How to Watch NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2019 Online Without Cable: Watch Your Favorites
The Stanley Cup is definitely one of the most important ice hockey events, but so are the playoff games leading to it. So, if you're just as excited we are to watch NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs online, we know just where you can watch.
Also known as the NHL playoffs, the games are played between eight teams from each of the two conferences. They qualify for the playoffs based on the regular season points totals, so the top ones get to compete.
The games take about two months before the Stanley Cup is held sometime between late May and early June. The Stanley Cup is held between the champions of each conference.
In the playoff series format that's been active since 2014, the games are played in four rounds of best-of-seven. Each series is played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, with the team with home-ice advantage hosting games one, two, five, and seven, while the opponents get the rest.
When Are the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The 2019 NHL Playoffs are to start after the regular season closes on April 6, 2019. The playoffs for the Stanley Cup will debut on April 10. Â That's still about two months to complete before the Stanley Cup finals kick in. The first rounds of the playoffs have already completed, but the Conference finals are scheduled between May 9th and 22nd for the Eastern Conference with Boston facing Carolina, and between May 11th and May 23rd for the Western Conference with St Louis facing San Jose.
Where to Watch?
The broadcasting rights for the NHL Playoffs are the same as the ones for the regular season. This means you'll be able to watch the games on NBC SN, NBC, CNBC, USA, and NHL Networks.
According to the agreement, NBCSN has the rights for one to three regular season games per week, the All-Star Game, the playoffs and the second and third game of the Stanley Cup Finals. The NBC has the rights for the Black Friday game, New Year's Day game, Sunday afternoon late-season games, plus weekend afternoons and Saturday night playoff games. Also, the first and the fourth through seventh Stanley Cup Finals games go on the same channel.
The NHL Network usually broadcasts the games held on Wednesdays, Fridays, and every once in a while, the Sunday Games. The CNBC and USA channels also broadcast the Stanley Cup Playoffs overflows.
How to Watch Stanley Cup Playoffs Without Cable?
In this day and age, it's easier than ever to watch TV online. Thankfully, there are quite a few platforms that allow for this to happen. Since we all watch movies and TV series online, read the news on the Internet, watch cat videos and whatever else we make viral over the Internet too, it's not surprising that regular cable is losing its shine. Plus, streaming services that provide access to live TV, allow you to watch the content anywhere you go, as long as you have a compatible device and an Internet connection. So, let's see where you can watch the NHL Playoffs online.
1. fuboTV
First on the list is fuboTV, which is a great platform for those who particularly love watching sports. There's only one bundle to pick here, called fubo, and it features loads of channels. If you want more, there are plenty of channel packs you can add, as well as several premium networks we're sure you'll love. You can find NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, and the USA Channel in the main bundle so there's no need to look further. You won't find the NHL Network, however.
If you want to make sure you can record any of the content streaming on the channels you love, fuboTV provides all subscribers with 30 hours of cloud DVR space. You can expand to 500 hours by paying $9.99 per month. What's more, users can watch content on two devices at once, although you can add a third screen by paying $5.99 per month. Read TechNadu's fuboTV review to get the full picture of what this service has to offer.
2. Sling TV
The next platform on our list is Sling TV, a service that allows users to customize the service to fit them like a globe. You start off by picking one of three bundles - Orange ($25/mo), Blue ($25/mo), and Orange + Blue ($40/mo). Then, you can add more channels by picking the bundle you're interested in, or any premium networks. It all boils down to what channels you need to have on your screen and how much you're willing to pay to get them.
On Sling TV, you'll find all of the channels you need to watch the NHL Playoffs. NBCSN, NBC, and USA Channel are found in the Blue and Orange + Blue bundles. The NHL Network is in the Sports Extra bundle, which costs $5 per month for Orange subscribers, and $10 per month for Blue and Orange + Blue subscribers. CNBC is also on the list of channels provided by Sling TV, but it's hidden in the News channel pack, which costs $5 per month.
Sling TV doesn't offer users any "free" cloud DVR feature, but you can buy some cloud DVR space for $5 per month. You'll then be able to record some 50 hours of shows, movies, and games. When it comes to multiscreen streaming, Sling TV goes on a weird path because Orange subscribers only have access to one device, while Blue subscribers get three screens, and Orange + Blue subscribers get four simultaneous streams. Read our Sling TV review for more details.
