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How to Watch Blackout NHL Games on ESPN+ & NHL.TV
The Short Answer
In order to watch blackout NHL games you’ll need to use a compatible VPN with either ESPN+ or NHL.TV on DAZN. We used PIA VPN to change our US IP location to one outside the blackout area on ESPN+, and Surfshark to watch NHL.TV outside North America. Both VPNs are fast, user-friendly and work well with both streaming services.
NHL Power Play on ESPN+ shows over 1,050 of the 1,312 games in the season. The remaining 20% of games are blacked out and shown on local TV channels.
To comply with broadcasting agreements with Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), ESPN+ imposes these regional blackout restrictions by looking up your IP address location.
The only way to legally circumvent these geo-blocks and stream blackout NHL games is to use a VPN.
A VPN allows you to change your IP location and make yourself appear outside the blackout area and therefore bypass NHL geo-restrictions.
If you want to watch all NHL games without cable, including national blackout games, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Finals, you’ll need NHL.TV rather than ESPN+. NHL.TV is now only available outside North America via DAZN.
Quick Guide: How to Watch Blackout NHL Games
- Get a VPN that unblocks ESPN+ and NHL.TV: We recommend PIA VPN or Surfshark, which offer free trials and a 30-day refund policy.
- Connect to a server location outside the blackout area.
- To bypass a local blackout: Connect to a US VPN server location where neither team is based, and access ESPN+.
- To bypass a national blackout: Connect to a VPN server in the Netherlands or Germany, and access NHL.TV on DAZN.
- Launch ESPN+ or NHL.TV and start streaming.
Why Trust Us?
We’re fully independent and have been reviewing VPNs since 2016. Our advice is based on our own testing results and is unaffected by financial incentives. Learn who we are and how we test VPNs.
| VPNs Tested | 61 |
| Total Hours of Testing | 30,000+ |
| Combined Years of Experience | 50+ |
Frustratingly, many VPNs can’t bypass ESPN+ and NHL.TV’s geo-blocks. After testing 61 VPNs, only 3 services fully met our selection criteria.
ESPN+ vs NHL.TV on DAZN : Which One to Use?
Deciding between ESPN+ and NHL.TV on DAZN depends on the games you want to watch and the device you’re using. To help you choose, we compared the two platforms side by side:
| ESPN+ | NHL.TV | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Games | 1,050 | 1,312 |
| National Broadcasts | No | Yes |
| Stanley Cup Finals | No | Yes |
| Detects GPS on Mobile | Yes | No |
| Pre-roll Ads | Yes | No |
| Accepts US Payment Method | Yes | No |
| Monthly Price | $9.99 | ~$12.30 |
In short, ESPN+ is cheaper and easier to access but NHL.TV on DAZN shows more NHL games.
We recommend using ESPN+ whenever it streams the game you’re interested in. You can check if your game is available on ESPN+ by viewing the ESPN NHL schedule and checking the ‘TV’ column.
How to Watch Blackout NHL Games with a VPN
The only way to legally bypass geo-restrictions and watch blackout NHL blackout games is with a VPN.
On most devices, all you need to do is sign up for a compatible VPN service, connect to a VPN server in a different region, and open ESPN+.
Watch us quickly and easily bypassing ESPN+’s geo-blocks in the video below.
However, the process does vary depending on the device you’re using, and whether the game is regionally or nationally blacked out.
Below you can find detailed steps for each device.
Windows & macOS
Out of all the devices we tested, bypassing NHL blackouts on your computer is the most straightforward.
Instructions: How to Watch ESPN+ Blackout Games on PC & Mac
- Subscribe to a VPN and install the app on your device: We suggest using PIA VPN because of its wide range of US server locations, fast speeds, and reliable access to ESPN+.
- Connect to a VPN server in a state where the game is available: You can use our blackout Map below to see where games are available.
- Open ESPN+ in your web browser and log in.
- Start streaming on ESPN+: Scroll down and select NHL under Leagues. You will now have access to live NHL games that would otherwise be blocked in your area.
We used the PIA VPN app and browser extension to bypass NHL blackouts on our laptop.
Android
The ESPN+ Android app uses GPS data to verify your location. To stream NHL games shown on ESPN+ on your Android device, you have to mimic the GPS location of a different state using a VPN like Surfshark that can spoof your GPS location.
Instructions: How to Beat ESPN+ Blackouts on Android
- Download and install the Surfshark app: Surfshark is a great VPN that works with ESPN+ and comes with a built-in GPS spoofer.
