Best Ways To Watch NHL Network Live Without Cable in 2024
By Staff• Edited by Lisa Holden • Updated Dec 07, 2023
Sports can often keep people locked into overpriced cable TV plans. But hockey fans will be glad to know that they can watch NHL Network live without cable.
Sling TV was the first streaming service to offer the NHL Network in 2016, and since then it’s become available on Fubo and DirecTV Stream.
Watch NHL Network on Sling TV
Budget-conscious sports fans will want to check out Sling TV. It only carries Fox and NBC, so it’s not a total cable TV replacement, but its price is tough to beat.
The 2 main plans, Orange and Blue, cost the same but neither includes NHL Network. You’ll need the Sports Extra add-on for whichever plan you choose, but that choice is important.
Sling TV has 1 add-on with NHL Network
The Sports Extra add-on costs $11/month and changes slightly depending on your plan. Fortunately, they both include NHL Network.
Sling Orange has 30+ channels and is the choice for fans of ESPN, as it isn’t found in the Blue plan. The Sports Extra add-on has 14+ channels, including 7 channels you won’t get with Blue:
- ACCN
- ESPNEWS, ESPNU
- Longhorn Network
- SEC Network and SEC Network+
Sling Blue has 40+ channels and Fox Sports instead of ESPN. The Sports Extra add-on has 10+ channels, including 5 channels you won’t get with Orange:
- Big Ten Network
- FS2
- NBC Golf
- NFL RedZone
- Olympic Channel
Cloud DVR and multiple screens on Sling TV
Orange allows just a single stream, while Blue lets you stream on 3 devices at once. Both come with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage.
Watch NHL Network on Fubo
Fubo is a big step up from Sling TV – in price, content, and features. Its 2 main plans include the Big 4 TV networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC), as well as The CW, Telemundo and Univision.
Only one of its main plans includes NHL Network, but it’s available in 3 channel bundles that can be added to the entry-level Pro plan.
Fubo has 3 add-ons with NHL Network
The Pro plan comes with 170+ channels and gets you 100+ sporting events. It’s about $10/month cheaper than Elite and doesn’t include NHL Network, so you’ll need a channel bundle add-on for that.
There are 3 add-ons with NHL Network to choose from, and they all include NBA.TV, MLB Network and Tennis Channel as well.
For $10.99/month, the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone add-on gets you 28 extra sports channels, including 7 Pac 12 regional channels, 4 Stadium channels and ACC Network.
For $9.99/month, the Sports Lite bundle has 8 channels. It also includes college sports channels ACC Network and SEC Network.
The lowest-priced add-on with NHL Network has the most channels. For $7.99/month, Fubo Extra has 42 channels, including ACC Network, Pac 12 Networks and ESPNU.
The Fubo Elite plan has 240+ channels and 130+ events in 4K. The extra channels are from 2 channel add-ons, News Plus and Fubo Extra, making the Elite plan only a good option if you’re also looking for news.
Cloud DVR and multiple screens on Fubo
Both Fubo plans include 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and let you watch 10 screens on your home network, plus 2 more on the go.
Watch NHL Network on DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream is the closest a streaming service gets to satellite TV. There are 4 plans to choose from, but only the top 2 tiers – Ultimate and Premier – include NHL Network.
You get the Big 4 TV networks, PBS and The CW (in select markets), as well as local affiliates for Spanish-language networks Telemundo and UniMás. More importantly for sports fans, both upper-tier plans include regional sports networks (RSNs) you won’t find anywhere else, such as Bally Sports, YES Network and MASN.
DirecTV Stream has 2 plans with NHL Network
The Ultimate plan has 140+ channels and an ad-free library with over 55,000 on-demand titles.
The Premier plan – the most expensive streaming option on the market today – has 150+ channels, more than 65,000 on-demand titles, and Max, Showtime, Starz and Cinemax.
Cloud DVR and multiple screens on DirecTV Stream
All DirecTV Stream plans – even the lower tiers – come with unlimited cloud DVR and allow you to stream to 20 screens at home, plus 3 more devices on the go.
Douglas Wright • Author
Douglas Wright is a freelance writer based in Japan. A former web designer and technical writer, he left beautiful Vancouver for bustling Tokyo, where he spent a decade recruiting for software and high-tech firms. No longer commuting through the world’s busiest train station, he writes fiction and a wide range of formats for clients around the world. When he gets AFK, he’s either outdoors with his two boys, streaming a show with his wife, or reading a book over a French-pressed, hand-ground coffee.
Lisa Holden • Editor
Lisa Holden is an editor and creative based in Houston, TX. Lisa holds a BA in African-American Studies from Temple University and has spent her career working in news publications and magazines, even founding a magazine herself. When she’s not editing or working on one of her many creative endeavors (whenever that is), she enjoys traveling to new places and biking on sunny days.