Getty Jonathan Toews looks to make a big comeback this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks look to get back to the playoffs this season after coming short last season.
In 2021-22, most Blackhawks games will be televised in local markets on NBC Sports Chicago, while some games will be nationally televised on NHL Network (usually out of market only, but those will also be on NBC Sports Chicago), TNT or ESPN.
Additionally, every out-of-market game (and some nationally broadcast games) will also stream on ESPN+, which replaces NHL.tv this season.
Whether you live in the Blackhawks market or somewhere else in the United States, here’s a full rundown of the different ways you can watch every Blackhawks game live online without cable in 2021-22:
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If You’re in the Blackhawks Market
Note: A couple Blackhawks games this season will stream exclusively on ESPN+ nationally with no blackout for in-market viewers. The following options are for how to watch all other in-market games:
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Chicago (local markets), ESPN, NHL Network and 100-plus other live TV channels (no TNT) on FuboTV. NBC Sports Chicago and ESPN are included in the “Starter” package, while NHL Network can be added with either the “Extra” or “Sports Plus” add-on.
The base channel package and any add-ons can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch Blackhawks games 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.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV) has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN and TNT are included in all of them, NBC Sports Chicago (local markets) are in “Choice” and up, and NHL Network is in “Ultimate” and up.
This is the only streaming service with all of NBC Sports Chicago, ESPN, TNT and NHL Network:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Blackhawks games 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).
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Chicago (local markets), ESPN, TNT and 65+ other TV channels (no NHL Network) via Hulu With Live TV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch Blackhawks games 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.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
If You’re out of the Blackhawks Market
ESPN+
You can watch every out-of-market, non-nationally televised NHL game (over 1,000 games total) on ESPN+, which replaces NHL.tv this season and is a must-have for any NHL fan in the United States:
ESPN+, which also includes about 75 exclusive national NHL games, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary in existence and additional original content (both video and written), costs $6.99 for a month or $69.99 for a year (or about seven cents per NHL game if you want to look at it that way).
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 every out-of-market Blackhawks game 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.
Blackhawks 2021-22 Season Preview
Chicago made variety of moves to get back to playoff hockey.
“We like our team a lot. We like our depth. I think we’re bigger. We’re faster. We’re able to play a more winning style, in my opinion,” Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton said per Blackhawks.com’s Carter Baum. “We’re going to have to get better as the year goes on. The team and the performance that we have on day one, if that’s as good as it gets, then it won’t be good enough. That’s the case with most of the teams in the league. Really like the team we have. I like the energy, I like the attention to detail that we’ve had so far in camp, the work ethic and that should give us a chance.”
It starts at goalie where the Blackhawks acquired Marc-Andre Fleury, 36, in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights. He led the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2018, and he was part of the Pittsburgh Penguins championship teams in 2009, 2016, and 2017. He hasn’t missed a beat since those glory days.
Last season, Fleury posted a .928 save percentage, allowed 1.98 goals per game, and had a record of 26-10-0. He maintained a save percentage of .905 or better throughout his time in Vegas, and he won at least 26 games each season.
Chicago also has goalie Kevin Lankinen back. The Blackhawks will look for him to have a strong second season after going 17-14-0 with a .909 save percentage and 3.01 goals allowed average last season.
The Blackhawks also changed up its defense with key moves.
Chicago acquired defenseman Seth Jones during the offseason in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jones had 28 points last season and a -18 plus-minus score in Columbus.
The Blackhawks gave up defenseman Adam Boqvist in the trade. He had 16 points and a -7 plus-minus score last season.
Chicago picked up defenseman Caleb Jones from the Edmonton Oilers in a trade. Jones had a -7 plus-minus score last season and four assists.
On offense, the Blackhawks better themselves by acquiring left wing Tyler Johnson in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Johnson tallied 22 last season and 31 the year before in helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup back-to-back seasons.
Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews coming back from missing the 2020-2021 season due to Chronic Immune Response Syndrome according to Baum will also boost the offense. Toews had a 60-point season in 70 games during the 2019-2020 campaign.
“I’m pretty happy given what the last month has looked like, what I felt like going into training camp,” Toews said per Baum. “I just feel like I’ve taken a step almost every day. It’s pretty exciting to think that way, that I’ve got to stay with it and keep doing all the little things right, but ultimately I like that I feel confident, my game is there, when the energy is there.”
The Blackhawks also have another longtime star in Patrick Kane returning for a 15th season. Kane tallied 66 points in 56 games last season.