Short answer: you need three layers to see every NHL game legally in the US: ESPN and HBO Max for the national games, NHL Power Play in the ESPN app (or Center Ice) for out-of-market teams, and your own team's local channel. That last layer is the one that trips people up, because in 2026-27 it's a different answer in almost every market. The good news: 11 of the 25 US teams now put some or all of their local games on free over-the-air TV.
At a glance
NHL on streaming TV, 2026-27
| National games | ESPN/ABC (100), TNT/truTV on HBO Max (72) |
| Out-of-market | NHL Power Play in the ESPN app; Center Ice on DIRECTV |
| Local team | Team-specific: RSN, team network, DAZN, Prime Video or free OTA |
| 2027 Stanley Cup Final | TNT Sports, streaming on HBO Max |
| Blackouts | Power Play blocks your local team and national exclusives |
The three layers of NHL rights
An "IPTV for NHL" package promising every game is selling something the league doesn't sell. The NHL splits US rights three ways, and each layer goes to a different company:
National games belong to ESPN and TNT Sports. When a game is national, it's blacked out everywhere else, including your team's local channel.
Out-of-market games are every game not involving your local team. They're sold as NHL Power Play (in the ESPN app) or NHL Center Ice (on DIRECTV and some cable providers).
Local games belong to whoever holds your team's regional rights. After the collapse of the old Bally/FanDuel regional network group, that's now a patchwork of team-owned networks, free broadcast stations and streaming apps.
The season opened on 29 September 2026 with an ESPN tripleheader, and TNT's schedule began the next night. For a fan-type cost guide, see where to watch the NHL in 2026-27. This page focuses on what you actually plug into your TV, team by team.
ESPN and TNT: the national games
ESPN and ABC have 100 exclusive national games. Roughly half air on ESPN or ABC; the rest stream only in the ESPN app, Disney+ and Hulu. ABC's Saturday afternoon games run from January.
TNT Sports has 72 games on TNT and truTV, all simulcast on HBO Max, and the whole 2027 Stanley Cup Final. ESPN and TNT alternate the Final every year.
The practical consequence: even a fan with perfect local coverage still needs ESPN and HBO Max to see all 82 of their team's games.
| Service | NHL you get | US price |
|---|---|---|
| ESPN Select | Streaming-only ESPN games plus NHL Power Play | $13.99/mo |
| ESPN Unlimited | Select plus live ESPN channels and ABC | $31.99/mo |
| HBO Max | Every TNT and truTV game, Stanley Cup Final | About $11 to $23/mo by tier |
| Antenna | ABC games, and local OTA games where your team uses them | One-off, $25 to $80 |
Power Play or Center Ice?
Both products show the same thing: games outside your home market. The difference is how you receive them.
NHL Power Play lives inside the ESPN app and is included with ESPN's streaming tiers, so there's nothing extra to buy. It carries well over 1,000 games a season, and it runs on every device ESPN supports.
NHL Center Ice is the TV-provider version, sold through DIRECTV satellite and some cable operators. It appears as channels on your provider's guide rather than in an app. It only makes sense if you already have that provider and prefer flipping channels to opening an app. Pricing is set by the provider each season, so check yours.
Both use the same blackout rules. Your local team's regional games are blocked because someone else owns them, and national exclusives are blocked because ESPN or TNT owns them. The ESPN app checks your location to decide. That makes Power Play excellent for a Bruins fan in Denver and nearly useless for a Bruins fan in Boston.
Your team's local channel, all 25 US teams
This is the layer that changed most for 2026-27. Several teams left the old regional networks and launched their own, a handful now stream regional games through DAZN, and a group of clubs went to free over-the-air stations. Listings below are from team and league announcements gathered at the season's start; Canadian teams are covered in our main NHL guide.
