NHL Playoffs 2017: What channel is Rogers Sportsnet?

By Leah Smith | Apr 9, 2017

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 29: Scott Moore, Sportnet pres and NHL for Rogers speaks to media and guests at the Sportsnet unveiling of the new NHL hockey studio at CBC which has a 38 feet long by 11 feet high - the dimensions of Goliath, the new Hockey Central studio monitor, main rotating anchor desk, 3 different regional sets, George Stroumboulopoulos's interview corner with his signature red chairs, Puck Wall with vertical monitor with wall of 30 pucks, Rogers Tech Zone including 90 inch touch screen monitor and demo area featuring LED video floor and monitor wall at the CBC building. (Vince Talotta/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

Rogers Sportsnet is the Canadian NHL rights holder. The 2017 playoffs will be broadcast across Canada on Sportsnet. So, what channel is it?

Back in 2013, Rogers Sportsnet spent $5.3 billion for the Canadian broadcast rights to the NHL for 12 seasons. That means that until the 2025-26 season, Sportsnet is the place to watch playoff hockey north of the border, with a few exceptions.

Part of that 12-year deal is that the CBC will get to continue airing NHL games as part of Hockey Night in Canada as they have been going since the days of radio. Unlike during the regular season where games would only air on the CBC on Saturdays, CBC will now take over the broadcast of certain playoff series.

Most likely, the CBC will handle a couple of the series Canadian teams are a part of. With potentially five Canadian teams making the playoffs, it will be interesting to see which series end up on CBC. All of the other playoff series will air on the various Sportsnet channels, Sportsnet East, West, Pacific, Ontario, One, or 360.

The problem with playoff hockey on Sportsnet is that Toronto Blues Jays baseball is back as well. As Rogers owns the team, they air all 162 games this season. Meaning that at least one of Sportsnet’s channels will be showing baseball, even during the playoffs.

So, this means that one of the playoff series, probably an all American matchup, could air on any Rogers owned Canadian station. For example, last season, one game of the Nashville Predators first round series with the Anaheim Ducks aired on FX Canada. The trick will be keeping an eye on the broadcast schedule once the playoffs are set on Sunday.

Sportsnet is only available to Canadians. The daily schedule will provide a list of where live events are airing, and entering a postal code will provide the channel numbers in your area.

For people wanting to watch online, there are a couple options. The games airing on CBC will stream for free on cbc.ca. To get all of the playoff games, there is the paid Sportsnet Now. Unfortunately for those living in the United States, both of these options only work in Canada. But if you live close enough to the border, you may be able to pick up the CBC stream.

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