The 2024-2025 NHL season is reaching its peak. The pressure is building as we head into the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, which will replace the All-Star Weekend this year: seven games in two cities played over a nine-day period from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20. That’s something NHL fans won’t want to miss! So even if you haven’t been keeping up with the season so far, now is the perfect time to find out how to watch NHL games without a cable subscription. NHL games are broadcast across a few different networks, so you can also pick up select games for free with a TV antenna. Here’s everything you need to know to watch NHL games without cable.
How to Watch NHL Games Online
All NHL games (national) are broadcast on ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, Max, TNT, truTV, and ABC. Below is the full schedule of upcoming games this season and where they will be broadcast.
| NHL Regular Season Games 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
| Tuesday, Jan. 21 | Carolina Hurricanes at Dallas Stars | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, Jan. 23 | Utah Hockey Club at Minnesota Wild | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Friday, Jan. 24 | Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tuesday, Jan. 28 | Colorado Avalanche at New York Islanders
Dallas Stars at Vegas Golden Knights |
7:30 p.m.
10 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN+ |
| Thursday, Jan. 30 | New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks at Seattle Kraken |
7:30 p.m.
10:30 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 1 | Chicago Blackhawks at Florida Panthers
New York Rangers at Boston Bruins |
1 p.m.
3:30 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ABC/ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, Feb. 4 | Edmonton Oilers at St. Louis Blues
Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks |
8 p.m.
10:30 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN |
| NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Schedule | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
| Wednesday, Feb. 12 | Canada vs. Sweden | 8 p.m. | MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS |
| Thursday, Feb. 13 | United States vs. Finland | 8 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS |
| Saturday, Feb. 15 | Finland vs. Sweden
United States vs. Canada |
1 p.m.
8 p.m. |
ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS
ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS |
| Monday, Feb. 17 | Canada vs. Finland
Sweden vs. United States |
7:30 p.m.
10 p.m. |
MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS
MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS |
| Thursday, Feb. 20 | Championship | 8 p.m. | ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS |
| NHL Regular Season Games 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Network |
| Saturday, Feb. 22 | Minnesota Wild at Detroit Red Wings
Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins |
12:30 p.m.
3 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ABC/ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, Feb. 25 | Edmonton Oilers at Tampa Bay Lightning | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, Feb. 27 | Edmonton Oilers at Florida Panthers | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saturday, March 1 | Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins
Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets |
3 p.m.
6 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ESPN |
| Tuesday, March 4 | New Jersey Devils at Dallas Stars | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, March 6 | Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning
Seattle Kraken at Nashville Predators |
7 p.m.
9:30 p.m. |
ESPN
ESPN |
| Saturday, March 8 | Seattle Kraken at Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins at Tampa Bay Lightning |
12:30 p.m.
3 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ABC/ESPN+ |
| Monday, March 10 | Edmonton Oilers at Buffalo Sabres | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, March 11 | Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators at San Jose Sharks |
8 p.m.
10:30 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN+ |
| Thursday, March 13 | Edmonton Oilers at New Jersey Devils | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saturday, March 15 | New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins | 3 p.m. | ABC/ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, March 18 | St. Louis Blues at Nashville Predators | 9 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, March 20 | Vancouver Canucks at St. Louis Blues | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saturday, March 22 | Detroit Red Wings at Vegas Golden Knights | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN+ |
| Monday, March 24 | Vancouver Canucks at New Jersey Devils | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, March 25 | Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, March 27 | Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche | 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saturday, March 29 | Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings | 8 p.m. | ABC/ESPN+ |
| Sunday, March 30 | San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings | 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, April 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Islanders | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Thursday, April 3 | Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Saturday, April 5 | New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils
Pittsburgh Penguins at Dallas Stars |
12:30 p.m.
3 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ABC/ESPN+ |
| Sunday, April 6 | Vegas Golden Knights at Vancouver Canucks | 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, April 8 | Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins
Vegas Golden Knights at Colorado Avalanche |
7 p.m.
9:30 p.m. |
ESPN
ESPN |
| Thursday, April 10 | Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
Anaheim Ducks at Los Angeles Kings |
7:30 p.m.
10 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN |
| Saturday, April 12 | New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes |
12:30 p.m.
3 p.m. |
ABC/ESPN+
ABC/ESPN+ |
| Sunday, April 13 | Colorado Avalanche at Anaheim Ducks | 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Monday, April 14 | Los Angeles Kings at Edmonton Oilers | 10 p.m. | ESPN+ |
| Tuesday, April 15 | Washington Capitals at New York Islanders
Los Angeles Kings at Seattle Kraken |
8 p.m.
10:30 p.m. |
ESPN+
ESPN+ |
| Thursday, April 17 | Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ |
Regular-season NHL games are broadcast across ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC in the U.S. Special events such as the 4 Nations Face-Off are sometimes broadcast on MAX, truTV, and TNT. The good news is that all of the major cable networks that broadcast NHL games are also available through streaming services.
Skinny bundle streaming services offer the convenience of Netflix but with hundreds of live TV channels available to add to your subscription. It’s a lighter, leaner, and more affordable option, with no hidden fees or burdensome cable contracts, so you can cancel anytime. Popular platforms like Hulu + Live TV and FuboTV show NHL games, but there are also plenty of alternatives. Games broadcast on ABC also can usually be picked up for free over the air using an HD TV antenna.
Here’s the full list of streaming services that broadcast NHL games and offer channel options for ESPN and ABC:
Can I Watch NHL Games on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
Streaming NHL games with a skinny bundle streaming service gives you the freedom to hit the ice on any device in your home. Pass the puck seamlessly between any screen by connecting your service of choice to a streaming device like Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, or iOS/Android; a gaming platform; or your web browser.
More to Love for NHL Games Fans
NHL games are a unique experience, but there are plenty of other sports to enjoy throughout the year. ESPN is the channel with the biggest sports lineup, including basketball, tennis, NASCAR, and extensive coverage of NHL games. FS1 is another big sports network, home to Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.
NBC Sports is a good spot for soccer, the NFL, college football, and Olympics coverage. You can also find dedicated specific sports coverage through the Golf Channel, NBA TV, MLB Network, and NFL Network.
For services like NHL.TV, which only provide out-of-market games (because why would you want to watch your home team?), there is a way around their BS.
There are a number of basically VPN services, which allow you to access your home team games (home and away). I use YonderTV but there are lots of them. I think I pay like $4 for 3 months or something like that.
I don’t know how to watch free but for few $ you can watch it on ScreenVariety. There you can watch that game without any blackouts or some other popups.
I’m in the US but want the NHL Canadian feed like I did on NHL.TV last season (20-21). How can I get that for 21-22 season?
Evidently, the writer of the article hasn’t realized that almost all streaming services have dropped the Bally Sports Regional Channels….effectively leaving DirectTV and their huge costs as one of the few ways to watch local hockey.
It is almost impossible to subscribe to NHL TV. They may offer games not on ESPN but the cost and the amount of work to subscribe are not worth it.