Tonight across Western Pennsylvania Yinzers will be finishing dinner, ready to settle in to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the hated Washington Capitals. Perhaps some will have already placed a bet the Penguins or wagered on on how many goals Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin will score. Except when fans turn to AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. to watch they will be surprised.
No game.
And, it won’t be the only time it will happen this NHL season.
Penguins games on streaming services
Tonight is the first of four Penguins games to be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu. This is a result of the new seven-year contract between the National Hockey League and the Walt Disney Company signed in March. That deal provides up to 75 national exclusive games to the streaming services. Three Philadelphia Flyers games also will be featured in this package, including a head-to-head battle between the Keystone Rivals on January 6.
Local radio networks including flagships 105.9 FM “The X” in Pittsburgh, 97.5 FM and “The Fanatic” in Philadelphia will still air the games live so fans won’t be entirely shut out. All other regular season games are still viewable on the NHL’s national broadcasters (ABC, ESPN, TNT) or through local cable broadcasts.
Pittsburgh Penguins odds
Pittsburgh Penguins betting stats
(As of Dec. 10)
- Home record: 5-5-2
- Road record: 7-3-3
- Puck line: 12-13
- Over/under: 12-12-1
- Avg. goals for: 3
- Avg. goals against: 2.7
Pittsburgh Penguins and Flyers games on ESPN+ and Hulu
If you were caught off guard tonight, you still have time to subscribe to ESPN+ or Hulu before the Flyers and Pens go at it next month.
ESPN+/Hulu Exclusive Flyers and Penguins games
- Dec. 10: Pittsburgh vs. Washington
- Dec. 21: Philadelphia vs. Washington
- Jan. 6: Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh
- March 24: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis
- April 7: Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers
- April 25: Philadelphia vs. Chicago
- April 26: Pittsburgh vs. Edmonton
Lead image Ted S. Warren/AP
