Blackhawks TV Schedule 2025-26: Channels & Streaming Guide

Few things frustrate a hockey fan more than settling in to watch the Blackhawks, only to realize you can’t find the game — or worse, it’s blacked out. The 2025-26 season brings a new broadcast reality for Chicago fans: the Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) has taken over regional coverage, while national games are spread across ESPN, TNT, and ABC, with every channel, streaming option, and blackout workaround detailed below.

National TV games (2025-26): 15 ·
Regional broadcaster: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) ·
Streaming services: ESPN+, Hulu, Prime Video, CHSN direct ·
Regular season games: 82 ·
Blackout restrictions: Apply for regional games on ESPN+/NHL.tv

Five key facts define the 2025-26 viewing landscape — one pattern: the spread of games across more platforms than ever before.

Who broadcasts Chicago Blackhawks games?

Three distinct tiers of broadcasters carry Blackhawks games: national networks, a regional sports network, and radio. Each covers a different slice of the 82-game season.

National broadcast partners: ESPN, TNT, ABC

The NHL’s official broadcast page confirms the Blackhawks will appear in 15 nationally-televised games during the 2025-26 season. The schedule includes:

• ESPN: Season opener Oct. 7 at Florida, plus Oct. 23 at Tampa Bay and Dec. 4 at Los Angeles (NHL.com)
• TNT: Nov. 12, Dec. 10, Dec. 23, Jan. 7, Mar. 17 (NHL.com/Blackhawks)
• ABC: Select Saturday windows and potential playoff matchups
• ESPN+/Hulu: Jan. 22 at Carolina, Mar. 19 at Minnesota

The pattern: National broadcasts are concentrated in the first half of the season, with five TNT games between November and March. If you’re a casual fan, these are your easiest windows to catch the Blackhawks without a regional subscription.

Regional broadcaster: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN)

For the 2025-26 season, the NHL.com/Blackhawks local broadcast schedule states that 67 games will air on the Chicago Sports Network. CHSN launched in 2024-25 as the replacement for NBC Sports Chicago, covering the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox.

Chicago-area viewers can access CHSN through major providers including Comcast Xfinity, DIRECTV, DIRECTV Stream, AT&T U-verse, Fubo, and RCN/Astound, according to the same NHL.com release.

Radio broadcast: WGN Radio

All 82 games are available on WGN Radio 720 AM and the WGN Radio app, with John Wiedeman providing play-by-play. Radio is the only blackout-free option for every game, regardless of your location.

What streaming service has the Chicago Blackhawks?

Streaming options depend entirely on where you live and which game you want to watch. The answer is different for local fans versus out-of-market viewers.

Streaming via ESPN+ and Hulu

For out-of-market fans, NHL.com/Blackhawks confirms that all CHSN-broadcast games are available to stream on ESPN+. This includes the 67 regional games — but only if you live outside the Blackhawks’ broadcast territory. Hulu subscribers with the ESPN+ bundle get the same access.

Streaming on Prime Video (select games)

Prime Video streams national games that air on TNT and ABC. The exact number of Blackhawks games on Prime Video isn’t publicly specified, but the platform carries the full TNT national schedule, which includes five Blackhawks games in 2025-26.

CHSN direct streaming options

According to the Chicago Tribune, the CHSN direct-to-consumer app launched in November 2024 and offers live coverage of Blackhawks games. The app is available on iOS, tvOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, and Vizio, plus web browsers. A free 7-day trial is available, and the NHL.com/Blackhawks release confirms the app streams all locally broadcast games.

NHL Power Play on ESPN+

ESPN+ also offers NHL Power Play, a dedicated hub for out-of-market games, highlights, and analysis. For Blackhawks fans outside the blackout zone, this is the most cost-effective way to get all 67 CHSN games without a cable subscription.

The pattern: your location determines the cost and availability of streaming options.

Why is the Blackhawks game blacked out?

Nothing kills a game-night buzz faster than opening a streaming app and seeing “This event is blacked out in your region.” Here’s exactly why that happens and what it means for Blackhawks viewers.

Regional blackout rules

Blackouts exist because of exclusive regional broadcast rights. CHSN paid for the rights to be the exclusive home of Blackhawks games in the Chicago market. To protect that investment, the NHL restricts streaming services from showing those games to viewers within the broadcast territory.

NHL broadcast restrictions

The CableTV.com guide explains that most Blackhawks games air locally on CHSN, and out-of-market viewers need ESPN+ to stream those CHSN broadcasts. The rule works in reverse: if you live in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, or parts of Michigan, you’re in the blackout zone for CHSN games on ESPN+.

Streaming blackouts due to local rights

Blackouts apply to NHL.tv, ESPN+, and any other out-of-market streaming service. They do not apply to national broadcasts (ESPN, TNT, ABC), which are available to all viewers regardless of location. According to Sports Media Watch, CHSN remains the home feed for the majority of Blackhawks games in the 2026 portion of the season, meaning local blackouts will remain in effect for those games.

The catch: Blackouts are the broadcast industry’s way of segmenting markets. The fan who pays for cable in Chicago and the fan who pays for ESPN+ in Denver are both getting the game — just not the same game.

What time is the Chicago Blackhawks Game tonight?

Game times shift depending on the day of the week, the network, and whether it’s a national broadcast. Here’s how to find the exact time for any given game.

How to find the game time

The most reliable source is the NHL.com/Blackhawks schedule page, which lists every game with date, time, and broadcast network. ESPN’s schedule page and the CHSN app also provide real-time listings. Most weekday games start at 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM CT, while Saturday games often start at 6:00 PM CT or later for national windows.

