How to watch Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs 2025 NHL Playoff series

Two proud Canadian franchises will square off in the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup in the first round of the 2025 NHL Playoffs as the Toronto Maple Leafs will host the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena. The first game of the series will take place on Sunday, April 20 at 7 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2. If you want to watch the game and the entire NHL playoffs, we recommend you do it with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV.

How to watch the Maple Leafs vs. Senators playoff series

• When: Sunday, April 20, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
• Stream: Watch with 50% off a subscription to Sling TV
• From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.

Everything you need to know to stream Maple Leafs vs. Senators:

Maple Leafs vs. Senators 2025 playoff series broadcast schedule

While the first game of the series will air on ESPN2, the subsequent games in the series will take place across various channels and streaming services. Sling TV carries every one of the channels you will need to watch every game of the Maple Leafs vs. Senators series, so it remains our top recommendation.

However, the games that air on TNT, TBS, and truTV will be available to stream on Max via the Bleacher Report Sports Add-On. The broadcasts will be free of charge for subscribers signed up for one of Max’s ad-free tiers, which start at $17 per month.

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Why we recommend Sling TV to watch Maple Leafs vs. Senators

Over the next two months, hockey fans will be in heaven as the best that the NHL has to offer battles for the Stanley Cup. If you are a die-hard hockey-head who can’t miss a single minute of the postseason action, then Sling is the best streaming option for you. The streamer is the cheapest way to get national broadcast channels and the biggest cable networks, which will be especially important as Sling carries every network that will air the NHL playoffs.

Normally, Sling costs $46 per month, but you can currently get 50% off your first month of service, meaning that you can watch a month of NHL postseason action for as little as $23. Sling has two different base packages, Orange and Blue. You can subscribe to one or both. If you do opt to combine Orange and Blue it will run you $61 monthly — still substantially cheaper than the comparable live TV streaming services — but with the first-month deal, you can stream everything on both packages for just $30.50.

Every nationally broadcast NHL game in the regular and postseason will on ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, or truTV so that means that there is no cheaper option to watch all of the hoops action than Sling TV.

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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Related: Get 50% off first month of Sling TV to watch the NHL playoffs!

Can you watch Maple Leafs vs. Senators for free?

If you are just looking for a streaming service to watch one specific game and nothing else, there are options available for you. DIRECTV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo, 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.

Those are pretty straightforward, but when it comes to the sports-minded streamer Fubo, things can get a little complicated. As The Streamable’s expert David Satin discovered when signing up for the services, figuring out how long Fubo’s trial is — even as you are signing up — can be a bit difficult. Nonetheless, it will be at least one day, with the potential to be as many as seven, depending on a wide range of factors that Fubo does not share publicly.

The YouTube TV trial is said to be “up to two weeks,” but can be as short as two days. So it is difficult to ascertain what you are actually getting before you go through the signup process.

If you are looking to watch the game for free, I would recommend DIRECTV, because that streamer has the longest guaranteed free trial.

Check out a preview of Maple Leafs vs. Senators

How to watch Maple Leafs vs. Senators 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 Maple Leafs vs. Senators game with a VPN.

NordVPN is one of the best providers around, at one of the best prices. Currently, you can get two full years of protection for just $3.59 per month — plus you’ll get three extra months FREE. A high-speed VPN with best-in-class security that can be used on up to 10 devices at once — what more could you ask for? Simply sign up, install the software on your device of choice, and start streaming just as you would back home. It couldn’t be easier!

While NordVPN 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.

• Best Features: ExpressVPN | Starting at $5 per month
• Best Budget Option: Surfshark | Starting at $2.50 per month
• Best Free Option: Proton VPN | Free plan available