How to Watch Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars 2026 NHL Playoffs Game 2

In the first game of their NHL Western Conference Playoff series, the Minnesota Wild glew out the Dallas Stars, 6-1. Now the teams will be back on the ice at the American Airlines Center on Monday, April 20 for Game 2. The puck is scheduled to drop at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, with FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and FanDuel Sports Network North carrying the game in Wild Country, with Victory+ handling the duties in Dallas. If you are looking for a live TV streaming service to watch the game, but don’t want to get roped into a month-long contract, we recommend streaming it with a one-day pass to Sling TV. You can also stream it on ESPN Unlimited.

How to watch Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild

• When: Monday, April 20, 2026, at 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: Watch with a subscriptionto Sling TV or on ESPN Unlimited.
• From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.

Everything you need to know to stream Stars vs. Wild:

What is the Stars vs. Wild schedule?

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Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Stars vs. Wild

Sling TV has long been one of our top choices for watching the NHL, thanks to its everyday low price, ever-growing subscription options, and judicious mix of channels — especially in larger markets. At just $46 per month, you can sign up for either the Sling Orange or Blue base plans, depending on which channel lineup makes the most sense for your viewing needs. In this case, Sling Orange would be your best bet to watch the Stars vs. Wild game. Of course, you could always get Sling Orange and Sling Blue for just $61 monthly and have access to all of the streamer’s base package channels.

However, customers who don’t need a full month of Sling service can sign up to watch via Sling’s new Passes. Sling’s Day Pass will allow you to sign up for its Orange plan for one day for just $5. That means you can pay just $5 to watch the Stars vs. Wild game with Sling TV, which is far less than you’ll be asked to pay at other streaming services. That lower price and heightened flexibility are why we recommend Sling TV for watching all of the biggest games on ESPN.

If you are looking for a streamer to get you every game of both Stanley Cup Playoffs, keep in mind that TNT is in Sling’s Blue Package, so it is not available for the one, three, or seven-day passes. However, you still can get all of the games on ESPN and TNT for $61 per month, far cheaper than Sling’s competitors.

Save with Sling

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Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

Save with Sling

$19.99+ / month

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Can you watch Stars vs. Wild for free?

If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch this specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV all offer free trials, but they vary in length, so be wary. DIRECTV’s industry-leading trial runs for five days, while Hulu + Live TV’s is a solid three days.

The YouTube TV trial is a bit more difficult to nail down. The world’s largest live streamer is currently advertising a 21-day free trial, but our investigation indicates that it is not available to all users, and that some consumers only get an offer of two free days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process. But for three free weeks of service, it is probably worth jumping through a few hoops.

So, if you are looking to watch the game and as much of the men’s and women’s tournaments for free as possible, I would recommend giving YouTube a shot and see if you can capitalize on its three-week free trial offer.

Watch Stars vs. Wild Game 1 highlights

What are all of the streamers you can use to watch the Stars vs. Wild game?

Fortunately for sports fans, numerous different streaming services will stream the game, so you have options to choose from if you don’t already subscribe to any of them. We discussed Sling TV and the free trial options above, but there is one more, and it offers a different type of streaming arrangement.

In addition to the live TV streaming options, since the game is being broadcast on a channel that is part of the ESPN family of networks, there is one more choice. ESPN Unlimited can be used to stream all Stanley Cup Playoff games appearing on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 for $30 per month.

Sign up

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ESPN Unlimited

ESPN launched its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer streaming service on August 21, 2025. For the first time, this service gives sports fans access to its full lineup of linear channels without a traditional cable or satellite subscription.

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Subscribers can pay the $31.99 monthly fee for ESPN Unlimited, which unlocks all ESPN linear channels — including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN on ABC — plus ESPN+ and ESPN3, totaling around 47,000 live events each year. A subscription may be purchased monthly or annually.

ESPN+ content is available as part of an ESPN Ultimate subscription; those seeking only ESPN+ can subscribe to ESPN Select for $13.99 instead.

ESPN Unlimited offers extensive coverage of the NFL, NBA, MLB, college sports, UFC, soccer, tennis, and more, along with original programming, studio shows, and “30 for 30” documentaries. Starting in 2026, the platform will become the exclusive U.S. streaming home for WWE’s premium live events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Royal Rumble.

NFL Network and NFL RedZone are also included through an NFL-ESPN partnership, which adds draft coverage, preseason games, and NFL+ Premium features. The enhanced ESPN app will feature Multiview for watching multiple games simultaneously, real-time stats, betting and fantasy tools, personalized highlight reels, and even e-commerce options for tickets and merchandise.

On September 1, 2026, ESPN Unlimited prices were raised — barely a year after launch — from $13 to $14 per month for ESPN Select and from $30 to $32 for ESPN Unlimited.

Viewers can subscribe directly or bundle ESPN Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu. With its robust live sports lineup, premium features, and the convenience of streaming anywhere, ESPN’s new service is a must-have for die-hard sports fans looking to cut the cord without sacrificing coverage.

Sign up

$31.99+ / month

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How to watch Stars vs. Wild from anywhere

If you’ll be away from home and can’t watch the game as you normally would, you can still catch all of the action, no matter where you are in the world, with a VPN. A VPN can be used on your phone, tablet, or computer and make you appear to be back home — even when you’re not — making sure you feel at home no matter where you are. A VPN is a safe and secure way to stay protected online while streaming your favorite sports, movies, and shows on the go. Keep in mind that you will still need to be subscribed to a live TV streaming like Sling TV in order to stream the game with a VPN.

ExpressVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get a month of service for as little as $5. ExpressVPN is the most-trusted VPN on the market and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries, best-in-class encryption, 24-hour live support, and the best speeds available.

While ExpressVPN is our recommendation for the best VPN to use while you are traveling, there are a number of other high-quality options available depending on what you are looking for.

• Most Secure: NordVPN | Starting at $3.09 per month
• Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
• Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available