How to Watch the NHL

Watching the NHL is easy once you know which of three buckets a game falls into: a national broadcast, your team's local broadcast, or an out-of-market game. The channel depends on which bucket it is in and which country you are in. This guide uses the broadcasters listed in the official 2026-27 NHL schedule.

Where can I watch the NHL tonight?

The fastest answer is our NHL games tonight page. It lists every game with its start time in your time zone and the TV channels in the US and Canada, taken from the NHL's own schedule feed. Each team page, such as the New York Rangers or the Calgary Flames, also shows where that team's next game airs and which channels carry most of its games this season.

What channel is the NHL on in the US?

National NHL games in the US are split between two media groups, under deals that run through the 2027-28 season:

• ESPN family: ESPN, ABC and the streaming service ESPN+. ESPN games also show up on Disney+ and Hulu in the schedule listings.
• TNT Sports: TNT, truTV and the streaming service HBO Max.

NHL Network also carries some games nationally. Here is how the national games on the 2026-27 schedule break down so far:

The Stanley Cup Final alternates between the two partners: ABC has it in even-numbered years and TNT in odd-numbered years.

How do I watch my local team in the US?

Most regular-season games are not national. They air on your team's regional sports network or local over-the-air channel, depending on the team. Each NHL club has its own arrangement, and several have moved games to local broadcast TV or team-owned streaming services in recent years. Your team's page on Tonight.hockey shows the regional channels that carry its games this season, counted from the schedule.

When a game is on a national exclusive (for example, some TNT or ABC games), it is not shown on the regional channel.

How do I stream NHL games in the US?

• Out-of-market games: If you live outside your team's region, ESPN+ carries out-of-market games. Games are blacked out in the local team's market, where the regional broadcaster has the rights, and national exclusives are not included.
• National games: Stream ESPN and ABC games through ESPN+ or a TV streaming service that carries ESPN, and TNT and truTV games through HBO Max or a service that carries TNT.
• Local team: Use your regional network's own app or a streaming TV package that includes it. Check before you subscribe, since not every live-TV service carries every regional network.

What channel is the NHL on in Canada?

In Canada, Rogers Sportsnet holds the national rights. Its new national deal with the NHL began with the 2026-27 season.

• Sportsnet carries national English-language games across its channels.
• TVA Sports carries national French-language games.
• Sportsnet+ is the streaming service for national games and out-of-market games.
• Prime Video carries a package of national games in Canada.
• Regional games for Canadian clubs air on Sportsnet's regional channels, TSN or RDS, depending on the team.

The breakdown above shows how many games each Canadian outlet has on the 2026-27 schedule.

How do I watch the NHL playoffs?

Every playoff game has a national broadcast. In the US, the rounds are split between the ESPN networks and TNT Sports, with some early-round games also on teams' regional channels, and the Final goes to ABC or TNT depending on the year. In Canada, the national rights holders listed above carry the playoffs. Streaming follows the same partners: ESPN+ and HBO Max in the US, Sportsnet+ in Canada.

What channel is the NHL Draft on?

The draft, held in late June, is carried by the league's national partners in each country. Listings are published closer to the date.

How can I watch NHL games outside North America?

Rights outside the US and Canada vary by country. The NHL lists its international broadcast and streaming partners on its website. Time zones are the bigger challenge: a 7 p.m. Eastern game starts at 1 a.m. in Central Europe. The special games on this season's schedule include games in Europe at friendlier hours.

Are there free ways to watch?

Some games air on over-the-air broadcast TV: national games on ABC in the US, and a growing number of teams put local games on free local channels. Anything else requires cable, satellite or a streaming subscription. We do not link to unofficial streams.

How long will I be watching?

Budget about two and a half hours for a regular-season game, a bit more if it goes to overtime. See how long is a hockey game.