Find out how to watch the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs on NBCSN with a TV channel guide for your cable provider.
In the sports channel ecosphere, NBCSN (NBC Sports Network) could be seen as a non-factor for those interested in the NBA, MLB or NFL.
For NHL fans, however, it’s a church where many hockey fans here in the states come to worship at the altar.
Here’s how you can watch the NHL postseason on NBCSN depending on which cable provider you have.
What channel is NBCSN?
DirecTV (Channel 220)
Spectrum (Standard Definition channel 54; High Definition channel 206)
Comcast (Channel 848)
You can also live stream the games on fubo.TV. Sign up now for a free trial.
Before NBCSN came to the rescue of many hockey fans here, folks had to turn to their regional sports stations to get their fill of the frozen game. Prior to the 2004-’05 NHL Lockout, ESPN was the place to go for NHL action, but, afterward, the network rejected a $60 million contract to bring hockey back to its network.
Back in those days, there was no NBCSN, but instead, OLN (Outdoor Life Network), which showcased hunting and fishing programs. OLN launched in 1995, and it was seen by many as a dead channel with little to offer anyone outside of hunters and fishers.
That all changed when ESPN turned a cold shoulder to the NHL, which allowed Comcast, who owned the network, to bid and win the NHL contract. In 2006, OLN re-launched as Versus (styled “VS.”), which moved the channel away from its hunting and fishing roots and began to offer a wider range of sports programs, from MMA to college football.
The NHL began broadcasting its games on the network in 2006, and five years later, Versus merged with NBC (due to Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal), and the channel re-launched, yet again, as the NBC Sports Network.
NBC began immersing itself more and more into the NHL, and it has since become a profitable venture for the network. The NHL is to NBC what the NBA is to ESPN, and it has been nothing but a beautiful marriage between the two.
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So, more often than not, a bulk of the NHL Playoff action will be on NBCSN, and nobody will really be complaining about that.
For more from the NHL playoffs, make sure to follow FanSided and stay tuned to our NHL hub for all the latest news and results.