NHL Stanley Cup Final: How to Watch, Stream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 From Anywhere

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See at Hulu

Hulu Plus Live TV: $70

Carries TBS, TruTV and TNT

See at CBC

CBC Gem

Watch the NHL Stanley Cup Final for free in Canada

See at Viaplay

Viaplay

Watch the Stanley Cup Final in the UK from £15

The Florida Panthers last went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996. They were swept by the Colorado Avalanche. The Vegas Golden Knights made it to the Cup Final in their inaugural season in 2018. They lost in five games to the Washington Capitals. This year, one of these franchises will win the championship. 

Mathew Tkachuk came to the Panthers in a trade with the Calgary Flames last offseason and has dominated in key moments this postseason. The Panthers came into the tournament as the last seed in the Eastern Conference and have toppled the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes en route to the Final.

They will face off against Jack Eichel and a Vegas Golden Knights team that’s powered its way through the Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars to reach their second Stanley Cup Final in six years. 

Whether you live in the US or are looking to follow the NHL action from around the world, we’ll outline the best live TV streaming services to watch the 2023 Stanley Cup Final live, no matter where you are.

Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights battle for a puck.

The Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights meet in the Stanley Cup Final.

Jeff Bottari/NHLI/Getty Images

Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1: When and where?

The Golden Knights get home advantage for the first two games in the series, hosting this game at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The puck drops for Game 1 at p.m. ET or 5 p.m. PT in the US — that’s 1 a.m. BST in the UK, and 10 a.m. AEST in Australia on Sunday, June 4.

What’s the schedule for the rest of the NHL Stanley Cup Final?

The schedule for the rest of the NHL Stanley Cup Final series is as follows. All games will air in the US on TNT.

• Monday, June 5: Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET (Game 2)
• Thursday, June 8: Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m. ET (Game 3)
• Saturday, June 10: Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m. ET (Game 4, if necessary)
• Tuesday, June 13: Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET (Game 5, if necessary
• Friday, June 16: Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m. ET (Game 6, if necessary)
• Monday, June 19: Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET (Game 7, if necessary)

How to watch Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 online from anywhere using a VPN

If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch the game — that’s where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day by encrypting your traffic, and it’s also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network, and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.

With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors’ Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.

Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you’re streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

Express VPN
Sarah Tew/CNET

Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 in the US

This season marks the first time in decades that the Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast entirely on cable television, with the series being shown live on TNT and TruTV, and TBS showing all but Game 5.

How can I stream the games on my phone?

If you have a live TV streaming service (like Sling TV, YouTube TV or one of the ones below), you can use its app. If you have cable or satellite, you can use your provider’s app or watch via the TNT app. Click the person icon to sign in with your TV provider. 

Sling TV’s Orange plan includes TNT and TBS in most major markets and costs $40 a month, with $10 off your first month.

TruTV is meanwhile available via Sling’s Blue package, which comes in at a slightly more expensive $45 per month albeit, but is also offered with a $10 off discount for the first month.

Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and carries TBS, TruTV and TNT. 

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and offers TBS, TruTV and TNT.

DirecTV Stream is expensive. It’s the priciest of the five major live TV streaming services. Its cheapest, $65-a-month Entertainment package includes TBS, TruTV and TNT. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels and RSNs are available in your area. 

It is worth noting that DirecTV has an additional $15 “advanced receiver service” fee that automatically applies and is added on to the sticker price, which makes the Entertainment package $80 per month.

Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.

Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 in Canada for Free

The great news for Canadian ice hockey fans is that every game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final series will be shown on free-to-air CBC Sports. Pay TV provider Sportsnet will also be broadcasting every game.

You can stream the entirety of the Panthers vs. Golden Knights series live on CBC’s streaming service CBC Gem. There’s also the option to pay CA$5 per month for ad-free access to the service.

Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 in the UK

Viewers in the UK can watch every 2023 Stanley Cup Final game live on Viaplay. This first game will be broadcast on Viaplay Sports 1, with the puck drop set for 1 a.m. BST in the early hours of Sunday morning.

You’ll need to be a subscriber to Viaplay’s Total package to watch its Stanley Cup Final coverage, which is priced at £15 per month or £144 per year.

Viaplay currently has the UK broadcast rights to the United Rugby Championship, La Liga soccer, plus the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and Champions Hockey League.

Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 1 game in Australia

Select games from this year’s Stanley Cup Final can be watched Down Under on ESPN via Foxtel. If you’re not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for streaming service Kayo Sports.

A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.

The service gives you access to a wide range of sports including F1, NRL, NFL, F1 and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.

Better still, if you’re a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.

Quick tips for streaming the Stanley Cup Final using a VPN 

  • With four variables at play — your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN — your experience and success when streaming Stanley Cup Final games may vary.
  • If you don’t see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the “search for city or country” option.
  • If you’re having trouble getting the game after you’ve turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs — like Roku — don’t have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you’re using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
  • All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network’s sports app, you’ll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location. 
  • And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you’re using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.