Getty Nashville looks for goalie Juuse Saros to have another big season in goal this year.
The Nashville Predators look to get back into the playoffs as new NHL season begins.
In 2021-22, most Predators games will be televised in local markets on Bally Sports South, while some games will be nationally televised on NHL Network (usually out of market only, but those will also be on Bally Sports South), 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 Predators market or somewhere else in the United States, here’s a full rundown of the different ways you can watch every Predators 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 Predators Market
Note: A couple Predators 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 South
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 South (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 Predators 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 Predators 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 Predators 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.
Predators Season Preview 2021-22
Nashville captured the nation’s attention in 2017 by reaching the Stanley Cup finals, buoyed by a rabid home crowd.
The Predators looked like they would stay in contention for a while after winning 53 games but falling in the conference semifinals the following season. Instead, a gradual decline happened as the Predators won fewer games each season and missed the playoffs in 2020. Last season’s Predators bounced back a little by making the playoffs in a shortened season.
This year’s Predators will need another big performance by goalie Juuse Saros and for new players to mesh with the team’s core. Saros went 21-11-1 and had a 2.28 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
“Juuse has proven himself as one of the best young goaltenders in the NHL, and we are very pleased to have him remain our No. 1 goaltender for years to come,” Predators general manager David Poile told the Tennessean’s Paul Skrbina. “While being mentored by Pekka Rinne, he has spent the last several seasons growing and taking steps physically and mentally to become a top goalie in this league. … Juuse gives our team a chance to win in every game he plays.”
He had career numbers in all three categories in 36 games played. This season, teams have a full 82-game slate, and he’s never played more than 40 games in a season.
Nashville added depth to goaltending by signing David Rittich amid Rinne retiring. Rittich played 45 or more games for the Calgary Flames for a couple seasons between 2018 and 2020, but he only played 19 games last season.
The Predators traded defenseman Ryan Ellis, 30, to Philadelphia and acquired a younger defenseman Phillip Meyers, 24. Nashville also brought in Cody Glass from Vegas via a trade. Glass, the No. 6 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, had 10 points in 27 games for the Golden Knights last season.
Predators defenseman and leading scorer Ramon Josi returns for another season. He had 33 points last season and 56 in the last full NHL season in 2018-2019.
While the Predators also got a little younger on offense by trading away forward Viktor Arvidsson, most of the top scorers for the team returned this season. Forward Flip Forsberg, the team’s second-leading scorer, returns after a 32-point season in 2020-2021. Center Mikael Granlund had the team’s fourth-best point total at 27 last season.
Nashville gave up third-leading scorer Carl Jarnkrok in the expansion draft. The former Predators left wing had 28 points last season.
Even if he returned instead, the Predators still need to right the ship on offense. The Predators were toward the bottom of the league at 2.65 goals per game.