- Enable the GPS Spoofing setting: Open the Surfshark app, tap Settings, and enable Override GPS location under Advanced settings. You will get a message asking you to enable developer options.
- Enable Developer Options: To enable GPS spoofing, you’ll need to activate the hidden developer options on your device. Go to Settings > About Phone. Tap the ‘Build Number’ 7 times, and you will get a message informing you that you’re in developer mode.
- Select Surfshark as a Mock Location App: Once you’ve enabled developer options, return to the Surfshark app and tap the arrow to proceed. Now tap Open Settings, followed by Select Mock Location App, then SurfShark.
- Connect to a Surfshark VPN server where the game is not restricted: Both your GPS location and IP address will now match your chosen server location.
- Start Streaming on ESPN+: Open the ESPN+ app and start streaming your local NHL game. If you’re still in the wrong region, clear the ESPN+ app’s cache within your phone’s Settings app.
Watching blackout NHL games on Android.
iOS
On iOS devices, the ESPN+ app uses your device’s GPS location and IP address to enforce blackout restrictions.
The problem is iOS doesn’t support GPS spoofing, therefore making it impossible to watch blackout NHL games on ESPN+ using an iPhone or iPad.
Luckily, you can still watch blackout NHL games on iOS using NHL.TV on DAZN, which covers every NHL game, including nationwide blackout games and the Finals without restrictions.
NHL.TV on DAZN is available in a wide range of countries outside of the US and Canada. To sign up, you’ll need to get a foreign IP address using a VPN and often a payment method for the country you’re connecting to.
Instructions: How to Beat NHL.TV Blackouts on iOS
- Download and install a VPN: Surfshark is our preferred choice since it works with more DAZN regions than PIA.
- Connect to a VPN server in a country where NHL.TV is available: There are countries, like Ukraine, that have very cheap NHL.TV subscriptions and no blackout restrictions.
- Download the DAZN app & sign up to NHL.TV: You may need a local payment method (card) to sign up. You won’t be able to use any existing US or Canadian DAZN account, either.
- Stream any NHL game.
You can access NHL.TV by connecting to a VPN server in Germany.
TV
Fire TV Stick, Apple TV and Android TV all support the use of VPNs or Smart DNS proxies, meaning you can stream geo-restricted NHL games on all three devices, as long as you choose a VPN with dedicated apps.
Instructions: How to Beat ESPN+ Blackouts on Your TV
- Subscribe to a compatible VPN service: ExpressVPN has native apps for Fire TV, Apple TV, and Android TV, and works to unblock ESPN+.
- Download and install the ExpressVPN app on your device: Search the Amazon Appstore or Google Play Store for ExpressVPN. Then, select the download icon.
- Connect to a server in a state where the game is available: Open the VPN app and choose a server in a state where there aren’t any blackout restrictions.
- Open the ESPN app and start streaming your chosen NHL game without any blackout restrictions.
ESPN+ is available via the regular ESPN Fire TV app.
On the other hand, Roku devices don’t support neither VPN apps nor Smart DNS proxies. In our experience, the easiest way to use a VPN with Roku is to create a mobile hotspot on your Windows PC.
Instructions: How to Beat NHL Blackouts on Roku
- Sign up to a compatible VPN service: ExpressVPN is our top choice for Roku and unblocks both ESPN+ and NHL.TV
- Download and install the VPN app onto your Windows computer.
- Activate your PC’s mobile hotspot: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Mobile hotspot and toggle to On.
- Make a note of your network name and password: If you want to change them, click Edit, make any changes, and click Save.
- Locate your VPN’s TAP adapter.
- Windows 10: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Change Adapter Options. Right-click on your VPN’s TAP adapter and select Properties.
- Windows 11: Go to Network & Internet > Advanced network settings and right-click on your VPN’s TAP adapter. From the drop-down menu, go to More Adapter options and click Edit.
- Edit your sharing settings: Click the Sharing tab and tick the box that says: “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection”.
- Select your newly-created hotspot: From the drop-down menu under Home networking connection: select Local Area Connection*. Click OK to apply the changes.
- Note: This local area connection may be numbered, but it will always have an asterisk.
- Go to the VPN app and select OpenVPN: Otherwise the mobile hotspot won’t work properly.
- Connect to a VPN server in a state where the game is being broadcast: You can use our blackout map further down to see where games are available.
- Connect your Roku to your mobile hotspot network: On your Roku go to Settings > Network > Set up connection > Wireless and select your PC’s connection.
