market games on regional sports networks. With NHL Center Ice, you have access to all out-of-market games.

The NHL Network, which will exclusively air select regional games outside of local markets, is included with the Multi-Sport Pack ($13/mo.). However, this add-on is only available to America’s Top 120+ or higher packages.

Pros:	Cons:
●       Competitive rate ●       2-year price guarantee ●       28,000+ free On Demand titles ●       Disney Channel, CMT, ESPN, E!, and more	●       Doesn’t have the NHL Network ●       Requires a satellite dish

Best for out-of-market games: DIRECTV

If you want to be able to watch every single out-of-market game, DIRECTV is the option.

DIRECTV via the Internet and via Satellite have slightly different channel lineups , but both carry the networks broadcasting NHL games. ABC, TNT, and ESPN are included, where you can watch most national games. You can also watch local games on your regional sports networks.

NHL Center Ice is also available as an add-on, where you can watch most out-of-market games. Regional games that will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network will not be available on NHL Center Ice. But the NHL Network is included with DIRECTV Ultimate and DIRECTV Premier, so you can watch every single out-of-market game with DIRECTV.

Pros:	Cons:
●       Available almost everywhere in the US ●       2-year price guarantee ●       Up to 190+ bonus channels for satellite customers ●       Unlimited Cloud DVR for DIRECTV via Internet customers ●       A wide variety of networks included	●       Requires a 2-year term agreement

Best cable TV service: Xfinity TV

Xfinity TV is a comprehensive option for NHL fans, only it’s not available as widely as DIRECTV.

Xfinity Popular TV ($60/mo.) includes local broadcast networks, popular cable networks, and regional sports networks in its lineup of 125+ channels. You can watch most national and local games with this plan.

If you want the NHL Network to watch nationally aired out-of-market games as well, you’ll have to go with Xfinity Ultimate TV ($80/mo.) which is packed with premium networks.

NHL Center Ice is available as an add-on to Xfinity TV where you can watch all out-of-market games (except the ones airing nationally on the NHL Network). If you only want to want out-of-market games, you can add NHL Center Ice  to Xfinity Choice TV ($20/mo. to $25/mo.) which includes local broadcast channels.

Pros:	Cons:
●       The most affordable way to watch out-of-market games ●       No term contract required ●       Wide range of add-ons available ●       Competitive rates ●       Advanced features with X1 TV box	●       Only available in Xfinity’s markets

Conclusion

You need ABC, ESPN, TNT, and ESPN+/Hulu to watch every national NHL game. Local market games are available on regional sports networks and outside of local markets on ESPN+ and NHL Center Ice. Some local games are aired nationally only on the NHL Network.

Overall, Hulu + Live TV is the best way to watch most NHL games. If you want to watch nationally aired regional games, you’ll have to get ESPN+ with DIRECTV, Xfinity TV, or DISH.