Getty Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews.
The New Jersey Devils will open their 2021-22 NHL regular season on Friday when they host the Chicago Blackhawks.
The game (7 p.m. ET start time) will be televised on NBC Sports Chicago for those who live in the Blackhawks market, MSG+ for those who live in the Devils market and NHL Network for everyone out of market in the United States.
If you don’t have cable, here’s a full rundown of how you can watch a live stream of the Blackhawks vs Devils in the US:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of NBC Sports Chicago, MSG+ (both live in select markets), NHL Network and 100-plus other live TV channels on FuboTV. Regional Sports Networks (such as NBCS Chicago and MSG+) are included in the main channel package, while NHL Network is in the “Sports Plus” add-on. Both can be included in your free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch the Blackhawks vs Devils 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.” NBC Sports Chicago and MSG+ (both live in local markets) are included in “Choice” and up, while NHL Network is in “Ultimate” and up.
You can sign up right here:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch the Blackhawks vs Devils 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).
Blackhawks vs Devils Preview
The Blackhawks’ Marc-Andre Fleury era got off to a rough start on Wednesday.
The defending Vezina Trophy winner, acquired via trade from the Vegas Golden Knights in July, surrendered 3 goals in the first 10 minutes of a 4-2 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.
“We got better as the game went on, but it’s hard to dig yourselves out of a hole,” Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton said, according to The Associated Press. “We need to be better. We will be better. We’ve got good players and the stuff that happened is very correctable.”
Forward Dominik Kubalik got Chicago on the board late in the opening frame, and defenseman Connor Murphy added an unassisted tally with less than five minutes in the contest.
Blackhawks center Kirby Dach had a pair of point-blank opportunities turned aside by Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper during the second period.
“If I score those it might be a different game,” Dach said, per AP. “That’s on me.”
The Blackhawks have a great opportunity to even up their record on Friday — they’ll go up against a Devils team that last year ranked ranked 26th in scoring and 28th in defense.
Over the offseason, New Jersey inked star defenseman Dougie Hamilton to a seven-year, $63 million contract. The 28-year-old’s been tasked with shepherding their rebuild and juicing a power-play unit that ranked 28th in 2020-21 (14.2 percent).
“He gives us great depth on the right side,” Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said, according to NHL.com. “He gives us someone who can play big minutes and not tire. He can play in all areas of the game, can get us out of our own end, get us through the neutral zone and playing in the offensive end. I think our forwards are really going to enjoy playing with him.”
Over the last two seasons, both shortened by the pandemic, Hamilton notched 82 points (24 goals, 58 assists) across 102 games for the Carolina Hurricanes. He set a career high with 16 power-play assists last year.
“It’s chemistry, so you have to practice, practice, practice [the power play],” Hamilton said, per NHL.com. “I think the best units have been together for so long, everything’s automatic. You know what the guy beside you is going to do with it, so if you’re thinking and not sure where the guy’s going to be or if you have to get open for him in a certain spot, then it makes it harder.”