- Launch the ESPN channel on Roku and start streaming.
You can access ESPN+ within the ESPN app for Roku.
The Best VPNs for Beating NHL Blackouts
To ensure we only recommend VPNs that provide the best experience for streaming blackout NHL games, we’ve tested 61 VPNs with ESPN+ and NHL.TV on a range of devices.
The table below compares our three favorite VPNs for watching blackout NHL games based on speed, price, server networks, and more:
1. PIA VPN: Best for NHL Power Play on ESPN+
Ranked #1 out of 61 VPNs for the NHL
Pricing Plans - $11.99/mo
- $7.50/mo over 6 months
- $2.03/mo over 39 months
Free Trial Duration 7 Days Local Download Speed 96Mbps (4% loss) US States 50 Countries with Servers 91 Simultaneous Connections Unlimited Compatible with 
Windows
Mac
iOS
Android
Linux
Amazon Fire TV
Android TV
Apple TV
Router
Chrome
If you need a VPN to stream blackout NHL games on ESPN+, then Private Internet Access (PIA) is our top choice.
We found it very easy to connect to its fast US VPN servers spread across 50 states and unblock region-restricted broadcasts on NHL Power Play.
The VPN is also very affordable, costing only $2.03/mo over 39 months and it even works with NHL.TV on DAZN, although not as well as Surfshark.
We used the PIA VPN app and browser extension to beat NHL blackouts.
Easily Bypasses Local & National Blackouts
PIA has over 18,651 servers in 91 countries, including IP addresses covering all 50 US states.
The service’s US coverage is particularly relevant for NHL streaming, since it allowed us to easily connect to a nearby state and watch blackout games at high speed.
PIA VPN’s US servers in the Android app.
The only frustrations we had with these US servers was on PIA’s Firestick app, where a large percentage of them didn’t work.
If you’re looking to use NHL.TV, PIA also has servers in the Netherlands, UK, and Ukraine, which worked with DAZN and allowed us to access games not shown on ESPN+.
Servers that Worked with ESPN+ & NHL.TV
- ESPN+: US East Streaming Optimized, US West Streaming Optimized
- NHL.TV on DAZN: Netherlands, Ukraine, United Kingdom
Fast Speeds for HD Streaming
PIA’s servers are some of the fastest in the industry, delivering a seamless streaming experience even during live events.
In our hands-on tests, the VPN was always quick enough to load live blackout NHL games in full resolution — even when connecting from the US to a European server.
Within the US, we observed a barely noticeable speed loss of 4Mbps connecting to neighboring states.
Speed slowdowns were similar connecting to Toronto and Los Angeles from Canada and Florida, with decreases of only 6Mbps and 10Mbps, respectively.
Impressively, connecting to Germany and accessing NHL.TV yielded fast overseas speeds of 84Mbps.
Overall, the connection speeds offered by PIA are more than enough for streaming NHL games in HD without any buffering or lag.
Very Affordable on Longer-term Plans
Not only is PIA an excellent VPN for watching the NHL, but it also comes at a very competitive price. It costs only $2.03/mo over 39 months or $11.99 month-to-month.
At these prices, it’s one of the cheapest VPNs you can get. The service also offers a 7-day free trial, and a 30-day refund guarantee if you aren’t happy with your purchase.
2. Surfshark: Best VPN for NHL.TV on DAZN
Pricing Plans - $15.45/mo
- $3.19/mo over 15 months
- $1.99/mo over 27 months
Free Trial Duration 7 Days Local Download Speed 96Mbps (4% loss) US States 18 Countries with Servers 100 Simultaneous Connections Unlimited Compatible with - Windows
- Mac
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Router
- Chrome
Surfshark might not be as fast as PIA, especially over longer distances, but it’s by far a better VPN option to watch ESPN+ on Android and to access NHL.TV on DAZN.
This is thanks to its Android’s app exceptional integrated GPS spoofer and the fact that the VPN unblocks more DAZN regions than PIA.
Also, Surfshark is priced very similarly to PIA, although its smaller US server network and slower international speeds may not satisfy everyone.
In our testing, Surfshark frequently unblocked both NHL streaming platforms.
Beats ESPN+ GPS-based Restrictions on Android
The ESPN+ mobile app uses your device’s GPS location data to enforce geo-blocking for live broadcasts.
However, we successfully jumped over this hurdle by using Surfshark’s ‘Override GPS’ setting, aligning our device’s GPS coordinates with our VPN server’s IP address.
