Why You Can Trust CNET NHL Playoffs 2024: How to Watch Without Cable, Schedule, Matchups, TV Times
The quest for Lord Stanley's Cup continues tonight with four more first-round games, starting with Game 5 between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
It's the greatest time of year for hockey fans. The animosity that develops between two teams over a seven-game series. The intensity of sudden-death overtime. Playoff beards. The ability of a hot goaltender to lead an underdog team on a deep playoff run. And the Holy Grail that is the Stanley Cup trophy itself. The NHL playoffs have begun and are sure to be filled with drama between now and the NHL finals in June.
Like the NBA playoffs, games in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs will be split between the Turner (TNT and TBS) and Disney networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2). Here's everything you need to know to catch all the action on ice, with or without cable.
Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.
How to watch the NHL playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs are shown on ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, TBS and TNT. You can watch the games with a cable subscription or a live TV streaming service. Four of the five major services (all but Fubo, which lacks TNT and TBS) offer the five channels needed to watch every NHL playoff game. You can also watch the TNT and TBS games with Max.
In some markets, fans who live in the same area as their favorite team can also watch its games on a regional sports network, or RSN. Bruins fans in the Boston area, for example, can watch Bruins games on NESN. Other examples include Rangers fans in the New York area being able to watch Rangers games on MSG, and Oilers fans in Edmonton watching the Oilers on Bally Sports West.
What is the NHL playoff schedule?
Here's the schedule for tonight and the next few days of the Stanley Cup playoffs (all times ET).
Tuesday, April 30
- Game 5: Maple Leafs vs. Bruins, 7 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 5: Islanders vs. Hurricanes, 7:30 p.m. on TBS
- Game 5: Avalanche vs. Jets, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 5: Predators vs. Canucks, 10 p.m. on TBS
Wednesday, May 1
- Game 5: Golden Knights vs. Stars, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 5: Kings vs. Oilers, 10 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, May 2
- Game 6*: Jets vs. Avalanche, TBD
- Game 6*: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs, TBD
- Game 6*: Hurricanes vs. Islanders, TBD
Friday, May 3
- Game 6: Stars vs. Golden Knights, TBD
- Game 6*: Canucks vs. Predators, TBD
- Game 6*: Oilers vs. Kings, TBD
*If necessary.
What are the playoff matchups for the first round?
The top three teams in each of the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions in the Eastern conference, and the top three teams in each of the West's Central and Pacific divisions qualified for the playoffs. Two wild card teams from each conference then rounded out the field of 16 for the 2024 NHL Playoffs.
Here are the matchups and the status of each series as of Tuesday.
Eastern Conference
- (A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning (Panther won series 4-1)
- (A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs (Bruins lead series 3-1)
- (M1) New York Rangers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals (Rangers won series 4-0)
- (M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (M3) New York Islanders (Canes leads series 3-1)
Western Conference
- (C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC2) Vegas Golden Knights (series tied 2-2)
- (C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche (Avalanche lead series 3-1)
- (P1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators (Canucks lead series 3-1)
- (P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings (Oilers lead series 3-1)
Sling TV's $40-per-month Orange plan includes TBS, TNT, ESPN and ESPN 2, but you'll need the combined Orange-and-Blue plan for $55 a month to get both ESPN and ABC for the rest of the playoffs. You'll also need to live in one of the few markets where Sling offers ABC.
YouTube TV costs $73 per month and includes all the channels you'll need for the NHL playoffs. Plug in your ZIP code on its welcome page to confirm which local networks are available in your area.
Hulu with Live TV costs $77 per month and includes all the channels you'll need for the playoffs. Click the "View channels in your area" link on its welcome page to confirm which local channels are offered in your ZIP code.
DirecTV Stream's basic $80-per-month plan includes all the channels you'll need. You can use its channel lookup tool to confirm that ABC is available where you live.
The ad-supported plan for Max costs $10 per month and will show the games that air on TBS and TNT. With just Max, however, you'll miss games on ESPN and ABC.
Live sports on Max will soon require the $10-per-month B/R Sports add-on, but you won't need to shell out for it just yet. Warner Bros. Discovery is delaying charging customers for the add-on for now and includes it in the standard subscription.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.