The National Hockey League (NHL) is one of the most competitive leagues for hockey. It was originally established as the NHL in 1909. The National Hockey Association originally only encompassed Canadian teams. A fight between two of the owners is what caused some of the teams break away and create the NHL in 1917. It now encompass 31 teams from throughout North America and is the most popular hockey leagues. The National Hockey League has a rich history of competition and a fan base that loves to cheer on their teams every week. Teams play many games most weeks, but not all are available for fans to watch. This is because ESPN+ has blackout restrictions based on where you live. Please join us as we teach you how to bypass blackout restrictions to watch NHL games on ESPN+ with a VPN.
How to Use a VPN to Get Around ESPN+ Blackout Restrictions
Here’s a quick guide for watching NHL games on ESPN+ with a VPN.
- Sign up for ExpressVPN (30 day risk-free money-back guarantee)
- Install the ExpressVPN browser extension, desktop, or mobile app.
- Launch the ExpressVPN app and select a server in your chosen region. We recommend Canada or Mexico for viewing NHL games to bypass blackout restrictions.
- Cheer on your favorite team through ESPN+.
Before we get more in depth as to how to watch ESPN+ games with a VPN let us tell you more about the benefits of using a VPN for watching sports. Sports often have blackout restrictions for multiple reasons. One is an attempt to encourage more people to go to the game. Another is that the broadcast is only available in certain countries or regions. A VPN can help you out in these situations because it allows you to change your IP address. It does this by allowing you to choose a server location and assigning you an IP address from the region. If you choose a server in an area that the game is watchable, then you will be able to stream it. A VPN also hides your IP address and helps protect your privacy.
The National Hockey League plays games constantly. They are available through the ESPN+ streaming service. You can also sign up for Sling TV to gain access to some games through NBC, USA, and NHL Network. Other options include Hulu Live TV and Youtube TV. The services might allow you to view some games when your team is away, but the games that are closer to where you live are likely blackout restricted. Some games are geo-blocked for those from other regions of the world. Connecting to a VPN will help you avoid the blackout restrictions to cheer on your favorite team through every game.
NHL History and Team Info
Hockey is a sport played internationally. The game has tons of leagues globally with their own variations on the rules. The reason the game is so widely played is due to its physical and exciting nature. A game of hockey is dominated by the two vital parts of the game: defense and offense. These two sides must work together to prevent and score goals. Some of teams create lines meant to specifically score, prevent goals, or to get a little rough. The game is very physical, but this only adds to the competitiveness. The teams are fighting to obtain the Stanley Cup. Some of the players have been working their whole lives to join the league and play for it. The NHL has players from all over the world that fans can connect to and see throughout the year. Some players are good enough that they even play in the winter Olympics for their own countries. The National Hockey League has produced some of the best hockey players in the world like Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, and Sidney Crosby.
The task every NHL team wants to succeed in is winning the Stanley Cup. Every year teams will play preseason games to help them determine who they play, cut, and move down to the AHL from the draft. Once the season has started, the teams play 82 games. The games teams play against others of their own division are important. Teams have better positions in the playoffs when they can win their own divisions. They also get more home games since it is a best out of seven games elimination tournament. The last members of each side of the bracket are the winners of their conference. These two teams then compete with one another in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Eastern and Western Conferences are the two used in the NHL. The Eastern Conference has the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions in it. The Western Conference has the Central and Pacific divisions. All of the divisions have eight teams in them except the Central division. Seattle is planning on joining in the 2021 season and this will make the divisions even. The division games are normally more competitive as beating them means that the team is closer to the playoffs. Every team in the NHL is fight to get in Stanley Cup playoffs either through winning their division or a wild card spot.
How to Watch NHL Games on ESPN+ with ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our favorite VPN for watching sports. They have server locations all over the world that allow you to access virtually any sport. One of the most important reasons for using a VPN is to make sure you are safe while streaming sports. ExpressVPN keeps you safe by masking your IP and encrypting your data. ExpressVPN has over 3000 servers around the world that can be connected to at any time. They also give you a kill switch that will kick in if the VPN was to disconnect. It will ensure that your information remains safe, while the VPN reconnects. They do not keep activity logs. ExpressVPN provides protection, while you stream sports.
We are excited to share with our readers an exclusive ExpressVPN discount. You can save 49% off a year of VPN and receive 3 months free. ExpressVPN will keep you safe while streaming. They will hide your IP and help you access content that is blocked in your region. ExpressVPN has 160 server locations around the world that will help you unblock virtually any game you want to see. You will also be able to stream through most devices using the VPN service and their MediaStreamer feature. ExpressVPN has a 30 day money back guarantee.