This allowed us to trick the ESPN+ and we managed to stream blacked-out games on our Samsung smartphone.
Setting up Surfshark’s Override GPS Location.
While Surfshark covers fewer cities than PIA (25 versus 50), its coverage is still wide enough to ensure high-speed access to geo-restricted live streams.
Surfshark’s key advantage over PIA is its superior access to NHL.TV on DAZN. While PIA only works in a handful of regions, Surfshark unblocks a larger number of international markets.
Servers that Worked with ESPN+ & NHL.TV
- ESPN+: United States – Boston, United States – Dallas
- NHL.TV on DAZN: Germany – Berlin, Germany – Frankfurt, Ukraine – Kyiv
Some Usability Issues but Very Cheap
As we’ve already said, Surfshark is priced similarly to PIA and available for as little as $1.99/mo over 27 months.
You can also take advantage of a seven-day genuine free trial available via desktop and mobile, plus a 30-day refund guarantee.
Despite the obvious upsides of using Surfshark, we did encounter a couple of UX issues we feel compelled to mention.
Firstly, we’re not fans of the oversized look and feel of the Windows and macOS apps. The abundance of additional settings offered by Surfshark makes both clients feel somewhat cluttered.
Surfshark’s VPN app for macOS.
The second issue was noticeably slower connection times on some servers compared to PIA. For example, connecting to servers in Germany consistently took over five seconds.
3. CyberGhost: Best VPN Free Trial
Pricing Plans - $12.99/mo
- $6.99/mo over 6 months
- $2.03/mo over 28 months
Free Trial Duration 1 Day Local Download Speed 95Mbps (5% loss) US States 10 Countries with Servers 100 Simultaneous Connections 7 Compatible with - Windows
- Mac
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Router
- Chrome
CyberGhost is our favorite 100% VPN free trial for watching blackout NHL games online.
Unlike every free VPN we’ve tested, such as Proton VPN and TunnelBear, CyberGhost’s 24-hour free trial easily bypassed ESPN+ and NHL.TV’s geo-restrictions on PC and Mac.
The VPN’s diverse server network in 100 countries, and intuitive applications make it one of the most effective and reliable products available.
That said, CyberGhost doesn’t provide as many server locations in the United States as PIA, nor does it include as many additional features as Surfshark.
CyberGhost’s server list on its desktop app.
A Wide Range of Free Trial Options
With CyberGhost’s 24-hour, three-day, and seven-day free trials — along with its 45-day money back guarantee — you can try out the VPN for several weeks before committing to a long-term subscription.
Therefore, you can watch just one or two blackout NHL games using CyberGhost completely free. Simply sign up to one of its free trials, or claim your money back within 45 days.
In the table below, you can compare CyberGhost’s free trial against popular free VPNs:
PrivadoVPN Free ZoogVPN Free CyberGhost Monthly Data Cap 10GB 10GB Unlimited Local Download Speed 97Mbps (3% loss) 94Mbps (6% loss) 95Mbps (5% loss) Countries With Servers 11 3 100 Compatible with ESPN+ No No Yes When signing up for the free trial on iOS or Android, you’ll need to enter your payment details, so make sure to cancel before the trial ends to avoid being charged.
Not as Fast & Fewer US Server Locations
While CyberGhost is generally slower than both PIA and Surfshark, its speed loss connecting to nearby servers was just 5%, which allowed us to stream games without buffering or lag.
Speed performance worsened over greater distances, like connecting to Germany or the Ukraine, where the slowdown increased to 19%. Our connection was also inconsistent, leading to noticeable picture degradation at times.
Moreover, CyberGhost only serves 12 US locations. This is considerably fewer than its rivals, and we believe it contributes to slower speeds even when connecting within the United States.
Servers that Worked with ESPN+ & NHL.TV
- ESPN+: United States – Optimized for ESPN+, United States – Miami
- NHL.TV on DAZN: Ukraine – Kyiv
NHL Blackout Map: Where Are Games Blacked Out?
To help you prepare for blackout games, we’ve compiled a list of NHL blackout rules based on each US state and created an up-to-date NHL blackout map 2025.
With this map, you can see exactly which games are being blacked out in your area. You can also see which regions to get an IP address from to circumvent these blackout restrictions.
As you can see, some blackout regions span entire states. You can still be blocked from accessing a team’s games even if you live hundreds of miles away. There are also many instances where there are multiple teams blacked out in the same state.