Regular season schedule overview

The 82-game season runs from October 2025 through April 2026. Of those, 67 games are on CHSN, 15 are on national TV, and the remainder are split between streaming-only windows. The local broadcast schedule from NHL.com/Blackhawks breaks down every game by channel.

Preseason and playoff schedule

Preseason games typically start in late September. These are often broadcast on CHSN or streamed on the team’s website. Playoff games, if the Blackhawks qualify, are carried nationally by ESPN, TNT, or ABC, with no local blackout restrictions.

What this means: If you’re looking for “Blackhawks game tonight channel,” the answer depends on whether it’s a national or regional broadcast. Check the schedule first, then match your provider.

How can I watch Blacked Out Blackhawks games?

This is the question that brings most fans to this guide. If you live in the Chicago market but don’t have cable, or if you’re traveling and can’t access your usual provider, here are your options.

Using a VPN to bypass blackouts

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) changes your apparent location by routing your internet traffic through a server in another city. For out-of-market fans who are temporarily in the blackout zone, or for fans who want to access ESPN+ from within the Chicago market, a VPN can allow viewing. Blackout restrictions are enforced by IP address, so connecting to a server outside the broadcast territory can bypass the block.

Important caveat: This works for streaming services but may violate their terms of service. Use at your own discretion.

Watching at a sports bar or venue

Every game is available through commercial sports packages. Bars and restaurants in the Chicago area carry CHSN through their commercial DirecTV or Comcast accounts. This is a legal, reliable way to watch blacked-out games without a home subscription.

Using a digital antenna for over-the-air games

According to Antenna Land, CHSN no longer has a free over-the-air signal after losing its broadcast carrier in June 2025. This means a digital antenna will not pick up Blackhawks games. The over-the-air option is effectively dead for the 2025-26 season.

Waiting for replay on ESPN+ or NHL.tv

Games are typically available on demand a few hours after the final whistle. ESPN+ and NHL.tv offer full replays of every out-of-market game, including blacked-out contests, once the live broadcast concludes. If you can’t watch live and don’t mind avoiding score alerts, this is the simplest workaround.

The catch: Local cord-cutters must pay $19.99/month, while out-of-market fans can use ESPN+ for $11.99/month.

Timeline: How the Blackhawks broadcast landscape changed

The way Chicago watches hockey has shifted dramatically in just two seasons. Here’s the sequence of events that led to the 2025-26 viewing reality.

• 2023-24 season: NBC Sports Chicago still carries Blackhawks games. Over-the-air broadcasts on WGN are available for select games.
• 2024-25 season: Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) launches as the new regional broadcaster, replacing NBC Sports Chicago. The network begins streaming via a direct-to-consumer app, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
• 2025-26 season: 15 national games confirmed on ESPN, TNT, and ABC. CHSN carries 67 local games. The over-the-air signal is discontinued in June 2025, per Antenna Land.
• 2026-27 season: Preseason schedule expected to follow the same broadcast framework. Possible expansion of CHSN’s streaming platform.

Why this matters: In two years, the Blackhawks went from a single regional cable channel to a multi-platform model that includes national TV, a dedicated streaming app, and a direct-to-consumer subscription. The complexity has increased, but so has the flexibility — if you know where to look.

What’s confirmed and what’s still unclear

The pattern: confirmed facts outweigh unknowns, but future pricing and blackout changes remain open questions.

What the experts say

For the 2025-26 season, the Chicago Blackhawks will be featured in 15 nationally-televised games through NHL broadcast partners ESPN and TNT.

— NHL.com/Blackhawks (official team broadcast page)

Blackhawks games air on Chicago Sports Network. ABC, ESPN and TNT.

— Sports Media Watch (NHL broadcast tracking)

Chicago-area cord-cutters can watch every Blackhawks game through a live TV service that carries CHSN or through the CHSN direct-to-consumer app.

— CableTV.com (streaming guide)

All out-of-market Blackhawks fans can tune in to ESPN+ for all games airing on CHSN this season.

— NHL.com/Blackhawks (local broadcast schedule)

The 2025-26 season is the most accessible — and the most confusing — year ever for watching the Blackhawks. Fifteen national games mean casual fans can find Bedard on ESPN or TNT without a subscription. But the 67 games on CHSN require a deliberate choice: cable, a live TV package, or the CHSN direct app at $19.99/month.

For out-of-market fans, the decision is simpler: $11.99/month for ESPN+ covers every CHSN broadcast. For Chicago-area cord-cutters, the math is steeper: either pay for a live TV service that carries CHSN or subscribe directly. The over-the-air option is gone, and YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV still don’t carry the network, according to Antenna Land.

There’s also a broader industry shift worth watching. The CHSN model — a regional sports network with its own direct-to-consumer app — is increasingly common as cord-cutting accelerates. If you’re comparing sports streaming options, you might also find our Cox Cable TV 2026 guide useful for understanding how traditional cable and streaming intersect. And for fans who follow multiple sports, our Chiefs vs Bills where-to-watch guide covers similar ground for NFL broadcasts.

For the Chicago-area Blackhawks fan without cable, the choice is clear: subscribe to the CHSN app at $19.99/month for the full season, or find a sports bar with a DirecTV commercial account. Anything else leaves you with a black screen on game night.

Frequently asked questions

These answers cover the most common questions about accessing Blackhawks broadcasts.