The Los Angeles Kings will look to end a three-year playoff drought in 2021-22.
This season, most Kings games will be televised in local markets on Bally Sports West or Bally Sports SoCal, while some games will be nationally televised on NHL Network (usually out of market only, but those will also be on Bally Sports West or SoCal), 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 Kings market or somewhere else in the United States, here’s a full rundown of the different ways you can watch every Kings 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 Kings Market
Note: A couple Kings 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 West and SoCal
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 West (local markets) and Bally Sports SoCal are 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 Kings 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 Kings 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 Kings 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.
Kings Season Preview 2021-22
The Kings, blessed with an otherwise weak Pacific Division, are eyeing their first postseason berth since the 2017-18 season.
“I think that’s our goal this year,” captain and defenseman Drew Doughty said, according to The Associated Press. “We’re not gonna just automatically make it, but I think for me and everyone else, that’s our goal.”
The Kings have made the playoffs just twice since 2013-14, when they claimed their second Stanley Cup title in three years. Both of the ensuing postseason trips ended in the first round.
To juice their chances of playing beyond the 82-game schedule, the Kings acquired a trio of impact veterans over the offseason, trading for Nashville Predators winger Viktor Arvidsson and signing defenseman Alex Edler and two-way center Phillip Danault in free agency.
“We’re moving forward, but we need to improve before we declare ourselves playoff-ready,” head coach Todd McLellan said, per AP. “Are we capable of it? I think we have the right players to do it, but can we get our game together quick enough, and maintain it long enough during the season to compete for that? We’ll figure that out as we go.”
Only four teams scored fewer goals than the Kings last season, and only one King, now-34-year-old center Anze Kopitar, accumulated more than 34 points in the 56-game campaign; he scored 13 goals and assisted on another 37.
Arvidsson notched 94 goals in 216 games for the Predators from 2016-17 through the 2018-19 season. His production dropped off in his last two years in Nashville, however — he scored 25 times across 107 contests.
Though more lauded for his defense, Danault’s no slouch with the puck himself, collecting 124 points in 205 games across the last three seasons, all with the Montreal Canadiens.
Edler, entering his 16th NHL season, has 310 career assists to his credit.
“The additions that we made have kind of really kind of bolstered each side,” goaltender Cal Petersen said, according to Hockey Royalty.
Petersen made a career-high 35 appearances last season, posting a .911 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average. Until last year, veteran goalie Jonathan Quick had started more than half of the Kings’ games in all but one season dating back to 2008-09.
The 26-year-old Petersen is expected to field a greater share of minutes between the pipes this time around.
“I think it’s more so just maturing and growing in this role,” Petersen said of improving this year, per Hockey Royalty. “And I think that I’ve kind of slowly established myself a little bit, but I still have a lot to prove. For me, I’m comfortable and confident in that regard — I know I can play at this level and be successful, but [I’m] extremely hungry to kind of prove myself even more.”