The 2021 NHL Season kicks off this week and a lot has happened in the world of streaming hockey during the offseason. Since last season, it’s now easier to stream NHL Network, harder to watch local NHL games for teams on Fox Sports RSNs, but easier for others.
What’s New for the 2021 NHL Season?
- You can stream every NHL team locally with Live TV Streaming Service, including the Penguins, Avalanche, and Golden Knights for the first time
- YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, fuboTV and Sling TV no longer carry Sinclair-owned Fox Sports/Bally Sports RSNs
- AT&T TV NOW is no longer available to new customers, but customers can sign-up for AT&T TV’s no-contract plans starting at $84.99 with your local Fox Sports RSN.
- NHL Network has been added to fuboTV, giving another option besides Sling TV
- NHL.TV is only $99 this season, 30% less for the shortened 56-game schedule
- You can still stream 4 free games per week on NHL.com & NHL App and daily out-of-market games on ESPN+
If you Live in the Same Market as Your Favorite Team
There are six major streaming providers that offer Live TV Streaming to stream live NHL games. These allow you to watch games live using iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and Web.
This is the best option for fans that want to watch local in-market games, as well as nationally televised games on NBC, NBCSN, and NHL Network.
Starting at ~$30 a month, it’s an inexpensive way to stream your team’s games without having to commit to a cable subscription. When the season is over, you can cancel your subscription and save some money during the offseason.
| AT&T NOW | Fubo | Hulu | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Up | Free Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% Off | Sign Up | |||
| $54.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) | + $25 | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | |
| NBC Sports Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NHL Network | - | + $8 | - | + $11 | + $11 | - | |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
Our Picks
fuboTV
- National Telecasts: NBC, NBCSN, & NHL Network (+$7.99)
- Regional Telecasts: NBC Sports RSNs, MSG, MSG+, NESN, & AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
AT&T TV (Formerly AT&T TV NOW)
- National Telecasts: NBC & NBCSN
- Regional Telecasts: All Major RSNs including Fox Sports RSNs
Regional Telecasts
Regional Sports Networks
If you live in the same market as your favorite team, most of the games will be on a local regional sports network. You can stream all U.S.-based NHL teams locally with a Live TV Streaming Service for the first time, including Colorado Avalanche (Altitude), Pittsburgh Penguins (AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh), and Vegas Golden Knights (AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain)
During the offseason, fuboTV added [AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh] for Penguins fans, while AT&T TV added Altitude and AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain in August.
However, for some of them, where you can stream them is a bit different.
For teams that play on Fox Sports RSNs, your options are limited after they were dropped by YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, fuboTV and Sling TV.
Your only option to stream games on Fox Sports RSNs is with AT&T TV, which has replaced AT&T TV NOW for new customers. To get them, you will need the AT&T TV “Choice Plan”, which is $84.99 without a contract or RSN Fee.
In addition to Fox Sports RSNs, YouTube TV dropped NESN meaning that fuboTV is your least expensive option to stream Boston Bruins games.
If you want to stream games on MSG (Rangers/Sabres)or MSG+ (Islanders/Devils), your least expensive option is fuboTV, which is available with a 7-Day Free Trial.
Sling TV dropped NBC Sports Chicago — meaning they only are an option for fans of the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks.
Since every service doesn’t carries every RSN, the handy chart below shows which teams are available on each service. Click on the team name to see the full schedule and which games you’ll be able to watch with each provider.
Overflow Channels
Some games that appear on smaller RSNs (Fox Sports Carolinas, Fox Sports Tennessee) may require you to watch on Fox Sports Go or NBCSports App.
TBD
Canadian Teams
None of the services currently offer streaming for Canadian teams:
Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, and Winnipeg Jets.You may consider subscribing to Sportsnet NOW for in-market streaming.
National Telecasts
NBC & NBCSN
Each service includes NBC and NBC Sports Network in their basic plan. You will get all 100 games on NBC & NBCSN including their exclusive Wednesday Night Hockey coverage (which won’t be available on your local RSN).
This season will see doubleheaders on most Tuesday nights with some triple-headers including Opening Night. NBCSN has increased the variety of teams on the telecasts, with 75% of NHL teams appearing on Wednesday Night Hockey at least once.
NBC will air a record 16 games beginning with the Penguins/Capitals on Sunday, January 17th. NBC will also televise two outdoor games from Lake Tahoe on February 20th and 21st.
You will either be able to stream these games with your streaming service or by authenticating with your TV Everywhere credentials in the NBC Sports App.
NHL Network
Through February, NHL Network is scheduled to broadcast ~30 non-exclusive telecasts – with more to come throughout the season. For the general hockey fan, this is a good option to see teams that play outside of your home market.
You won’t be able to watch your local team though, as games of teams in your local market will be blacked out if the game is also being broadcast on your local RSN.
Right before the COVID shutdown, fuboTV joined Sling TV as the only Live TV Streaming Services that offer NHL Network.
To stream NHL Network, you will either need to subscribe to fuboTV + fubo Extra (+$7.99) or Sling Blue + Sports Extra (+$10).
All Live Streaming Options
You can stream live NHL games with Hulu Live TV, Playstation Vue, Sling TV, AT&T TV, and YouTube TV.
AT&T TV
Price: $85
Includes: Fox Sports RSN, NBC, & NBCSN
fuboTV
Price: $65
Includes: Local RSNs, NBC, NBCSN
Hulu Live TV
Price: $65
Includes: Local NBC RSN, NBC, NBCSN
YouTube TV
Price: $65
Includes: Local NBC RSN, NBC, NBCSN
Sling Blue
Price: $30
Includes: Local NBC RSN, NBC, NBCSN, NHL Network (+$10)
Limited RSNs and Local NBC in select markets
If you Live in a Different Market as Your Favorite Team
NHL.TV
If you live away from your favorite team, you can still catch nearly every game. Since the season is 30% shorter this season, the plans have been discounted by 30%.
The NHL offers it’s out-of-market package, NHL.TV, for $99 (previously $145) to watch every team or $85 (previously $116) for a single team’s games.
It is discounted 10% for Discover Card Holders and 30% OFF for Students and Military Members.
You can stream on all major devices like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox, iOS, Android, and Web. You will be able to stream audio of games on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Fans should see a noticeable improvement of streaming on Web since NHL.TV now uses the same HTML5 video streaming technology as MLB.TV instead of Adobe Flash.
Just like last season, you will be able to select home or away broadcasts, watch multiple games at the same time, select camera angeles, and pause and rewind live games. They will also continue to air local pregame, postgame, and live intermission shows. For those on mobile, they have a redesigned Game Center experience to quickly access highlights and plays.
Unfortunately, all games on NBC, NBCSN, and local broadcasts will be blacked out. Games that air on NHL Network that involve teams outside your local market are available to stream. For those, you will need a Live TV Streaming Service.
The NHL hasn’t announced any major changes to the service. Last season, they added a new “Game Flow” feature to their app mid-way through the 2019-20 campaign. The feature lets you see visually when there is more action during a game.
ESPN+
Hockey fans can watch up to 14 games per week during the regular season by subscribing to ESPN+. The OTT service from ESPN will allow fans to stream the games on the ESPN App on all major streaming devices.
Local market blackout restrictions apply, so you won’t be able to watch games that are airing locally in your city.
Additionally, fans will be able to stream In The Crease, which is a nightly NHL studio show hosted by Linda Cohn and Barry Melrose. A new episode airs at 10am the morning after a game night.
NHL.com
For the fourth straight season, NHL.com will airing four free games a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and additional night).
You can watch the games on NHL.TV without a subscription or by downloading the NHL App on your mobile or media streaming device.