The puck is about to drop on another great season of NHL hockey and it is possible to watch the games for free! Follow along and we’ll show you all the best ways to catch the games without paying a dime
Watch NHL Hockey with a Free Trial of a Multi-Channel TV Streaming Service
Nationally televised hockey games may appear on ESPN, NHL Network, and TNT. Your best choice for those channels is DIRECTV STREAM. You can watch for free with a 5-day FREE trial.
Here’s a look at the other multichannel providers with national games. If you need a regional sports network for your favorite team, DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo are your best choices, though Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV can help in a few cases.
| Feature | DIRECTV STREAM | Hulu Live TV | Sling TV | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | 5 Days | 3 Days | No | 7 Days | Yes |
| Base Price | $79.99 | $76.99 | $40 | $94.99 | $72.99 |
| Base Channels | 202 | 105 | 49 | 120 | 113 |
| Max Channels | 265 | 142 | 143 | 200 | 165 |
| Local Channels | Yes | Yes | In select markets | Yes | Yes |
| Sports Channels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regional Sports Networks | 37 | 7 | 0 | 34 | 6 |
| DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited | 50 Hours (upgradable) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| On-Demand Services | No | Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ | No | No | No |
| Free channels | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Watch Out-of-Market Games with a Free Trial of ESPN+
For hockey fans, ESPN+ is a must-have. You’ll see 1,000+ out-of-market games, 50 exclusive matchups, and more. The service costs $10.99 / month, but you can watch free because ESPN+ comes included at no cost with Hulu Live TV, and there’s a 3-day free trial for that.
Individual NHL Team Streamers with Free Trials
Many NHL teams offer a direct streaming option with a free trial. You do have to live near the team to watch the games with this method, however.
| NHL Team | Streamer | Free? |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Victory+ | Always |
| Boston Bruins | NESN 360 | No |
| Buffalo Sabres | Gotham Sports App | No |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Colorado Avalanche | Altitude+ | No |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Dallas Stars | Victory+ | Always |
| Detroit Red Wings | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Florida Panthers | Panthers+ | No |
| Los Angeles Kings | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Minnesota Wild | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Nashville Predators | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| New Jersey Devils | Gotham Sports App | No |
| New York Islanders | Gotham Sports App | No |
| New York Rangers | Gotham Sports App | No |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | SNP 360 | No |
| Seattle Kraken | Prime Video | 30 Days |
| St. Louis Blues | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Bally Sports+ | 7 Days |
| Utah Hockey Club | UtahHC+ or SEG+ | No |
| Vegas Golden Knights | KnightTime+ | No |
| Washington Capitals | Monumental+ | No |
NHL Teams with Free Games Over-The-Air
If you get an antenna, you can watch seven teams for free over-the-air.
Anaheim Ducks
- FOX Plus (KCOP Channel 13)
Chicago Blackhawks
Illinois Stations
- Chicago: WJYS, 62.2 and 62.3
- Rockford: WSLN, 19.3 and 19.4
- Champaign/Springfield: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
- Peoria: WHOI, (Channel Number Coming Soon)
- Quincy: WTJR, (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Indiana Stations
- South Bend: WNDU, 16.2 and 16.4
- Indianapolis: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Wisconsin Stations
- Milwaukee, WI: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Michigan Stations
- Grand Rapids, MI: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Iowa Stations
- Des Moines: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
- Cedar Rapids/Davenport: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
- Sioux City: KMEG, (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Kentucky Stations
- Paducah: (Channel Number Coming Soon)
Colorado Avalanche
- 9NEWS (KUSA-TV) and My20 (KTVD-TV)
Florida Panthers
- Broward/Dade - WSFL-TV, channel 39
- Palm Beach/Treasure Coast - WHDT-TV, channel 9
- Fort Myers/Southwest Florida – WFTX-TV, channel 36.3
Seattle Kraken
Washington Stations
- Seattle (KING-TV and KONG)
- Spokane (KREM and KSKN)
- Yakima (KAPP and KVEW)
Oregon Stations
- Eugene (KEVU and KLSR-TV)
- Portland (KGW)
Alaska Stations
- Anchorage (KAUU)
- Juneau (KYEX-LD)
Utah Hockey Club
- Utah 16 (KUPX-TV Channel 16)
Vegas Golden Knights
- KMCC Scripps Sports - Channel 34.1
Need an antenna? Consider these excellent models:
Channel Master Flatenna Ultra-Thin Indoor TV Antenna
Up to 35 Mile Range
Winegard FlatWave Amped Digital HD Indoor Amplified TV Antenna
Up to 60 Mile Range
You can also pair the antenna with something like a HDHomerun box so you can watch games on any Wi-Fi enabled device in your home.