How to Watch 2022 NHL Playoffs Live Online For Free on Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, & Mobile
There are few things in sports as exciting as playoff hockey, and even though things are warming up around the country, it is time for sports fans to turn their attention to the ice as the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to get underway on Monday, May 2.
Top Pick
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Sling TV
- ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, & TBS
- NHL Network (+$11)
On Monday, May 2, 16 teams will begin their quests for the most prestigious trophy in all of sports, Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, and Washington Capitals are vying for the Eastern Conference crown, while the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, and Nashville Predators are representing the Western Conference.
How to Stream 2022 NHL Playoffs on Your Local RSN
Fans of most NHL Playoff teams can stream their local RSN with a Live TV Streaming Service.
During the first round of the playoffs, although games also air on your local RSN, in most markets games will not be blacked out when they also air on ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT.
Your best option for most teams is DIRECTV STREAM since they are the only service with Bally Sports RSNs, MSG, NESN, Altitude, as well as TNT & ESPN.
They are the only service with Altitude (Colorado Avalanche), Bally Sports Sun (Tampa Bay Lightning), Bally Sports Florida (Florida Panthers). Bally Sports South (Carolina Hurricanes), Bally Sports North (Minnesota Wild), Bally Sports Midwest (St. Louis Blues), Bally Sports West (Los Angeles Kings), Bally Sports Southwest (Dallas Stars), and Bally Sports Southeast (Nashville Predators).
They also offer MSG (New York Rangers), NESN (Boston Bruins), and [AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh] (Pittsburgh Penguins).
If your favorite team plays on NBC Sports RSN, you can stream with a five-day free trial of DIRECTV STREAM, fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV.
How to Stream 2022 NHL Playoffs Nationally
Most Live TV Streaming Services offer ESPN, ESPN, TNT, and TBS. Once the action reaches the conference finals, games that air on ABC will be simulcast on ESPN+.
One of the holdover changes from the NHL’s “Bubble Playoffs” era that is still a part of this year’s schedule is that no two games will start at the same time during these playoffs. That means that there should always be NHL action for fans to watch, even when one game is at intermission.
There are now five services that offer NHL Playoffs games.
The least expensive option is Sling TV, which includes ESPN, TNT, and ESPN3 (simulcast of ABC games). They are running a special promotion which will give you 50% OFF your first month of service.
You can also watch it on DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV. While fuboTV carries ESPN and ABC, they won’t carry games on TNT.
While you won’t be able to watch most games live on ESPN+, you can watch them on-demand. Games on TNT and ESPN will be accessible via the WatchTNT and ESPN App if you use your TV Everywhere credentials.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 TV Schedule: Eastern Conference
Florida Panthers vs. Washington Capitals
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 3, 7:30 p.m. ET | Capitals at Panthers | ESPN2 |
| Game 2 | May 5, 7:30 p.m. ET | Capitals at Panthers | TBS |
| Game 3 | May 7, 1 p.m. ET | Panthers at Capitals | ESPN |
| Game 4 | May 9, 7 p.m. ET | Panthers at Capitals | TBS |
| Game 5^ | May 11, TBD | Capitals at Panthers | (TBD) |
| Game 6^ | May 13, TBD | Panthers at Capitals | (TBD) |
| Game 7^ | May 15, TBD | Capitals at Panthers | (TBD) |
^= if necessary
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 2, 7:30 p.m. ET | Lightning at Maple Leafs | ESPN2 |
| Game 2 | May 4, 7:30 p.m. ET | Lightning at Maple Leafs | ESPN2 |
| Game 3 | May 6, 7:30 p.m. ET | Maple Leafs at Lightning | TBS |
| Game 4 | May 8, 7 p.m. ET | Maple Leafs at Lightning | TBS |
| Game 5^ | May 10, TBD | Lightning at Maple Leafs | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 12, TBD | Maple Leafs at Lightning | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 14, TBD | Lightning at Maple Leafs | TBD |
^= if necessary
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Boston Bruins
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 2, 7 p.m. ET | Bruins at Hurricanes | ESPN |
| Game 2 | May 4, 7 p.m. ET | Bruins at Hurricanes | ESPN |
| Game 3 | May 6, 7 p.m. ET | Hurricanes at Bruins | TNT |
| Game 4 | May 8, 12:30 p.m. ET | Hurricanes at Bruins | ESPN |
| Game 5^ | May 10, TBD | Bruins at Hurricanes | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 12, TBD | Hurricanes at Bruins | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 14, TBD | Bruins at Hurricanes | TBD |
^= if necessary
New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 3, 7 p.m. ET | Penguins at Rangers | ESPN |
| Game 2 | May 5, 7 p.m. ET | Penguins at Rangers | TNT |
| Game 3 | May 7, 7 p.m. ET | Rangers at Penguins | TNT |
| Game 4 | May 9, 7 p.m. ET | Rangers at Penguins | ESPN |
| Game 5^ | May 11, TBD | Penguins at Rangers | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 13, TBD | Rangers at Penguins | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 15, TBD | Penguins at Rangers | TBD |
^= if necessary
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 TV Schedule: Western Conference
Colorado Avalanche vs. Nashville Predators
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 3, 9:30 p.m. ET | Predators at Avalanche | ESPN |
| Game 2 | May 5, 9:30 p.m. ET | Predators at Avalanche | TNT |
| Game 3 | May 7, 4:30 p.m. ET | Avalanche at Predators | TNT |
| Game 4 | May 9, 9:30 p.m. ET | Avalanche at Predators | ESPN |
| Game 5^ | May 11, TBD | Predators at Avalanche | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 13, TBD | Avalanche at Predators | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 15, TBD | Predators at Avalanche | TBD |
^= if necessary
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 2, 9:30 p.m. ET | Blues at Wild | ESPN |
| Game 2 | May 4, 9:30 p.m. ET | Blues at Wild | ESPN |
| Game 3 | May 6, 9:30 p.m. ET | Wild at Blues | TNT |
| Game 4 | May 8, 4:30 p.m. ET | Wild at Blues | TBS |
| Game 5^ | May 10, TBD | Blues at Wild | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 12, TBD | Wild at Blues | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 14, TBD | Blues at Wild | TBD |
^= if necessary
Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 3, 10 p.m. ET | Stars at Flames | ESPN2 |
| Game 2 | May 5, 10 p.m. ET | Stars at Flames | TBS |
| Game 3 | May 7, 9:30 p.m. ET | Flames at Stars | TNT |
| Game 4 | May 9, 9:30 p.m. ET | Flames at Stars | TBS |
| Game 5^ | May 11, TBD | Stars at Flames | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 13, TBD | Flames at Stars | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 15, TBD | Stars at Flames | TBD |
^= if necessary
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
| Game No. | Date and Time | Matchup | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | May 2, 10 p.m. ET | Kings at Oilers | ESPN2) |
| Game 2 | May 4, 10 p.m. ET | Kings at Oilers | ESPN2) |
| Game 3 | May 6, 10 p.m. ET | Oilers at Kings | TBS, |
| Game 4 | May 8, 10 p.m. ET | Oilers at Kings | TBS |
| Game 5^ | May 10, TBD | Kings at Oilers | TBD |
| Game 6^ | May 12, TBD | Oilers at Kings | TBD |
| Game 7^ | May 14, TBD | Kings at Oilers | TBD |
^= if necessary
How to Stream the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs for Free on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, and Android
There are six major streaming providers that offer Live TV Streaming. Five of these providers allow you to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs live using iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Web. They are DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Fubo.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
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