Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The NHL postseason begins Saturday, April 20. Games will air on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT and TBS, with ABC set to broadcast the Stanley Cup Final beginning June 8.
Luckily, there are plenty of streaming options for puck heads to catch all the coverage. Here’s a look at the best streaming services for watching the Stanley Cup playoffs so you don’t miss a single goal, hit, or heart-stopping overtime.
Over the air
The Televes Bexia is a rigid antenna that can be mounted to a wall or set on a window sill or piece of furniture.
Martyn Williams/Foundry
If you’re only interested in watching the last two teams standing battle for Lord Stanley’s Cup, you can watch the Finals for free with an over-the-air TV antenna that’s capable of pulling in your local ABC broadcast affiliate. You’ll find our top antenna picks here.
Sling TV
Pros
Lower base price than most other live TV services
Easy-to-navigate app and grid guide
Video quality settings help avoid data caps and buffering
Cons
DVR storage is frustrating to manage
60-frames-per-second channel support is limited
Multiple base packages and add-ons can cause confusion
Sling TV offers ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS and ABC, and you can get them together in the Sling Orange + Blue package for $60 a month. Currently, you can get 50-percent off your first month.
Read our full
Sling TV review
DirecTV Stream
Pros
Familiar remote for cable converts
Great grid guide and fuss-free cloud DVR
Smooth video and surround sound support
Cons
Optional streaming box doesn’t support Amazon Prime or Hulu
More latency and less reliability than cable
DirectTV Stream also offers ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS, and you can get them all in its Entertainment package for $79.99 a month. You might also be able to get ABC, but availability varies by package and location. You can enter your Zip code on the DirecTV Stream website to see if ABC is available in your area.
Read our full
DirecTV Stream review
Hulu + Live TV
Pros
Excellent value for Disney bundle subscribers
Expansive on-demand catalog
Recommendations and staff picks make the app fun to explore
Cons
Live TV can be inefficient to navigate
Hard to figure out which programs allow ad skipping
Can’t watch on TV devices while traveling
Hulu’s live TV streaming service is available as a single, flat-fee package that includes more than 95 live and on-demand channels—including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and TBS. You get them all, in addition to Hulu’s original content, its streaming library, and ad-supported Disney+ for $76.99 a month.
Read our full
Hulu + Live TV review
YouTube TV
Pros
Simple interface makes live TV easy to navigate
Unlimited DVR allows for a huge on-demand library (with skippable ads)
Broad selection of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels
Cons
Can’t delete recordings or mark them as watched on TV devices
One-off recordings only work for live sporting events
Menu doesn’t clearly separate DVR and on-demand video (with unskippable ads)
YouTube TV also offers a flat-fee package of more than 100 channels that includes ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and TBS. Subscriptions are $72.99 per month, but the service is currently offering the first three months for just $57.99 per month.
Read our full
YouTube TV review
Streaming Media
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