The 2021-22 St. Louis Blues will look to venture beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time since their Stanley Cup title in 2019.
In 2021-22, most Blues games will be televised in local markets on Bally Sports Midwest, while some games will be nationally televised on NHL Network (usually out of market only, but those will also be on Bally Sports Midwest), 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 Blues market or somewhere else in the United States, here’s a full rundown of the different ways you can watch every Blues game live online without cable in 2021-22:
Note: Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
If You’re in the Blues Market
Note: A couple Blues games this season will stream exclusively on ESPN+ nationally with no blackout for in-market viewers. The following option is for how to watch all other in-market games:
DirecTV Stream
This is the only streaming service that has Bally Sports Midwest
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, Bally Sports Midwest (local markets) is in “Choice” and up, and NHL Network is in “Ultimate” and up.
You can sign up right here:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch Blues 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).
If You’re Out of the Blues 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 Blues game live on the ESPN app on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, 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.
Blues Season Preview 2021-22
For the second straight season since their Stanley Cup title in 2019, the Blues bowed out of the postseason in the first round last year, this time suffering a sweep at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche.
Continuing a trend from the regular season, the Blues couldn’t keep the puck out of their net in the playoffs, getting outscored by Colorado 20-7. During the regular season, St. Louis surrendered 2.98 goals per game, the franchise’s worst mark in 14 years.
Colton Parayko’s limited availability didn’t help matters. The star defenseman appeared in just 32 of 56 contests as he struggled with a back injury. In September, Parayko told reporters his back was “back to normal.”
“Obviously last year was a little different for me personally,” the 28-year-old said in September, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “I didn’t have much injury issues before that season. A little different for me to learn about myself, my body, because I’ve never been through that where you’re away from the team because of injuries. I’ve been fortunate that way. I’m happy it’s back to normal and ready to go and looking forward to just having more healthy seasons.”
Parayko’s tallied 41 goals and 130 assists across 418 career games, all with St. Louis. Over the offseason, the team inked him to an eight-year, $52 million extension that will kick in next year.
“I can’t wait to wear the blue note for another nine years,” Parayko said, according to The Associated Press. “St. Louis has been my home now for six seasons, and this is where I want to be.”
The Blues’ attack was a relative strength in 2020-21. They ranked 13th in scoring, despite missing star forward Vladimir Tarasenko for significant time for the second year in a row. A season after notching 10 points in as many games, Tarasenko appeared in 24 contests in 2020-21, putting up 14 points.
Prior to the 2019-20 campaign, he scored 30 or more goals in five straight seasons. In May, the 29-year-old requested a trade, but one never came to fruition.
“As long as I play on the Blues, I will work hard and play for a win,” Tarasenko said in September, per AP. “I don’t want to be a distraction in the room. I’m here to work. I’m healthy. I’m happy to play hockey again.”
Tarasenko will be joined in the forward rotation by newcomers Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich, who’ll fill vacancies left by Zach Sanford and Jaden Schwartz.
“Kind of grinding and wearing teams down, that’s all things I like to do,” Saad said in September, according to the team’s official website. “That’s something that’s being preached here, and I’m looking forward to getting into the games.”