How to Live Stream the New York Rangers Playoff Games without Cable

There’s never been a better time to be a Rangers fan living in New York, and not just because the Rangers made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This year, it’s easier than ever to watch a New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens live stream than ever—even if you don’t have cable.

Not only are there many new ways to watch the NHL without cable, but the blackout rules that used to keep many from watching the first round are no longer in effect in New York and most other local markets (sorry not sorry, Boston and Pittsburgh).

Traditionally, regional sports networks had local rights to first round coverage, meaning games broadcast on national networks were blacked out in local markets. For example, in years past you could only watch the Rangers in the first round on MSG. Games would be blacked out on national networks, which left cord cutters out of the loop because MSG wasn’t available without a pay-TV contract.

However, this year for the first time ever, New Yorkers will be able to watch first round matchups on national networks—no blackouts.

National coverage for the next three Rangers games is split between NBCSN and USA, with two of the three games being broadcast on NBCSN. And it just so happens that there are multiple ways to stream each channel without a cable contract. Let’s take a look at your options:

Sling TV

Sling TV, owned by DISH Network, is the first streaming service of its kind, allowing you to stream popular channels over your internet connection without a cable contract. Think Netflix but with live channels. To get NBCSN and USA, you need the Sling Blue package, which costs $25 per month (this is your cheapest monthly option). Keep in mind, there’s no contract, so you can cancel at any time.

With Sling, you can stream the Rangers games on your mobile device or desktop. You can also get the stream on your TV using a streaming player like the Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire stick. And the best news: there’s a free 7-day trial, so you can watch the first four Rangers vs. Canadiens matchups for free.

If you’ve never heard of Sling TV or similar live streaming services, you might want to check out this overview.

Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers makes a save against the Montreal Canadiens in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 12, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 2-0.Photo: Getty images

fuboTV

Starting out as a soccer streaming service, fuboTV has since turned into a full-fledged cable TV alternative for sports fans. The service offers both NBCSN and USA, along with 40-plus other networks. Available on most major devices, fuboTV runs $35 per month. That price includes an impressive DVR functionality, allowing you to record games and skip through commercials.

The big difference between fuboTV and the other services mentioned on this list is that it’s an independent service. It started small and has worked its way up to compete with the big names.

fuboTV also includes a free 7-day trial.

DIRECTV NOW

DIRECTV NOW is owned by, you guessed it, AT&T. But don’t let the name confuse you—you don’t need a satellite or contract to use this $35 per month streaming service. Instead, it functions like the others on this list. You sign up, download the app, and get to streaming.

NBCSN and USA are both available in the “Live a Little” package for $35 per month. You can access the service on most devices, except there isn’t currently a Roku channel available.

DIRECTV NOW is available with a free 7-day trial.

YouTube TV

The newest streaming option, YouTube TV, just went live in select local markets last week (again, it pays off to live in New York). The good news here is that for $35 per month, you get live streams of the big four local networks. Say goodbye to your antenna. You also get a pretty powerful cloud DVR (although it won’t allow you to skip commercials after 24 hours).

The bad news is that while YouTube TV has NBCSN, it doesn’t include USA network. So, you’d have to miss one of the first four matchups if you go this route. Also, it’s currently not available on streaming players. So, you’d have to cast it from your browser to get it on your TV (not terrible news for Chromecast users).

YouTube TV sets itself apart by offering a 30-day free trial.

Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens makes a glove save against Mika Zibanejad #93 the New York Rangers in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 12, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Photo: Getty Images

PlayStation Vue

Your final cable-less live streaming option in New York City is PlayStation Vue. Don’t let the name confuse you—Vue is available on almost any device you can think of, not just PlayStation consoles. And for New Yorkers, it’s probably the most complete cable TV alternative out there.

Starting at $39.99 per month, it’s the most expensive starting option. However, it offers locals just like YouTube TV, along with a long list of other networks. For the sake of watching the Rangers in the Playoffs, it does come with NBCSN and USA. You also get access to a cloud DVR.

Vue has the shortest free trial at five days, but that should be enough time to try it out for the first three games.

There you have it… five options to watch the Rangers square off with the Canadiens, no cable required. Hopefully they take a much needed win early on and make it deep into the playoffs, so you can try out multiple options for streaming!

Chris Brantner is the co-founder of CutCableToday.com, the #1 site in the cord cutting niche. He also seeks to share his blogging knowledge on his newest site, Scribblrs.com.