ESPN served as one of the primary broadcast partners for the NHL once again this season, but it was the number of games that were streamed on ESPN+ that were truly impressive. ESPN+ offered more than 1,050 out-of-market regular season games via NHL Power Play, the new rebrand of NHL.TV.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Networks make up another important part of the NHL’s broadcasting team, though that company has not yet put any games on streaming via HBO Max or discovery+. The company has teased that live sports may be a bigger part of its upcoming streaming platform Max, which will launch May 23.
The 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs will show their first two rounds exclusively on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TBS and TNT. To watch all the action, you’ll need a live TV streaming service that carries these channels.
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During the first two rounds of the postseason, there won’t be any games broadcast on ESPN+. One of the conference finals will air on ABC, and those games will be simulcast on ESPN+. The Stanley Cup Finals were on Disney networks last year, but not in 2023.
TNT will not be the only one of the Turner Networks to get Stanley Cup playoff games this year. Since there are several contests every evening, TBS will carry roughly half of them. TNT will also be the home to one of the Conference Final matchups, and the Stanley Cup Finals in 2023.
While their current agreement with the NHL gives them rights to stream games on HBO Max, Turner confirmed to The Streamable there will be no postseason games available on the service during this year’s playoffs. Games on TBS and TNT will be available for streaming on the WatchTNT app if users have TV Everywhere credentials through a live TV streaming service or pay-TV subscription.
You will be able to stream all the games with a DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and YouTube TV subscription, but, the least expensive way will be a subscription to Sling TV, which offers ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS on its Sling Orange Plan.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $94.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
How Will the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoff Coverage Breakdown By Network?
Starting on April 17, ESPN and ESPN2 will air the first two rounds of the NHL Playoffs. Turner’s coverage of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs will begin on April 18. This means that for the first five nights of the playoff schedule, all games will either be only ESPN or the Turner networks, depending on the given night.
Games will also air on your local regional sports network (RSN), but — unlike during the regular season — customers in a team’s local market will be able to choose between either the local or national telecast without blackout restrictions.
NHL Playoff Schedule for Monday, April 17
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 | Hurricanes vs. Islanders | ESPN2 |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 1 | Bruins vs. Panthers | ESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 1 | Stars vs. Wild | ESPN2 |
| 10 p.m. | Game 1 | Oilers vs. Kings | ESPN |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Tuesday, April 18
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 1 | Devils vs. Rangers | TBS |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 1 | Maple Leafs vs. Lightning | ESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 1 | Golden Knights vs. Jets | ESPN2 |
| 10 p.m. | Game 1 | Avalanche vs. Kraken | ESPN |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Wednesday, April 19
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 2 | Hurricanes vs. Islanders | ESPN2 |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 2 | Bruins vs. Panthers | ESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 2 | Stars vs. Wild | ESPN2 |
| 10 p.m. | Game 2 | Oilers vs. Kings | ESPN |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Thursday, April 20
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 2 | Maple Leafs vs. Lightning | ESPN |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 2 | Devils vs. Rangers | TBS |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 2 | Avalanche vs. Kraken | ESPN |
| 10 p.m. | Game 2 | Golden Knights vs. Jets | ESPN2 |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Friday, April 21
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 3 | Islanders vs. Hurricanes | TBS |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 3 | Panthers vs. Bruins | TNT |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 3 | Wild vs. Stars | TBS |
| 10 p.m. | Game 3 | Kings vs. Oilers | TNT |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Saturday, April 22
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 p.m. | Game 3 | Jets vs. Golden Knights | TBS |
| 7 p.m. | Game 3 | Lightning vs. Maple Leafs | TBS |
| 8 p.m. | Game 3 | Rangers vs. Devils | ABC |
| 10 p.m. | Game 3 | Kraken vs. Avalanche | TBS |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Sunday, April 23
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | Game 4 | Islanders vs. Hurricanes | TNT |
| 3:30 p.m. | Game 4 | Panthers vs. Bruins | TNT |
| 6:30 p.m. | Game 4 | Wild vs. Stars | TBS |
| 9 p.m. | Game 4 | Kings vs. Oilers | ESPN |
NHL Playoff Schedule for Monday, April 24
| Time (ET) | Game | Matchup | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 p.m. | Game 4 | Rangers vs. Devils | ESPN |
| 7:30 p.m. | Game 4 | Lightning vs. Maple Leafs | TBS |
| 9:30 p.m. | Game 4 | Jets vs. Golden Knights | ESPN |
| 10 p.m. | Game 4 | Kraken vs. Avalanche | TBS |
More dates and times to be set depending on the outcome of series past game four
This year’s NHL playoff TV schedule will closely resemble the 2022 edition. The NHL has restored one of the best features of “The Bubble Playoffs” era -– no two games will start at the same time, which means that there should always be NHL action for fans to watch, even when one game is at intermission.
Much like last year, intervals of 30 minutes will separate the start time of games. They will be distributed more thoroughly amongst their host networks, however.
While the schedule may shift slightly due to matchups and how long individual series last, one thing is for sure — in the last weeks of April and first weeks of May, there will be quite a bit of NHL action to enjoy.