Team USA and Slovakia meet World Junior hockey tournament action on Sunday, Dec. 26, in Edmonton.
In the United States, every 2022 World Juniors game will be televised on NHL Network. But if you don’t have cable, here are some different ways you can watch a live stream of USA vs Slovakia (9:30 p.m. ET start time) and every other game of the tournament online:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NHL Network and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV. You’ll need the main channel package and the “Sports Plus” add-on, both of which can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch every 2022 World Juniors game live on the FuboTV 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), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV also comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most games on-demand within three days of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of NHL Network and 45-plus other live TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange + Sports Extra” bundle or “Sling Blue + Sports Extra” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with NHL Network, and you can get your first month for just $21:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch every 2022 World Juniors game 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.
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 Sling credentials to log in and watch.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” NHL Network is included in “Ultimate” and “Premier,” 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 every 2022 World Juniors game 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).
USA vs Slovakia Preview
The U.S. won gold in 2020 against Canada and will look to get off to a strong start in the World Juniors against Slovakia.
“It’s obviously special and I’m super excited,” USA defenseman Brock Faber said on Dec. 21 per Jess Meyers of the Brainerd Dispatch. “Being able to throw on the USA jersey, you can’t really describe what it feels like playing against those other countries and playing for this country. I’m excited to get to work up there.”
Faber, who plays for the University of Minnesota, looks forward to playing in front of fans this year, which wasn’t the case in 2020 due to COVID protocols, Myers wrote.
Notably, the U.S. has a 14-4-1 record all-time against Slovakia in World Juniors. The U.S. beat Slovakia 5-2 in the 2020 quarterfinals.
This year’s U.S. team needs to bounce back from an exhibition loss before the tournament — a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland.
Team USA has a strong lineup again with NHL Draft picks such as Matty Beniers, picked No. 2 by the Seattle Kraken this year. Beniers and Brett Berard scored goals in the exhibition loss.
Slovakia has some NHL talent, too, with Samuel Knazko, a 2020 draft pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets. North Dakota standout Jake Sanderson, the team captain, went at No. 5 in the first round of the 2020 draft to the Ottawa Senators.
For U.S. forward Matthew Knies, facing Slovakia has some family ties to it according to USAHockey.com. Knies’ parents, Miroslav and Michaela, grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia.
“The strength of this team is its leadership and we have a group of guys that have earned the letter on their jersey both on and off the ice,” USA head coach Nate Leaman said according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. “There are even more leaders in our locker room. We’re excited about this group overall, and for us to be successful, every player will need to find a way to lead.”
Winning medals has been the expectation for years with the U.S., which won medals five times in the past six years.
Slovakia has only one medal win since 2000, a bronze medal win in 2015.
After Slovakia, the U.S. will play Switzerland on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 4:30 p.m. EST followed by Sweden on Wednesday, Dec. 29, at 9:30 p.m. EST. The U.S. closes out pool play with Russia on New Year’s Eve at 9:30 p.m. EST. If the U.S. advances, the team will play in the elimination rounds, which run from Jan. 2 to Jan. 5.