Where To Watch NHL Games in 2026-27: Every Channel and Streaming Option

No single service carries every NHL game. Here's what you need in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and beyond.

Last updated Oct 1, 2026

We receive compensation from the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are the author's own. Compensation may impact where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

You can't watch every NHL game with one service in the U.S. or Canada. In the U.S., you need three things: a way to watch ESPN, ABC, and TNT for national games, ESPN+ for out-of-market games, and your local channel for your home team's games. ESPN+ now comes with ESPN's Select and Unlimited plans.

Canada works the same way, but the national games are split across Sportsnet, Amazon Prime Video, and TVA Sports. Outside North America, it's simpler. NHL.TV now streams on DAZN in the U.K. and most other countries for the 2026-27 season.

Below, we'll break down where every game airs in each country, what each option costs, and how to keep watching when you travel.

In this article

How to watch all NHL games in the U.S.
How to watch all NHL games in Canada
How to watch all NHL games in the U.K.
How to watch all NHL games from anywhere
A word on NHL broadcast rules
Bottom line
FAQs

How to watch all NHL games in the U.S.

In the U.S., national games are broadcast on a combination of TNT, ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+ (a streaming service, not to be confused with ESPN, the television channel).

Local games air on your regional sports network, or on Amazon Prime Video for six teams. Out-of-market regional games are available on either NHL Center Ice (a cable and satellite TV add-on) or ESPN+.

One catch: NHL Network airs some regional games outside local markets, and those games aren't on ESPN+. To catch them, you'll need a TV or live TV streaming package that includes NHL Network.

Here’s a breakdown of how to watch the regular season. If you want to catch the NHL playoffs, check out our streaming guide.

	Channel	Streaming service
National games	TNT ESPN ABC	Hulu ESPN+ HBO Max ESPN+
Local games	Regional sports network	Amazon Prime Video (select teams)
Out-of-market games	NHL Center Ice	ESPN+

So, to get access to every NHL game in the U.S., you’ll need access to the following:

A way to watch the national channels TNT, ABC, and ESPN: This could be a cable or satellite subscription or a live streaming service that carries those channels, such as DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM, or Sling TV.
An ESPN+ subscription: ESPN+ now comes with ESPN's Select and Unlimited plans. You can also get it in a bundle with Hulu and Disney+.
A way to watch your local games: For most teams, that's your regional sports network through cable, satellite, or a streaming service like DIRECTV STREAM. Double-check the channel lineup before you subscribe, since many streaming services don't carry RSNs.

Six teams now stream their local games exclusively on Amazon Prime Video: the Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and St. Louis Blues. Amazon Prime Video also carries Seattle Kraken local coverage. Packages and pricing vary by team. Not sure where your team airs? Use the NHL's local broadcast lookup.
NHL Network (for a few extra games): It airs certain regional games that ESPN+ doesn't carry. Check your cable or streaming lineup to see if it's included.

Finally, if you’re wondering how much all that will cost you, here are the details:

DIRECTV: $59.99–$129.99/mo
DIRECTV STREAM: $59.99-$169.99/mo
Sling TV: $19.99-$75.99/mo
ESPN+: $10.83-$29.99/mo
Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN+ bundle: $35.99/mo with ads or $6.99/mo with no ads
NHL Center Ice: $79.99 per season

On Hulu's website

Streaming Service

Hulu

Stream exclusive series, Hulu Originals, hit movies, current episodes, and more.
Watch on 2 different screens at the same time.
Cancel your subscription at any time.
No hidden fees, ever.

How to watch all NHL games in Canada

Much like in the U.S., you’ll also need several services to get access to all NHL games in Canada. National games require a combination of Sportsnet, Amazon Prime Video, and TVA Sports. Local games require access to a local RSN, while out-of-market games require NHL Centre Ice or Sportsnet+.

Here’s the breakdown of how to watch hockey if you’re in Canada.

	Channel	Streaming service
National games	Sportsnet TVA Sports	Sportsnet+ Amazon Prime Video TVA app
Local games	Regional sports network
Out-of-market games	NHL Centre Ice	Sportsnet+

Here are the prices:

Sportsnet+: CAD$22.49–$34.99/mo
Amazon Prime Video: CAD$8.25/mo
NHL Centre Ice: CAD$219 per season

Learn where to watch every episode of "Hockey Night in Canada," Canada's longest-running TV show.

How to watch all NHL games in the U.K.

The U.K. is the easiest place to watch every NHL game. One subscription covers it: NHL.TV, which now streams on DAZN. It carries every regular-season, playoff, and Stanley Cup Final game.

If you'd rather watch on TV, Premier Sports shows up to 15 live games a week, plus the playoffs. That's not every game, but it's a lot of them. Premier Sports holds the U.K. rights through the 2028-29 season.

Here are the prices:

NHL.TV on DAZN: From £22.99/mo, or £119.99 for a full season pass
Premier Sports: £18.99/mo rolling, £13.99/mo with a 12-month commitment, or £149.99 paid upfront for the year

How to watch all NHL games from anywhere

Whether you’re traveling out of the country and want to keep up with your favorite teams or live in a country where you can’t regularly access NHL content, a virtual private network (VPN) is a great way to stay connected to all the action.

