NHL Stanley Cup Final 2018: Start time, how to watch, and more
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals will compete for Lord Stanley's Cup.
Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will take on the guys that play for the Golden Knights of Las Vegas. (Sorry, I stopped following the NHL after my Minnesota North Stars left for Dallas in the early '90s.) I can be excused for not knowing the name of a single Golden Knight because the franchise didn't exist until this season and its roster comprises castoffs from the other 30 NHL teams.
What I do know is that expansion teams do not normally make it to the finals -- in any sport -- in their first year, and this year's Stanley Cup Final will crown an historic champ in the form of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights or the long-suffering Washington Capitals. Neither team has ever won a Stanley Cup Final game: the Golden Knights because this is their inaugural season and the Capitals because they have made it to the Final only once before and were promptly swept by the Detroit Red Wings two decades ago. I also know that casual hockey fans, myself included, will tune in for some playoff hockey when we get down to the final two teams. Here's how you can watch.
NHL Stanley Cup Final 2018 schedule
- Game 1: Monday, May 28 at Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 2: Wednesday, May 30 at Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 3: Saturday, June 2 at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET
- Game 4: Monday, June 4 at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 5: Thursday, June 7 at Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 6: Sunday, June 10 at Washington Capitals, 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 7: Wednesday, June 13 at Vegas Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET
*If necessary.
Broadcast TV
NBC will broadcast the NHL Stanley Cup Final, which you can access with a cable or satellite subscription, or for free with an over-the-air digital antenna. We have a few, cheap suggestions for the best indoor antennas.
Online or streaming
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app will have live streams of the games. To stream the game online with NBC, you will need to log in with a pay TV account. If you don't have a pay TV subscription, you can livestream the games with one of the big five live-TV streaming services or FuboTV if you live in the right market.
DirectTV Now
DirectTV Now's basic, $35-a-month Live a Little package includes NBC. Click here to check availability of live local channels in your area.
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV costs $40 a month and includes NBC. Check to see which live channels Hulu offers in your area.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue's $40-a-month Access plan includes NBC. Channel lineups vary by region, so check out which live, local networks you get on the PlayStation Vue Plans page.
Sling TV
Sling TV's $25-a-month Blue plan includes NBC. Click here to see if you can get a live feed of NBC in your area.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is currently available in dozens of major metro markets. It costs $40 a month and includes NBC.
FuboTV
Sports-centric streaming service FuboTV includes a live feed of NBC in dozens of markets. FuboTV costs $19.99 for the first month before jumping up to $44.99 a month.
All of the above streaming services offer a free, seven-day trial.
