In the ever-evolving realm of television broadcast rights and streaming, it has gotten progressively difficult to find where to watch the New Jersey Devils game on any given night. This piece will help ensure you have everything you need to watch every game in this upcoming season.

Please note, the below only applies to those who live in the United States.

Local Broadcasts vs National Broadcasts

In the United States, the NHL has come to agreements with both The Walt Disney Company (owner of ABC and ESPN) and Warner Brothers Discovery Sports (owner of TNT) to nationally broadcast NHL regular season games and playoff games, with the two companies alternating rights to the Stanley Cup Final each year.

This agreement was announced in 2021 following the end of the contract with NBC Sports, the previous rights holder. The current agreement goes through the end of the 2027-28 NHL season. Because these networks have the rights to nationally broadcast games, often when these networks do air a game, it will be blacked out on the local networks (with some exceptions).

For games not covered by the likes of ABC, ESPN, or TNT, the local area broadcasters fill in to cover the game in their market. For the New Jersey Devils, that has been a task for MSG Networks. Games broadcast by MSG Networks are only conventionally aired to customers in the region of the team. For New Jersey, that would be New York City and the surrounding areas.

Traditionally, this would require a subscription with a local cable TV or satellite provider, but in recent years has expanded to live streaming TV packages, and starting this year a direct to consumer package from MSG Networks itself called MSG+ (more on that later).

Because of this regional broadcast setup, there are different approaches to being able to watch every game based on where you live (yes, you can technically try and cheat the system by using a VPN, but remember, this article is about the legal methods so I won’t go into any of that here). So scroll down below to the section that applies to you and let’s get started!

Please note, these are subject to change and are as of the time of this writing.

Instructions For Those Who Live In The NYC Metropolitan Area:

If you live close enough to where you can drive to a New Jersey Devils home game on any given night, this section is likely for you!

Here is what you need to be able to watch every game this season:

1. A cable, satellite, or streaming TV subscription that has all of the following channels:
   • MSG Networks (MSG, MSGSN, MSGSN 2)
     • Also available directly from MSG Networks via an MSG+ subscription.
   • ABC
     • May also be available with an over the air HD antenna, depending on your signal strength to WABC-TV (channel 7) in NYC.
   • ESPN
   • TNT
2. A streaming subscription to ESPN+ or Hulu
   • You will also need a smart devices to access these services, including but not limited to:
     • A smartphone or tablet
     • A computer or laptop
     • A smart TV or a smart TV set top box like Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox, PlayStation, Roku, etc.

Once you have each of these things, you are set to watch every New Jersey Devils game this year, below is the breakdown of how many games will be on each network:

Channel	Number of Games
MSG	9
MSGSN	50
MSGSN 2	10
ABC or ESPN+	2
ESPN	2
TNT	5
ESPN+ or Hulu	4

Instructions for those who Do Not Live In The NYC Metropolitan Area:

If you are closer to another NHL team and would need to fly to or make a trip out of coming to a New Jersey Devils home game, this section is likely for you!

Here is what you will need to watch every game this season:

1. A cable, satellite, or streaming TV subscription that has all of the following channels:
   • Your local ABC station
   • ESPN
   • TNT
   • Your local NHL team’s broadcast network
     • This could be Bally Sports, Altitude, NESN, NBC Sports, etc.
   • NHL Network
2. A streaming subscription to ESPN+
   • You will also need a smart devices to access this service, including but not limited to:
     • A smartphone or tablet
     • A computer or laptop
     • A smart TV or a smart TV set top box like Apple TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Xbox, PlayStation, Roku, etc.

Once you have each of these things, you are set to watch every New Jersey Devils game this year, below is the breakdown of how many games will be on each network:

Channel	Number of Games
NHL Power Play via ESPN+	62-66*
Your local NHL team’s network	0-4*
ABC or ESPN+	2
ESPN	2
TNT	8
ESPN+ or Hulu	4
NHL Network	TBD*

Playoffs?

Welcome to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! Here, every game is nationally televised on ABC, ESPN, or TNT. Regardless of where you live, you will be catch the game on one of these networks. However, in Round 1, the local broadcast teams do still air their own coverage so fans can have their local team announcers call the game.

See the table below for how to watch each game depending on the round:

Round	How to Watch
First Round	If the game is airing nationally on ABC, then ABC or ESPN+ only. Otherwise, if the game is airing nationally on TNT, TBS, or ESPN, then you will have your choice of the national or local broadcast (if available in your region).
Second and Third Round	ABC, ESPN, TNT, or TBS only. During these rounds, only the national feed is available. The local networks may offer pre and post game coverage on their network with their crew.
Stanley Cup Final	In 2022, 2024, 2026, or 2028, you will need to watch on ABC or ESPN+. In 2023, 2025, or 2027, you will need to watch on TNT, TBS, or TruTV. The local networks may offer pre and post game coverage on their network with their crew.

Wrap Up

Hopefully, this helps clear some of the confusion around watching NHL games in 2023. With how exciting the Devils appear to be this year, we wanted to try and help you all out. Stay tuned to the Devils Army Network as we will share broadcast information on our social media pages the morning of each game.