How to watch NHL 2026/27 for FREE: Live Streams & TV Channels | Daily Reports Online
Watch NHL 2026/27 live streams as the Carolina Hurricanes seek to defend their crown, having broken their 20-year duck by winning the Stanley Cup 4-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights in June.
It truly was the icing on the cake for Hurricanes boss Rod Brind’Amour, who became only the fourth man in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup with the same team as both captain and head coach. Perhaps Jordan Staal will join him one day – the Hurricanes center and captain was MVP in that victorious season. In the immediate future, he’ll be looking to lead the likes of Nikolaj Ehlers, Jackson Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere to a second straight title.
So which other franchises are best equipped to hold back the Hurricanes? Having been denied the three-peat last time around, you can bet that the Florida Panthers will be in the hunt for the playoffs. So, too, should defeated finalists the Golden Knights. A firing-on-all-cylinders Jason Robertson or Matt Boldy could respectively propel the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild deep into the postseason. Or will this finally be the year that a Canadian team ends the country’s 34-year wait to lift the Stanley Cup? Fans of the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens will all be hoping so.
Here’s where to watch NHL 2026/27 live streams online from anywhere – starting with FREE options.
Can I watch NHL in 2026/27 for free?
There are several countries around the world that do offer a limited number of NHL games on free-to-air channels and streaming services. They include:
Elsewhere, there are free streamers hosting NHL coverage in their own language, such as CCTV in China, SVT Play in Sweden and TV24 in Switzerland. You’ll find more options listed in our full information on international broadcasters further down the page.
While you’ll be able to tune in to NHL games through local stations and occasionally through ABC nationally in the US, there’s no free NHL coverage as such. It means the only way to pick up free NHL coverage stateside is by taking advantage of the free trials offered by certain OTT cable alternatives that carry NHL broadcasting channels such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.
Use a VPN to watch any NHL 2026/27 stream
How to watch NHL 2026/27 live streams in the US
National coverage of the 2026/27 NHL season is shared between an array of TV channels and streaming services, including ABC and ESPN (53 games) and TNT (72 games) on TV, and through the ESPN app, Hulu and Disney Plus (47 games). So, between them, they will show 172 regular season games.
If you’re a cord cutter, Sling TV is an OTT service that gives access to a good proportion of televised games. Its Sling Orange package ($4.99 a day, $14.99 a week, $45.99 a month) carries ESPN and TNT. Go for an Orange + Blue plan for $60.99 per month and you’ll get access to ABC in selected cities, too.
Alternatively, ABC, ESPN, TNT and access to ESPN Unlimited are also carried by YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV an Fubo (except, currently, TNT), each of which offers a free trial to new users.
Regionally, the official NHL website says that more than 1,050 out-of-market games will be available to watch this season through ‘NHL Power Play’ on the ESPN app. You will need an ESPN Unlimited plan to access this which starts at $31.99/month or $319.99 for the year.
How to watch NHL 2026/27 live streams in Canada
Just like south of the border, there’s a diverse range of broadcasters showing 2026/27 NHL games in Canada, with Sportsnet (and its Sportsnet+ streaming platform), Amazon Prime Video and TVA sharing out national games. Prices are as follows:
▶︎ Sportsnet+ – C$29.99/month
▶︎ Amazon Prime – C$9.99/month or C$99/year
▶︎ TVA Sports Direct – C$17.99/month or C$179.99/year
If you’re unable to watch the game you want due to geo-blocking restrictions, remember that a VPN is all you need to tune back in to your preferred NHL coverage wherever you are.
How to watch NHL 2026/27 live streams in the UK
The most comprehensive NHL coverage in the UK comes courtesy of NHL.TV on DAZN, which will show every minute of every regular season, playoff and Stanley Cup game. You can pay from £22.99 per month or get a full season pass for £119.99.
Premier Sports will also show a large amount of games across the season (as many as 15 games each week). It costs £18.99 on a rolling monthly basis or, to save money, you can commit to a year for £13.99 per month or one upfront payment of £150.
Plus, from January 17, 2027, free-to-air ITV4 and its online ITVX platform will air selected weekend NHL games throughout the season.
Not in the UK right now? To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you’ll need to download a good VPN, as detailed above.
How to watch NHL 2026/27 live streams in Rest of World
NHL.TV is the National Hockey League’s dedicated streaming service globally, which allows die-hard hockey fans to watch every single game, including the playoffs and Super Bowl.
It’s available via DAZN in more than 180 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe. Prices vary from country to country and get progressively cheaper throughout the season – head to the NHL website to see the full list of supported territories.
Many countries also show games on TV and online through their domestic broadcasters:
Africa
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The NHL broadcast rights for Africa are held by ESPN, which provides coverage to sub-Saharan countries:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Americas
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ESPN has the broadcast rights to the 2026/27 NHL season across Latin America, with Disney+ hosting its live streams. That includes:
Argentina, Bolivia (Disney+ only), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
- Caribbean & Central America
You can watch the 2026/27 NHL season unfold on various platforms across the Caribbean in Central American countries depending where you are.
Sky Sport has the rights in Belize, , Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
While ESPN+ and Disney+ will be your go-to services in the likes of Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The 2026/27 NHL rights are held by Sky in Mexico.
Europe
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- Austria, Liechtenstein & Luxembourg
Sky will show the NHL in these countries, with MySports also showing games in Liechtenstein.
Pay TV provider Arena Sport holds the NHL rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia.
You can watch NHL action on Max Sport in Bulgaria.
- Czech Republic & Slovakia
Nova Sport has the rights to show NHL 2026/27 games on television in the Czech Republic and Slovakia – so great news if you want to watch free hockey. Dajto is also listed as a broadcaster in Slovakia.
- Estonia, Lithuania & Latvia
Go3 Sport will show the NHL in these countries, with Latvia also having streams on TV6.
NHL coverage is available via beIN Sports in France.
Sky Sport and NHL.TV will be the places to catch most of the action in Germany.
ESPN on Disney+ will air coverage of the 2026/27 NHL season in Hungary.
ESPN holds the rights to the NHL in the Netherlands.
Sport TV is the main NHL rights-holder in Portugal.
Antena Play is set to stream games in Romania.
To watch NHL in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Norway and Sweden, you can head to Viaplay. But there will also be free coverage thanks to TV3 in Denmark and Norway, and SVT in Sweden.
ESPN on Disney+ will carry streams of NHL games during the 2026/27 season.
MySports is this season’s NHL broadcaster in Switzerland. TV24 will also carry some 2026/27 NHL games for free.
Asia
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CCTV is the rights-holder to free NHL games in China, with ESPN hosting more comprehensive coverage.
Oceania
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ESPN is the official NHL broadcaster in Australia, with live streams going out via Disney+. There will also be games shown for free via Channel 9 and 9Now.
New Zealanders can watch NHL action on ESPN and Disney+.
Ice hockey fans on the South Pacific islands can watch NHL streams thanks to ESPN.
When does the 2026/27 NHL season start?
The NHL’s 2026/27 regular season starts on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 with the defending champions Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Florida Panthers. It runs until Saturday, April 10, 2027.
The regular season is immediately followed by the playoffs, with the Stanley Cup Finals expected to begin in the first week of June, 2027.
Can I watch NHL 2026/27 on my mobile?
The vast majority of broadcasters mentioned in this article have streaming services that you can access through mobile apps or via your phone’s browser.
You can also stay up-to-date with the latest NHL news and plays on the official social media channels on X (@NHL), Instagram (@nhl), Facebook (NHL) TikTok (@nhl) and YouTube (@NHL).
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