Getty Dylan Grambell will look for another solid performance against Anaheim on Thursday.
The San Jose Sharks (1-2) will look for another performance that assistant coach John Madden will be happy with against the Anaheim Ducks (1-0) on Thursday.
In the United States, the game (10 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on Bally Sports SoCal (in local markets), and it will also stream live on ESPN+ for all out-of-market US viewers.
Here’s a complete rundown of all the different ways you can watch a live stream of the Sharks vs Ducks online:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
If the Game is in Your Market
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” Bally Sports SoCal (live in local markets) is included in “Choice” and up, 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 Sharks vs Ducks 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.
If you can’t watch live, DirecTV Stream also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours).
If the Game is Out of Your Market
ESPN+
If you live in the United States but aren’t in the Sharks or Ducks markets, you can watch the game live on ESPN+:
ESPN+ has replaced NHL.TV this year, meaning it will have every out-of-market NHL game during the regular season (and some during the preseason). It also includes at least one exclusive (available in all markets, not televised anywhere else) NHL game per week, as well as other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) all for $6.99 per month.
Or, if you also want Disney+ and Hulu, you can get all three for $13.99 per month. Separately, the three streaming services would cost a total $20.97 per month, so you’re saving about 33 percent:
Get the ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu Bundle
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch the Sharks vs Ducks live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch on your computer via ESPN.com.
Sharks vs Ducks Preview
San Jose will see Anaheim for the second time in less than a week after opening the preseason as split squads against the Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
One Sharks squad beat the Golden Knights 4-2 while the other San Jose crew fell to the Ducks 6-3. Madden told the Mercury News that he liked what he saw from younger players in that game.
“Overall, we saw a lot of things that we worked on all week and in practice,” Madden said according to the Mercury News’ Curtis Pashelka. “We saw some bright spots from some of our young guys, so we’re pretty happy. I know we lost but at the same time, we saw a lot of good things.”
Key younger players in action from that game included Dylan Gambrell, who could vie for the Sharks’ fourth line center spot according to Pashelka. Backup goalies Alexei Melnichuk and Zach Sawchenko saw time in the first meeting against the Ducks. Both could land on the Sharks’ taxi goalie squad, in the NHL implements one this season, Pashelka reported.
Anaheim will continue evaluating its 56 players at training camp with the second round against the Sharks. The Ducks, which were the lowest-scoring team in the NHL last season, peppered the younger Sharks players with six goals from six different players.
Alexander Volkov, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Greg Pateryn, Kodie Curran, Sonny Milano, and Troy Terry all found the net for Anaheim. The Ducks also got a combined 24 saves from rookie backup goalies Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson-Ek.
For Anaheim, the second Sharks clash falls at the tail end of back-to-back home games and the middle of a three-game stretch in four days. The Ducks started the back-to-back nights with the Arizona Cyotes on Wednesday.