Getty Team USA defenseman Christian Wolanin.
Team USA and the Italian national hockey team will meet on Tuesday in each squad’s final group-play test of the IIHF World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
In the US, the game (9:15 a.m. ET start time) will be televised on NHL Network. But if you don’t have cable or don’t have that channel, here are some ways you can watch a live stream of USA vs Italy online for free:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
AT&T TV
AT&T TV has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” NHL Network is only 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 AT&T TV, you can watch USA vs Italy live on the AT&T TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the AT&T TV website.
If you can’t watch live, AT&T TV also comes with 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to unlimited hours).
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NHL Network and 130-plus other 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 seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch USA vs Italy live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch the game on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV 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 TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” plus “Sports Extra” bundle or “Sling Blue” plus “Sports Extra” bundle. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest streaming service with NHL Network, and you can get $25 off your first month:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch USA vs Italy 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, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. Or you can watch the game on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 50 hours of cloud DVR.
USA vs Italy Preview
Team USA bested Germany 2-0 on Monday behind Cal Petersen’s second shutout of the tournament to clinch a spot in the eight-team playoff round.
“That’s a really good hockey team, full credit to them,” head coach Jack Capuano said, according to the official USA Hockey website. “Our guys made sacrifices, stuck to the structure and found a way to win. I’m really impressed with how we’ve come together so far and now we’ve got one more game here to finish our group play on a positive before getting ready for the quarterfinal.”
The Americans took the lead with about a minute left in the second period, when Jason Robertson pushed home a rebound off a wrist shot from fellow forward Conor Garland.
Colin Blackwell, another forward, added an empty-netter late in the third.
“It was a fast game,” Robertson said, according to the official IIHF website. “A lot of credit to Germany. We got away from our structure in the offensive zone, but they played really fast. We could have changed more, sustained more pressure. We got away from that a little bit. Our power play came up big and we got good goaltending from Cal. We got the job done.”
Petersen’s been arguably the tournament’s most dominant netminder. With 33 saves on Monday, he improved his save percentage to a worlds-best 95.96 and his goals-against average to a second-best 1.01 (in both cases, among goalies who’ve played at least 40 percent of their team’s minutes). No other goaltender’s posted multiple shutouts.
“They’re a team that moves the puck really well, and they get guys in front of the net,” Petersen said of Germany, per the IIHF site. “I knew they wanted to clog up the middle, get a lot of screens and rebounds. The team did really well to box guys out, so I saw a lot of shots, which is great. It was a group effort, shutting them down and getting the win.”
With one Group B test left, the Americans have won five and dropped one, a 2-1 defeat to Finland, all in regulation. Both Team USA and Finland have 15 points, so the Americans will need a better result against Italy than the Finns earn against Canada — that game starts an hour earlier — to secure the group’s top spot and a matchup with Group A’s fourth-place finishers, as Finland holds the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Italians have little to play for outside of pride. The tournament’s only team without a victory, they’ve been outscored by 28 in their six regulation defeats.