2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule and Finals
The Stanley Cup playoffs are an annual elimination tournament in the National Hockey League. By default, the NHL champion is the Stanley Cup winner.
The 2024 NHL playoffs began on April after the end of the regular season. Based on regular season points totals, eight teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs. Typically, the Stanley Cup Finals are contested by the two conference champions.
When do NHL playoffs start 2024?
NHL Playoff dates are yet to be announced. However, the NHL regular season will end on April 18, 2024, and the Stanley Cup playoffs will take place shortly afterward. This will end with the Stanley Cup Finals in June 2024.
Stanley Cup Playoffs TV schedule 2024
The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule has not been released yet.
When does the 2024 Stanley Cup finals start?
The NHL Stanley Cup Finals are scheduled for June of 2024.
Stanley Cup Finals Schedule 2024
The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals schedule has not been released yet.
What channel is the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs?
You can watch the 2024 Stanley Cup playoff games on at least four TV channels in the USA, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, TBS, and TNT. These include three cable channels and a major network. But here’s the thing: if you only have cable TV, you won’t be able to watch all the games. So, you might have to find other ways to watch them.
Even if you do have cable TV, you should check if your provider offers the right channel to watch the games. On the other hand, if you don’t have any cable service, you can watch the Stanley Cup games online.
If you’re a hockey fan in Canada, you have different ways to watch the 2024 NHL Playoffs. You can watch the games on TV or through streaming. For regular TV, you can tune in to CBC, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports. They will show the games live on their channels.
In addition to that, you may also watch NHL Playoffs on TSN. TSN is a popular sports network in Canada that usually shows some NHL playoff games on its channels. They have different channels like TSN1, TSN2, TSN3, TSN4, and TSN5, where you can catch these games.
How to watch NHL playoffs live stream online without cable?
To watch NHL playoffs 2024 live stream online without cable, you have several options. Depending on your location, you may choose the suitable options according to your requirements. Let’s see the options in the USA and Canada, where most hockey fans are located.
NHL Playoffs 2024 Live Stream: How to Watch Games in the US?
ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, TNT, and TBS are the broadcasting partners of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the USA. While these channels are available on cable TV, you can also enjoy them as online TV streaming services. If you don’t have cable TV, you can watch online through computer and mobile devices. The following are the most popular streaming services to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals in the USA.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu has its fan base as they have a vast collection of Original TV series. Hulu also offers live TV to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs streaming for $69.99/month, which also includes Hulu’s on-demand library. This will give you access to 60+ live TV channels.
To us, Hulu is the first choice to watch NHL playoffs online as they offer ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT.
DIRECTV
DirecTV Stream, which used to be called AT&T TV, offers NHL games through different packages that cost between $64.99 and $154.99 per month. You can pick the plan that fits your budget and what you like. With these packages, you’ll get access to NHL Playoffs and Finals games on channels like ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NHL Network.
FuboTV
It is a sports-centric streaming service that telecasts different sports, including NHL. It will cost only $69.99 monthly without bindings and contracts. However, fuboTV will not get you access to all the playoff channels. fuboTV offers ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 for NHL.
Sling TV
If we consider the most cost-effective plans to watch NHL Playoffs, Sling is the best choice. The regular price is $35/month, while it will cost $45/month with the Sports Extra add-on. You can access the NHL Network through the Sports Extra add-on, which will also give you NBA TV, MLB Network, Golf Channel, Tennis Channel, and more.
Vidgo
They have different packages ranging from $69.99 to $99.99/mo. Vidgo offers ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 for the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs 2024 live streaming online. In addition to that, they offer 150+ live TV channels for sports, news, entertainment, and local programming.
ESPN+
You can watch live hockey games for $9.99 each month with the ESPN+ subscription. You can use the ESPN+ app, their website, or even your TV if it’s connected to the internet.
If you want to save some money, there’s another option: ESPN+ Annual Plan. It costs $69.99 for the entire year. This option is 15% cheaper than paying for each month separately.
NHL.tv
The NHL has its own online streaming service called NHL.tv. With it, you can watch live games and also watch NHL games whenever you want. But be aware that sometimes there are blackout restrictions for local games, which means you might not be able to watch them on NHL.tv.
YouTube TV
You will get all the available channels, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT, to watch NHL games. YouTube TV costs $72.99/month flat rate.
Stanley Cup Playoffs 2024 Live Stream: How to Watch the NHL Playoffs in Canada?
If you’re in Canada and want to watch NHL playoff games online without using cable TV, you have a few choices:
Sportsnet
Sportsnet is the official NHL playoffs broadcaster in Canada. You can watch the games live on the Sportsnet website or through the Sportsnet app. To do this, you’ll need to subscribe to Sportsnet or log in with your cable or satellite TV provider details.
CBC
CBC also shows NHL playoff games in Canada. You can watch them live on the CBC website or the CBC Gem app.
TVA Sports
TVA Sports is another option that broadcasts NHL playoff games in Canada. You can stream the games live on the TVA Sports website or through their app. Like Sportsnet, you’ll have to sign in with your cable or satellite TV provider information to access the live stream.
Can I Watch NHL Playoff Games on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast?
Yes, you can watch NHL Stanley Cup playoffs games on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast. All the TV streaming services, like Hulu, FuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, etc., are accessible on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast. You can stream via a computer (Windows or Mac), a Smart TV, or a mobile phone.
Can I Watch the NHL Playoffs Live Stream for Free?
Unfortunately, you can’t watch the entire NHL Playoffs season for free. Most of the playoff games are shown on ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, and TNT, so you’ll need a TV provider subscription to access those channels.
In 2024, some playoff games will be on ABC, and you can watch them for free through your local ABC network. But to do this, you’ll need to buy a digital antenna, which is a one-time purchase.
How do Stanley Cup Playoffs work?
At the end of the regular season, the top three teams from each division (six from each conference) qualify for the playoffs based on points earned during the season. Further, four more teams join through the wild card. So, a total of 16 teams play in the Stanley Cup Playoff.
The wild card teams are the two teams in each conference that didn’t make it into the top three but still have the most points. It doesn’t matter which division they are in, so sometimes one division can have five teams in the playoffs, while the other division in the same conference has only three.
These 16 teams are then split into two groups or brackets based on their rank and which division they belong to.
There are three rounds they have to go through: the First Round, the Second Round, and Conference Finals. After that, the winner from the Eastern Conference will face the winner from the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Please note that, in the NHL Playoffs, teams compete in a series of games, and the series continues until one team wins four out of seven games. So, it’s like a “best of seven” competition.
How Many Teams Make the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Sixteen teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the top three teams from each conference, and four more teams join as wild cards.
How Many Games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Stanley Cup playoffs consist of a best-of-seven series in each round. This means that each series can have up to seven games, with the first team to win four games advancing to the next round.
The number of games played in the playoffs can vary depending on how many games are needed to determine a winner in each series. But, in total, there can be 98 games in playoffs and seven in the Stanley Cup Finals.
How Many Rounds in Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Stanley Cup playoffs have four rounds of games, and each round is a best-of-seven series. The way the games are scheduled is like this: The team with home-ice advantage hosts the first two games, the fifth game, and, if needed, the seventh game. The other team hosts the third, fourth, and, if necessary, the sixth game. So, it’s organized as 2-2-1-1-1.