How to Watch Blackout NHL Games with a VPN

A web browser is the most reliable way to watch, because it’s the easiest place to fix location problems.

1. Subscribe to a VPN that works with your chosen service. I recommend ExpressVPN or Surfshark. Download and install the app from the VPN’s website.
2. Log into your streaming account first, before connecting. This matters most on Disney+, whose VPN checks are strictest at sign-in. Skip this step for NHL.TV, since you’ll be creating that account from scratch.
3. Connect to the right location. Choose a server in the US state or country listed above. If your VPN lets you pick a city, choose a large one, as those servers are usually faster.
4. Clear your cookies, or open a private browsing window. Old cookies can still give away your real location.
5. Open your streaming service:
   • ESPN: go to espn.com/watch, sign in or subscribe to ESPN Select, then open the NHL Power Play section.
   • Disney+: go to disneyplus.com. You should now see the Latin American home screen, with ESPN’s live channels. Your plan needs to be Premium, as Standard doesn’t include ESPN’s live sports.
   • NHL.TV on DAZN: go to dazn.com, create an account, and choose NHL.TV Standard or Ultimate. Ultimate adds Multiview and more devices.
6. Find your game and press play. If you still see a blackout message, try the fixes at the end of this section.

Advice: If your browser asks to use your location, click Block. Sharing your real location can override the VPN.

For ESPN, I recommend faking your phone’s GPS location as well as your IP address, because the ESPN app checks both. Surfshark is the VPN to use here, as it has a GPS override setting built in:

1. Subscribe to Surfshark and install the app from Google Play.
2. Turn on Developer Options on your phone. Go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times, until you see “You are now a developer”.
3. Turn on GPS override in Surfshark. Open the app’s settings and switch on Override GPS location. Surfshark will walk you through the rest of the setup.
4. Make Surfshark your mock location app. Go to Settings > System > Developer options > Select mock location app and choose Surfshark. The menu path varies slightly by phone.
5. Connect to a US server outside the blackout area.
6. Clear the ESPN app’s cache. Go to Settings > Apps > ESPN > Storage and tap Clear cache to wipe the location it saved earlier.
7. Open ESPN, go to NHL Power Play, and start streaming.

For Disney+ or NHL.TV, you only need to change your IP address:

1. Sign into the app before you connect to the VPN, then close it fully.
2. Connect your VPN to the right country.
3. Reopen the app, find your game, and start streaming. If the app still shows your old region, clear its cache and try again.

Advice: Watch on Wi-Fi rather than mobile data where possible, as mobile networks can give away your real location.

Apple blocks apps from faking your GPS location, so there’s no iPhone equivalent of Surfshark’s GPS override.

For ESPN:

1. Install your VPN from the App Store and connect to a US server outside the blackout area.
2. Stop ESPN from using your location. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > ESPN and choose Never.
3. Delete and reinstall the ESPN app so it forgets the location it saved, then sign in.
4. Open NHL Power Play and start your game. If it’s still blacked out, watch on a laptop or an Android device instead.

For Disney+ or NHL.TV:

1. Sign in on the website in Safari first, not in the app. Subscribing through the App Store bills through your Apple ID’s country, which can cause problems with a new NHL.TV account.
2. Connect your VPN to the right country.
3. Open the Disney+ or DAZN app, sign in, and start streaming.

How you set this up on the big screen depends on whether your TV or streaming stick can run a VPN app.

Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Google TV and Apple TV can all run VPN apps, although Apple TV needs tvOS 17 or later:

1. Install your VPN’s app from the device’s app store and sign in.
2. Connect to the right location for your service.
3. Open the ESPN, Disney+ or DAZN app and start streaming. If it still shows your real location, clear the app’s data in your device settings, or reinstall it.

Roku, Samsung, LG and other smart TVs can’t run VPN apps. You have two options:

• Set up the VPN on your router. Everything on your network then uses the VPN, your TV included. Most leading VPNs have router setup guides, though you’ll need a compatible router.
• Mirror your screen from a device that’s on the VPN, such as a laptop connected by HDMI, or an iPhone using AirPlay. Don’t cast from a phone app to a Chromecast: the Chromecast fetches the stream itself over your normal connection, bypassing the VPN.

If your stream is still blocked, work through these fixes:

• Clear your cookies and cache, or reinstall the app. All three services remember your location from earlier sessions.
• Switch to a different server in the same state or country. Streaming services block VPN IP addresses as they detect them, and a fresh server usually solves it.
• Check your location suits the game. On ESPN, make sure neither team is local to the server you picked. On NHL.TV, make sure you aren’t connected to Austria, Germany, Switzerland or the UK.
• Rejected at the DAZN payment screen? That’s DAZN’s second VPN check, and it’s stricter than the one on streams. Switch to another server in the same country and try the payment again before giving up on that country.
• Turn on your VPN’s leak protection, so your real IP address doesn’t leak alongside the VPN’s.
• Don’t stream in more places than your plan allows. NHL.TV’s Standard plan covers 2 devices on one internet connection, and Ultimate covers 5 devices across two IP addresses. Go beyond that and your stream gets cut off.