NHL Kickoff: How to Watch Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

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NHL is finally back! Now that the 2023-24 season schedule is out, hockey fans can start snagging travel deals and clearing their schedules to support their favorite teams in-person or from the comfort of their home. This year, NHL kickoff is happening Tuesday (Oct. 10) with a tripleheader — meaning you get three times the games.

Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning will kick the season off as the opener. You can score tickets to the game at the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida through Ticketmaster, StubHub, VivdSeats or Seat Geek. Prices start at around $41 a ticket. Click here to see the full season schedule.

Before the game starts, make sure to refresh your NHL merch including jerseys through the official NHL Shop or Fanatics, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Amazon.

Can’t make it to the game in-person? Check below to see the streaming options for livestreaming NHL games without cable.

How to Stream NHL Kickoff: Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning opening game begins at 5:30 p.m. ET. If you have cable, you can tune into the game on ESPN — just check your channel guide through your cable provider to see what channel ESPN is on.

Don’t have cable? You can still catch the puck drop through ESPN+. The streamer doesn’t have a free trial, but there are a few promos you can take advantage of that’ll save you money. If you’re interested in just ESPN+, the streamer is $9.99/month or you can save over 15% through the ESPN+ annual plan ($99.99/year). For even more savings, you can save 40% off by bundling with Hulu and Disney+ ($12.99/month), which will also expand your library of offerings.

Besides the opening Predators vs. Lightning game, you’ll also have access to other upcoming games including the other tripleheader matches including Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken vs. Vegas Golden Knights. Other sports coverage you can catch include MLB, NFL, UFC, soccer, golf and more.

How to Watch NHL Games for Free Without Cable

Looking to watch games for free? To stream all NHL games online, you’ll need a live streaming TV service that gives you access to ESPN. To help you score a free trial or promo, we rounded up a few options below.

1. Watch Hockey on fuboTV

FuboTV is offering a 7-day free trial that you can use to livestream NHL games. The platform gives you all the major cable network channels in addition to ESPN. Plans start at $75/month after the free trial ends, and includes more than 100 other channels for sports, news and entertainment. There is also 500+ Cloud DVR Plus, which will allow viewers to record any games or shows to re-watch later.

2. Watch Hockey on DirecTV Stream

Through DirecTV Stream, you can take advantage of it’s current promo offering $10 off each package for the first three months. Through eligible packages, you’ll get free Max, Starz and Showtime as well as ESPN to stream NHL games wherever. Packages currently start at $65/month (reg. $75/month). Click here or below to learn more.

3. Watch Hockey on Hulu + Live TV

Hulu + Live TV is another great option to watch NHL games online as it currently has a 29% off promo for the first three months. Viewers can watch NHL games live, use the DVR function to record games to watch later and have access to the entire Hulu library all for $50 for the first three months (reg. $70).

4. Watch Hockey on SlingTV

Through SlingTV you can get access to live NHL hockey games as well as over 30 live TV channels through its various plans. Right now, the live TV streamer is offering 50% off all its plans for the first month. When you sign up you’ll also get 50 hours of free DVR storage to record games to watch later.