The 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this Saturday. The brackets for both conferences are set, and this year, the playoffs will showcase slightly smaller markets (New York, Boston and Chicago are out already). The Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes make up the Eastern Conference. The St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings make up the Western. The Stanley Cup Playoffs will air across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and truTV. Are you ready to tune in? Here’s how to watch the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
How to watch the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Start date: Saturday, April 19
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Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, truTV
Streaming: Max, DirecTV, Fubo
When do the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs start?
The NHL playoff action tips off this Saturday, April 19, with the St. Louis Blues vs. Winnipeg (6 p.m. on TNT/TruTV and streaming on Max) followed by the Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV and streaming on Max).
What channel are the Stanley Cup playoffs on?
The Stanley Cup playoffs will air across ESPN, ESPN2, TNT and truTV. You can stream the TNT/truTV games on Max (with a premium subscription) and watch all the games with the help of a live TV streaming service like DirecTV, Fubo or Sling.
How to watch the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs without cable:
DIRECTV’s MySports pack is a curated live TV package geared toward sports fans, with access to ESPN’s suite of channels, TBS, TNT, USA, FS1 and an included subscription to ESPN+ for $69.99/month.
The MySports pack guarantees access to thousands of live televised events, plus all the live-streaming and library content on ESPN+, all on one interface and one bill. You can try it for free for five days before committing.
Max, aka “the one to watch,” has select live sports available through its Bleacher Report Sports add-on, which is included free of charge for ad-free Max subscribers. That means you can catch today’s NHL game airing on TNT/TruTV streaming live on Max.
On top of select sports from TBS, TNT and TruTV, Max has buzzy shows including The White Lotus, The Last of Us, House of the Dragon, Dune: Prophecy and more.
Ad-supported Max starts at $10/month. The Standard Plan (which includes B/R Sports free of charge) costs $17/month.