Getty St. Louis Blues players practice ahead of the Winter Classic in Minneapolis on Dec. 31.
Neither the Minnesota Wild (19-9-2) nor the St. Louis Blues (18-9-5) will call the Winter Classic “just another game” on New Year’s Day.
The game (7 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on TNT. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of the Blues vs Wild online:
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Sling TV
TNT is included in Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with TNT, and you can get your first month for just $10:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the Blues vs Wild live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” TNT is included in every one, but you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free 14-day trial.
Note that the free trial isn’t advertised as such, but your “due today” amount will be $0 when signing up. If you watch on your computer, phone or tablet, you won’t be charged for 14 days. If you watch on a streaming device on your TV (Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, etc.), you will be charged for the first month, but you can get still get a full refund if you cancel before 14 days:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Blues vs Wild live on the DirecTV Stream app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the DirecTV Stream website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials (may still be listed as AT&T on the list of cable providers) to log in and watch.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of TNT and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which now also includes both ESPN+ and Disney+ as part of their special bundle:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the Blues vs Wild live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, PlayStation 4 or 5, Nintendo Switch, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
You can also watch live via ESPN.com or the ESPN app. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but if you don’t have that, you can use your Hulu credentials to log in and watch.
NHL Winter Classic 2022 Preview
Minnesota and St. Louis commence the 2022 portion of the season in epic fashion — an outdoor game with -22 degree wind chill at Target Field in Minneapolis.
“Maybe there are some coaches that say it’s just another game; it’s not just another game,” Wild head coach Dean Evason said per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. “This is not another game. It’s different but we still have to play the same. We still have to play how the Minnesota Wild play. But use that excitement to generate energy. Use that excitement to have fun.”
Blues head coach Craig Berube concurs, especially with the chance to play in frigid temperatures.
“The cold weather is awesome,” Berube said per Rosen. “Just to have an outdoor game in this kind of weather is going to be special, it really is. I know it’s cold, but it’s just something different. But I think once you drop that puck it’s all going to go away and you go play.”
Minnesota will put its “State of Hockey” brand on display with the annual outdoor game, which hearkens back to hockey’s roots in the state. From youth to the pros, Minnesota more than 54,000 play hockey in the state according to USA Hockey via The Hockey Writers. Minnesota produces the most NHL players out of any state in the nation, 52, according to quanthockey.com.
Saturday’s game will also eclipse the coldest outdoor game in NHL history at -3 degrees for the day’s high and the -22 wind chill. The Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens faced off in zero-degree weather for 2003 Heritage Classic in 2003.
The Blues and Wild will actually play on heated ice according to NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika.
It will be so cold at the Winter Classic that the NHL will have to heat the ice. Yes, the ice. That’s just part of the extensive preparations for the weather to help fans, workers and players. t.co/qF3uYhu9Kb via @NHLdotcom
Beyond the fanfare and frigid temps, the Wild and Blues will vie for first place in the Central Division. The Blues lead the Division with 41 points while the Wild trail right behind at 40 in a tie with the Nashville Predators (19-11-2).
“We want to win,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said according to the Star Tribune’s Sarah McLellan. “We understand it’s going to be cold, and we understand it’s going be crazy, the atmosphere, that sort of thing. But at the end of the day, the ice surface is the same dimensions. Things are the same out there.”
The Wild also need to reheat things after a four-game losing streak before the COVID protocol postponement mania put the NHL on ice for more than a week. Minnesota last played Dec. 20.
St. Louis got back in action on Dec. 29 when the NHL resumed with a 4-2 win over Edmonton.