How to watch the NHL on ESPN and ESPN Plus (original) (raw)

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews in the faceoff circle

Toronto Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews (Image credit: Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Hockey season is back, and the NHL on ESPN (as well as ESPN Plus) is here to bring you numerous games throughout the season.

Alongside the NHL on TNT, the NHL on ESPN is one of the two main homes for national hockey broadcasts throughout the 2024-2025 season, including the always intense Stanley Cup Playoffs. But we've got a lot of hockey to go before that, a lot of which is going to be available to watch on ESPN.

Here's what you need to know on how to watch the NHL on ESPN and ESPN Plus.

How to watch the NHL on ESPN Plus

ESPN Plus is a subscription streaming service that currently costs 10.99permonthor10.99 per month or 10.99permonthor109.99 with a full year commitment. The sports-centric streaming service provides a bevy of live sports as well as original programming from ESPN, including live streams of the NHL.

ESPN Plus is also included in the Disney streaming bundle, which combines Disney Plus, ESPN Plus and Hulu for a single monthly fee of 14.99withadsor14.99 with ads or 14.99withadsor24.99 per month without ads. It is also now included as a standard feature on Hulu with Live TV, which starts at $76.99 per month.

FYI, ESPN Plus does not offer a free trial at this time.

Once you’ve signed up for your ESPN Plus subscription, you can stream all of its content via a computer; Roku; Amazon Fire TV; Xfinity devices; Samsung or other smart TVs; Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles; PlayStation 4 and 5; Apple products; Android phones, tablets and TVs; Google Chromecast; via the Hulu app; and even an Oculus Go. Consumers can also AirPlay ESPN Plus onto their TVs.

For the 2024-2025 ESPN Plus is going to feature nationally televised games that are either streaming exclusively (available on both ESPN Plus and Hulu) or are being simulcast from a broadcast on either ESPN or ABC. It also has streaming plays of regional broadcasts, what it calls NHL Power Play.

How to watch the NHL on ESPN

ESPN is one of the most popular cable sports networks in the US and as such is available on just about every traditional cable provider subscription (though never hurts to double check). ESPN is also available on live TV streaming platforms like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV.

If you subscribe to either a traditional of live TV streaming service, then you can also use that login information to watch NHL games through ESPN.com or the Watch ESPN app.

NHL on ESPN schedule

Here is the NHL on ESPN and NHL on ESPN Plus schedule for the opening week of the 2024-2025 NHL season, October 8-13:

Tuesday, October 8

Wednesday, October 9

Thursday, October 10

Friday, October 11

Saturday, October 12

Sunday, October 13

What you need to know about the NHL on ESPN Plus

In addition to exclusive national NHL games on ESPN Plus, the streaming service offers more than 1,000 live out-of-market games for its subscribers. Called NHL Power Play on ESPN Plus, this provides 1,050 games throughout the NHL season, with fans able to choose between the home team or away team's broadcast.

In addition, ESPN Plus features replays of every NHL regular season and playoff game through NHL Power Play on ESPN Plus.

ESPN Plus has been around for a few years now, offering original sports programming as well as exclusive coverage of live sporting events, including college football, college basketball, the PGA Tour, UFC fights and even, prior to this year, some out-of-market NHL games. The streaming service’s investment in hockey has increased exponentially though.

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Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.