If you’re physically located in your team’s blackout region, connect to a VPN server in the nearest location outside of the blackout boundary for the fastest speeds.
Why Does the NHL Blackout Games?
NHL TV blackouts occur because the NHL sells broadcasting rights to specific games to regional sports networks (RSNs) and national broadcasters.
RSNs broadcast NHL games in a specific region or area, while national broadcasters cover games nationwide.
These media partners pay substantial fees for the exclusive broadcasting rights, forming an essential revenue stream for both the league and individual teams.
In fact, some teams receive up to $100 million annually from these partnerships, accounting for around 35% of their overall revenue.
Therefore, to uphold these contractual agreements with broadcasters, the NHL imposes blackout restrictions in specific regions.
When a game is broadcast on an RSN, such as AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, it is subject to blackout restrictions within the local area of Pittsburgh in an attempt to preserve exclusivity and viewership on the network.
Similarly, games aired by national broadcasters, like TNT, are subject to nationwide blackout restrictions.
VPNs We Don’t Recommend for Beating NHL Blackouts
Having tested 61 of the most popular VPNs in the market, we narrowed down our recommendations to just three based on their feature set, performance, and value for money.
The table below summarizes our test results, showing which VPNs work with ESPN+ and NHL.TV. However, simply because a VPN unblocks both services, doesn’t mean we automatically recommend it.
| Provider | ESPN+ | NHL.TV |
|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| NordVPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| PIA VPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| Surfshark | ✓ | ✓ |
| PrivateVPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| IPVanish | ✓ | ✓ |
| CyberGhost | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hide.me | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proton VPN | ✓ | ✓ |
| Proton VPN Free | ✕ | ✕ |
| PrivadoVPN Free | ✕ | ✓ |
| Streamlocator | ✕ | ✓ |
| ZoogVPN Free | ✕ | ✕ |
Though several VPNs, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN, are compatible with both ESPN+ and NHL.TV, they did not make our recommended list due to various reasons.
Here’s a more detailed overview of popular VPNs we don’t currently recommend for bypassing NHL blackouts:
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN doesn’t offer as many US IP addresses as other top VPNs.
Though ExpressVPN is generally a top pick for streaming, it failed to make our shortlist of the best NHL VPNs. The shortcomings included a limited US server network in 50 states, the absence of GPS spoofing features, and the unavailability of a completely free trial.
NordVPN
Unlike some other VPNs, NordVPN can only be used for free on every desktop and iOS via its money-back guarantee.
NordVPN fell short of our criteria due to the absence of a free trial on iOS, lack of fake GPS functionality, and no dedicated application for routers.
Proton VPN Free
We encountered the error screen when trying to bypass NHL blackouts with Proton VPN Free.
Proton VPN Free is usually a highly-recommended free VPN, but unfortunately, it’s not able to bypass NHL blackouts. In our testing, it failed to access either ESPN+ or NHL.TV.
PrivadoVPN Free
Privado VPN Free can’t be used to access blackout NHL games.
PrivadoVPN Free is able to access NHL.TV but not ESPN+. If you’re looking to bypass local blackouts by connecting to a nearby state, then PrivadoVPN Free isn’t the right VPN for you.
Streamlocator
In our tests, Streamlocator consistently failed to unblock ESPN+. The app also offers only one server for NHL.TV streaming, located in Korea, which resulted in a noticeable reduction in internet speed due to the distance.
Additionally, Streamlocator is only available on Fire TV and Android, so we weren’t able to watch blackout games on our iPhone or Android TV device. All of its apps also lack a GPS spoofing feature.
The Streamlocator Hub, a pre-configured router with the VPN built in, performed no better. We encountered the same disappointing speeds and geo-spoofing performance as with the VPN apps.
Streamlocator’s Android app doesn’t have a GPS spoofer.
How We Tested & Chose the Best NHL VPNs
We chose our top three VPNs for bypassing NHL blackouts based on the following criteria:
- Streaming functionality: Only services proven to unblock NHL games on both platforms were tested further.
- Number of US servers: To bypass local blackouts on ESPN+, a VPN needs servers in multiple US states.
- International servers: To access NHL.TV, the VPN should have servers in locations where the service is available, like Europe or Canada.
- Speed: Fast connection speeds are essential for streaming HD NHL games without buffering or lag.
- Ease of use and compatibility: The VPN should have a reliable connection, a simple setup process, and easy-to-use applications for a range of different devices.
- Affordability: We’ve prioritized affordable VPNs that offer a 100% free trial or a long refund period.
