Why You Can Trust CNET NHL Playoffs 2024: How to Watch Oilers vs. Canucks Game 7 Tonight on ESPN
The quest for Lord Stanley's Cup continues this week, and you don't need cable to watch.
The NHL playoffs are rolling along and three of the four conference finals teams are set. In the Eastern Conference, we will have the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers, while the Western Conference will have the Dallas Stars play the winner of tonight's Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers.
After the first five games were decided by one goal, the Oilers dominated en route to a 5-1 victory on Saturday at home to force tonight's decisive contest in Vancouver. With the Panthers and Rangers set to begin their best-of-seven matchup on Wednesday, the winner of this game will take on the Stars starting on Thursday.
Puck drop for Game 7 is called for 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) on ESPN. Later this week the Eastern Conference Finals will air on ESPN and ABC, while the Western Conference Finals will air on TNT.
Here's everything you need to know to watch tonight's game and the rest of the NHL playoffs, with or without cable.
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers will need to win tonight against the Vancouver Canucks to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive.
How to watch the NHL playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs are shown on ABC, ESPN 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) offer the five channels needed to watch every NHL playoff game. You can also stream the TNT games with Max and the ESPN/ABC conference final games with ESPN Plus.
The Stanley Cup Finals will air on ABC.
What is the NHL playoff schedule?
Here's the schedule for tonight and through the rest of the week (all times ET):
Monday, May 20
- Game 7: Oilers vs. Canucks, 9 p.m. on ESPN (Series tied 3-3)
Wednesday, May 22
- Game 1: Panthers vs. Rangers, 8 p.m. on ESPN
Thursday, May 23
- Game 1: Winner of Oilers/Canucks vs. Stars, 8:30 p.m. on TNT
Friday, May 24
- Game 2: Panthers vs. Rangers, 8 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday, May 25
- Game 2: Winner of Oilers/Canucks vs. Stars, 8 p.m. on TNT
Sunday, May 26
- Game 3: Rangers vs. Panthers, 3 p.m. on ABC
Monday, May 27
- Game 3: Stars vs. Winner of Oilers/Canucks, TBD on TNT
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 TNT. With just Max, 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.
ESPN Plus runs $11 per month and will have the Eastern Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final games that air on either ESPN or ABC.
You will not get the games that air on TNT or stream on Max, however.
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.