3. Hulu
Another great service is Hulu, a platform that's best known for video-on-demand. On top of that, however, the service also offers a live TV plan which costs $44.99 per month and includes access to dozens of channels and the full VOD library. You can customize the service a bit by adding extra channel packs, and premium networks.
The bundle of channels offered by Hulu includes access to NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, and USA. Unfortunately, the NHL Network isn't on the list.
Hulu subscribers can access to up 50 hours of cloud DVR space, but if that's not enough for you, you may go to 200 hours of space by paying $14.99 per month. Live TV subscribers can enjoy two simultaneous streams, but there's an option available for $14.99 per month that provides users with "unlimited screens". More specifically, the "unlimited" part is only active when you're on the home network, as you only get three simultaneous streams when you're out and about. Make sure to check out TechNadu's Hulu review for more details.
4. YouTube TV
Next up, we have YouTube TV from the Mountain View tech giant. The service only has one bundle to serve users with, but it has loads of great channels, so they're hoping you'll like them enough. The monthly subscription costs $49.99 and you can add some more to it by picking premium networks.
YouTube TV's list of channels includes NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, and the USA. The NHL Network is missing from the list, but you'll be able to watch most of the games anyway.
On YouTube TV, you can enjoy unlimited cloud DVR space, which is awesome, especially since the recordings expire after 9 months. Subscribers are also allowed to watch content on three screens at the same. We have a YouTube TV review that's full of details.
5. DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now is another option you can go for. In mid-March, DirecTV Now has suffered quite a few changes when it comes to its many bundles. The original five were scraped and in came two new ones - Plus ($50/mo) and Max ($70/mo). Then, the old ones were brought back with a new name - Entertainment ($93/mo), Choice ($110/mo), Xtra ($124/mo), Ultimate ($135/mo), and Optimo Mas ($86/mo) - and, as you can see, twice the price they used to have. If you want to customize the service, you'll need to add any of the two Spanish-language channel packs, three international packs, or premium networks.
You'll find that NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, and the USA, are all present in the new bundles - Plus and Max. CNBC is present in Entertainment, Choice, Xtra, and Ultimate, while NBC and NBCSN also show up in Optimo Mas, on top of the four ones we already mentioned. NHL Network is also present in the Xtra and Ultimate bundles.
DirecTV Now offers users the possibility to record up to 20 hours of video, and there's no possibility to expand the limit. Furthermore, the platform allows users to watch content on two simultaneous streams. A third one can be added by paying $5 per month. Read our DirecTV Now review for more details into what the service has to offer.
6. PlayStation Vue
Another service where you can enjoy the NHL Playoffs is PlayStation Vue. The live TV service comes with four bundles to pick from - Access ($44.99/mo), Core ($49.99/mo), Elite ($59.99/mo), and Ultra ($79.99/mo)., as well as several extra channel packs and a few premium networks.
NBCSN, as well as NBC, CNBC, and USAÂ Channel, are all present in all four PlayStation Vue bundles. NHL Network isn't on the list of channels from PlayStation Vue.
PlayStation Vue comes with one of the best cloud DVR features we've seen, offering enough space for 500 programs to be recorded. The service also allows users to watch content on five devices at the same time, which is a great offer. Plus, the Split Screen feature, which is unique to PlayStation Vue, allows users to watch three programs at once on the same screen. Make sure to read TechNadu's PlayStation Vue review to get all the details.
How to Watch NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Online from Anywhere?
While these live TV platforms will enable users to watch content on whatever device they want, in whatever place you may be in, they can't allow this to happen when that place is abroad. Due to licensing deals, the broadcasts are only permitted within the United States. So you need to Subscribe to a VPN to bypass this issue swiftly.
- The first thing you need to do is to make sure you have a VPN. We've reviewed dozens of these tools over the years and we still prefer ExpressVPN because it has some really great features. So visit ExpressVPN, subscribe to the service, download and install the app on your devices.
- Then, make sure to pick a US-based server and connect to it. The process should complete in a few seconds.
- Load any streaming service like fuboTV on your device or browser and log into your account.
- You should now be able to enjoy watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs wherever you may be!
The NHL Playoffs are when the games start getting even more exciting as you get near the Stanley Cup finals, so we get why you want to find the best platform to watch it all online.
Let us know what service you ended up picking to watch the NHL playoffs in the comments section below. Share the article online so your friends can find it too and follow TechNadu on Facebook and Twitter.