VPNs are often thought of as privacy and security tools — and they’re great for that! — but by making it look like you’re in a different country, they can also be used to bypass regional restrictions on content. For example, one common way to use a VPN is to set your location to the U.S. in order to unlock the U.S. Netflix library.

When it comes to watching the NHL with a VPN, you can use the tool to set your country to wherever you have your subscriptions based from. For example, if you’re traveling to France and have an ESPN+ subscription in the U.S., you could set your VPN to a U.S. location in order to access your ESPN+ content from back home.

Our top streaming VPNs include NordVPN (best overall) and Surfshark (best value).

PROMOTION: Save Up to 75% Off and Get 3 Months Extra

5.0

2026 Editors’ Choice

Best Features

VPN

NordVPN

VPN that earned the only Platinum rating in a five-way independent speed and security test by Artifact Security
Historically unlocks Netflix libraries in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia with no errors
Bundles with ad blocker, data removal, and encrypted storage for a more complete privacy setup

Learn More

PROMOTION: From $2.49/mo + 3 Months EXTRA

5.0

2026 Editors’ Choice

Best Value VPN

VPN

Surfshark

Budget-friendly VPN that lets you connect unlimited devices at once, which most VPNs cap at 10 or fewer
4,500+ servers across 100 countries with proven fast speeds, even on distant connections
Includes a built-in ad and tracker blocker, so you get cleaner browsing without a separate tool

Learn More

A word on NHL broadcast rules

NHL games (and most other sports, for that matter) fall into one of two categories for broadcast purposes: national games and regional games.

National games

These games air on national networks like ESPN, ABC, and TNT, so you can watch them anywhere in the country. ABC is free with an antenna. ESPN and TNT need a paid TV or streaming plan.

Regional games

These games are only broadcast on regional sports networks (RSNs), and so are technically only available in the local markets that those RSNs serve.

Regional games can be further divided into two categories.

Local regional games: Sometimes called in-market games, these air on your local RSN. You can watch them as long as your TV or streaming package includes that channel.
Out-of-market regional games: These are the local games everywhere else in the country. Normally, these wouldn’t be available since you’re usually outside the region. However, there are some cable add-on packages and streaming services that enable you to access them.

If you think this seems overly complicated, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, these regional limitations are the result of exclusive broadcast deals between the NHL and various networks, and it’s like this for most professional sports in the U.S.

Ultimately, it means you’ll need several separate subscription services in order to be able to watch all NHL games.

Bottom line

If you’re in North America, you’ll need a combination of several services to get every NHL game. The situation in the U.K. is simpler with only a single service needed to watch all NHL games, which is admittedly a bit odd given that it’s an American and Canadian sports league.

Finally, if you’re traveling and want to keep access to your NHL content, you can use a VPN to access local content. Some of the best VPNs for catching the games are NordVPN and Surfshark.

FAQs

Is ESPN the same as ESPN+?

No. ESPN is a TV network. You can watch it through a cable, satellite, or live TV streaming package, or stream it directly with an ESPN Unlimited plan.

ESPN+ is ESPN's streaming service for extra games and shows, including out-of-market NHL games. It now comes with both ESPN plans. The cheaper plan, ESPN Select, gives you ESPN+ only, without the ESPN channel.

What is the cheapest way to watch NHL games?

The cheapest way to get NHL games is using an over-the-air (OTA) antenna. This will give you the ability to pick up ABC on your TV, which airs a portion of the nationally-broadcast NHL games.

Antennas can be found for as little as $25.00 on Amazon. If you prefer streaming, ESPN+ is the cheapest way to get NHL games at about $11.00 per month.

Are NHL games included with Amazon Prime Video?

It depends on where you live. In the U.S., Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive local streaming home for six teams starting in the 2026-27 season: the Hurricanes, Ducks, Blue Jackets, Stars, Wild, and Blues. You have to live in the team's local area, and each team sets its own package and price. Out-of-market fans still need NHL Center Ice or ESPN+.

In Canada, Amazon Prime Video has the exclusive national Wednesday night games in English and French, plus playoff coverage.

All-in-One Digital Security App with Servers in All 50 U.S. States

5.0

Editorial Rating

On NordVPN's website

2026 Editors’ Choice

Best Features

VPN

NordVPN

PROMOTION: Save Up to 75% Off and Get 3 Months Extra

VPN that earned the only Platinum rating in a five-way independent speed and security test by Artifact Security
Historically unlocks Netflix libraries in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia with no errors
Bundles with ad blocker, data removal, and encrypted storage for a more complete privacy setup

Author Details

Dave Schafer

About the Author

Dave Schafer has written about consumer cybersecurity and technology since 2014, with a focus on the products people rely on most to stay safe online — VPNs, password managers, and cloud storage. With more than a decade of experience covering consumer tech, he cuts through product complexity to help readers choose tools that protect their data. He has authored more than 60 articles for All About Cookies and has been published in MakeUseOf, SatelliteInternet.com, and HighSpeedInternet.com.