The 2021-2022 NHL season begins on October 12, 2021, when the Pittsburg Penguins face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 pm. That game will be followed by the NHL regular-season debut of the Seattle Kraken as they face off against the Las Vegas Knights at 10:15 pm ET. While both games air on ESPN, you don’t need cable TV to watch. Read on to watch the start of the NHL season.
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How To Watch NHL Opening Games
The NHL’s Opening Night to the 2021-2022 season is Tuesday, October 12, 2021, and will feature the following two games:
- Game 1: Pittsburg Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN – Watch with a free trial to fuboTV
- Game 2: Seattle Kraken vs. Las Vegas Knights at 10:15 pm ET on ESPN – Watch with a free trial to fuboTV
Tonight’s games are also on ESPN+, but that service doesn’t offer a free trial. However, ESPN+ will let you watch every hockey game this season for just $7.99 per month as long as the game isn’t nationally televised on TNT and doesn’t feature a team from your local market. To learn more about ESPN+ and watching NHL hockey all season long, I recommend checking out our guide, How To Watch Every NHL Game. If you are just concerned with watching The NHL Opening Night Games on ESPN using any of the streaming services below. You can also check out our guide on how to watch ESPN without cable.
fuboTV
FuboTV is an excellent service to watch The NHL Opening Night Games. Not only do they stream live ESPN. There are over 90 channels offered in its Starter package for $64.99/month (after a 7-day free trial). FuboTV includes these channels in their Starter channel package, along with allowing you to use your fuboTV login to watch ESPN3 through the ESPN app. Below are some features included with the FuboTV “Starter” package:
- ESPN and more are available in fuboTV’s channel lineup
- You can watch on three screens at the same time
- 250 hours of cloud DVR storage
- The FuboTV app is available on major platforms, including AppleTV, AndroidTV, Roku, and Amazon FireTV.
You can sign up for a 1-week free trial or check out our review of FuboTV for more details.
Hulu Live TV
Try a 1-Week Free Trial to Hulu Live TV
Most cord cutters are familiar with Hulu’s On-Demand service. However, they also offer a live TV service including ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and more. So you can watch The NHL Opening Night Games on ESPN and every other game airing on TV. Hulu Live TV costs $64.99/month after a 1-week free trial and includes the following features:
- over 60 channels including live ESPN, ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, and more
- You can also use your Hulu Live TV credentials to watch ESPN3 on the ESPN app.
- 50 hours of cloud DVR storage (upgradeable)
- stream to two streams at the same time, with an upgrade option for unlimited streams.
- The Hulu on-demand streaming library
- Hulu is available on Android, iOS, Xbox One, 4th Gen Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV and stick.
If you are curious about all the channels Hulu Live TV offers in your area, including ESPN, you can use this tool on Hulu’s Website: Hulu Live TV Channels by Zipcode.
Check out our review of Hulu Live TV for more information.
YouTube TV
Another great streaming service for The NHL Opening Night Games is YouTube TV. They offer ESPN and more. They offer those channels and more for a cost of $64.99 per month and include the following:
- access to ESPN, Local Network Channels, and over 70 other channels
- unlimited cloud DVR storage
- stream on three devices at once
- Youtube TV supports Android, iOS, Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast, and more. The YouTube TV app isn’t available on Roku. However, users can use YouTube TV through the YouTube app on Roku devices.
- Includes Youtube TV on-demand
Check out my review of YouTube TV for all the details and channels available on the service. You can also check your Zip Code on Youtube TVs Website to see the available channels in your area.
Sling TV
Try Sling TV
Sling TV’s “Orange plan” is the most affordable way to watch ESPN with a price of $35 per month. You can watch The NHL Opening Night Games. Sling TV features include
- access to ESPN and many more top channels
- no contract is required, so you can cancel any time
- Sling TV also offers on-demand when available from a network
- includes 50 hours of cloud DVR storage (upgradeable)
- supports Windows and Mac PCs and laptops, Android and iOS devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Nexus player, Xbox One, 4th Generation Apple TV, Chromecast, and more.
Read our Sling TV review for more details on this service. It includes information about what’s available on all the Sling TV Channels.
Vidgo
Vidgo is a newer streaming service that offers fairly competitive pricing over other live streaming services. Vidgo includes ESPN so that you can watch The NHL Opening Night Games. New customers can sign up for the Core Plan for $55 per month. (They offer discounted promo pricing for your first 3 months.) A subscription to Vidgo Includes the following:
- Vidgo doesn’t force you into a contract, and you can cancel any time
- Stream on 3 devices simultaneously
- Over 70 channels including ESPN
- Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV. You can also stream the service on up to 3 devices at the same time.
Vidgo offers promotional pricing for new customers, and there is no contract required so that you can cancel at any time. We have the full details in our guide to Vidgo’s live streaming service.