| Team | Local TV | Streaming | Free OTA? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | FOX 11 (KTTV), FOX LA | Prime Video | Yes, most games |
| Boston Bruins | NESN | NESN 360 | No |
| Buffalo Sabres | MSG Networks | DAZN | No |
| Carolina Hurricanes | Hurricanes Hockey Network | Prime Video | 10 games, WRAL/FOX 50 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | CHSN | CHSN app | No |
| Colorado Avalanche | Altitude Sports | Altitude+ | 20 games, 9NEWS/KTVD |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Blue Jackets Hockey Network | Prime Video | To be announced |
| Dallas Stars | FOX 4, FOX4+ | Prime Video | 17 games, FOX 4 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit SportsNet | Via MLB app (in-market) | No |
| Florida Panthers | The Spot, South Florida 39 | Panthers+ | Yes |
| Los Angeles Kings | Angels Broadcast Television | DAZN | No |
| Minnesota Wild | Wild+ (team-owned) | Prime Video | Partly |
| Nashville Predators | The Spot, Nashville 28 | Team app | Yes |
| New Jersey Devils | MSG Networks | DAZN | No |
| New York Islanders | MSG Networks | DAZN | No |
| New York Rangers | MSG Networks | DAZN | No |
| Philadelphia Flyers | NBC Sports Philadelphia | Peacock RSN add-on | No |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | SportsNet Pittsburgh | SNP 360 | No |
| St. Louis Blues | Blue Note+ | Blue Note+ via Prime Video, Spectrum, Fubo | Under negotiation |
| San Jose Sharks | NBC Sports California | Peacock RSN add-on | No |
| Seattle Kraken | Kraken Hockey Network, KONG/KING | Prime Video | Yes |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | The Spot, Tampa Bay 66 | Team app | Yes |
| Utah Mammoth | Utah 16: The Spot | Mammoth+ | Yes |
| Vegas Golden Knights | The Spot, Vegas 34 | KnightTime+ | Yes |
| Washington Capitals | Monumental Sports Network | Monumental+, also on DAZN | No |
Three things stand out. The antenna is back as a serious hockey tool in Nashville, Tampa, South Florida, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Anaheim. DAZN is now a local-hockey app for the three New York-area teams, Buffalo, LA and Washington. And several teams sell in-market streaming through Prime Video, so check the team's own site for the exact sign-up route and price. For the wider picture on regional networks, see our guide to RSN streaming after FanDuel Sports Network.
What a season costs
The NHL regular season runs from late September to mid-April, with the playoffs into June. Using monthly plans for roughly eight months:
| Fan | Setup | Approx. season cost |
|---|---|---|
| Local fan, OTA team (e.g. Vegas, Tampa) | Antenna, ESPN Select, HBO Max basic | About $200 plus the antenna |
| Displaced fan | ESPN Unlimited, HBO Max basic | About $345 |
| Local fan, RSN team (e.g. Boston, Pittsburgh) | Team RSN app (about $30), ESPN Unlimited, HBO Max | About $585 |
The OTA markets are now the cheapest places in the US to follow a hockey team. RSN markets remain the most expensive, because the regional app alone costs about what the national services do combined.
Live-TV services and the RSN fee
If you'd rather have one bill and a channel guide, a live-TV service can stand in for most of the stack. The catch is regional carriage.
Fubo signed a multi-year deal with the league, starting this season, to carry the local networks for the Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Wild and Blues. Fubo's base plans start at $88.99 a month, plus a regional sports fee of $3.99 to $16.99 depending on your area. It also carries ESPN, ABC and NHL Network.
YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DIRECTV Stream carry ESPN and TNT, but regional network carriage varies by ZIP code and changes often. Enter your ZIP on the service's channel page before you sign up, not after.
No live-TV service carries Power Play or the ESPN streaming-only games; TNT and truTV come through as normal channels. For local-team strategy across all sports, our guide on watching your local team without cable goes further.
Why "every game" IPTV falls over in April
The listings ranking for this search sell one plan with every NHL game, every RSN and every Canadian channel. None of those sellers have NHL rights. The league, ESPN, TNT and the 25 local rights holders above don't sublicense to anonymous resellers.
Hockey is especially hard on them. Overtime can run past midnight, playoff nights stack several Game 7-level audiences at once, and that peak is exactly when rights holders' anti-piracy teams take streams down. A prepaid annual plan that vanishes in April costs you the part of the season that matters most.
The payment side is the other problem: crypto, gift cards, or a "friends and family" transfer with no buyer protection. Our checklist on how to spot an IPTV scam covers the signs.
Quick answers
What do I need to watch every NHL game? ESPN (Unlimited for the channels and ABC), HBO Max for TNT's games, and your team's local channel or app. Add NHL Power Play, included in the ESPN app, if you follow a team from outside its market.
Is NHL Power Play the same as Center Ice? They carry the same out-of-market games. Power Play is in the ESPN app; Center Ice is sold through DIRECTV and some cable providers as channels.
Why is my team blacked out in the ESPN app? You're inside its local area, where the regional broadcaster holds the rights, or the game is a national exclusive on ESPN or TNT.
Which NHL teams are free over the air? In 2026-27, the Ducks, Panthers, Predators, Lightning, Mammoth, Golden Knights and Kraken have most games on free local stations, and the Hurricanes, Avalanche, Stars and Wild put some games on broadcast TV.
Where is the 2027 Stanley Cup Final? On TNT Sports, streaming on HBO Max.
Can a live-TV service replace everything? Partly. It covers ESPN, ABC, TNT and sometimes your RSN, but not ESPN's streaming-only games or Power Play.
Are cheap IPTV plans with every NHL game legal? No. They hold no NHL rights, tend to fail on playoff nights and offer no refunds.
Local NHL rights moved more in 2026 than in any recent season, and a few teams were still finalising over-the-air and streaming partners when the season opened. Prices for ESPN, HBO Max, Fubo and team apps change often. Check your team's official broadcast page before subscribing. Checked October 2026.