The NHL’s new season started on October 4th and many hockey fans are already enjoying the action of their favorite sport. While some people are still relying on cable and satellite providers to watch the games, there is an increasing interest in alternatives that allow users to cut the cord. Online streaming services are already very popular and many people are leaving the cord behind thanks to them. Live sports are still being used by cable/satellite services to keep their subscribers, but now there are other options to enjoy live broadcasts. One of them is Kodi, an open-source software that works on multiple platforms and that supports video streaming from a wide variety of sources.
Kodi is compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, Android and jailbroken iOS devices. It works with popular streaming boxes like Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Roku. With Kodi, you can live stream a wide range of sports events, including the new season of the NHL. There are many add-ons available that will help you to get access to streaming services. While some of them are official, others are not. We will go through the steps needed to stream NHL Live on Kodi and will also present a list of add-ons that will help you to watch live games on Kodi.
Installing an NHL streaming Kodi add-on to watch live
Here is a simple guide to install Kodi add-ons
- First you need to find out the repository in which the add is located.
- Then you need the URL where the repository is located.
- You will have to change the Kodi settings to make sure that Kodi accepts the data from the source where the repo is.
- Download the zip file for the repository
- Install the repository on your Kodi using the zip file
- Install the add-on to Kodi using the repository
To make things easy, you can install multiple super-repositories that come with a selection of popular add-ons. Keep in mind that if the add-on is part of the official Kodi repository, it is possible to skip the steps between 1 and 5 since the official repository is already installed in Kodi. You can simply go to the Kodi main menu and select add-ons, then downloads, followed by video add-ons and then the name of the add-on. You can then click “install” to complete the installation.
How to watch NHL on Kodi safely
Although there are many Kodi add-ons that allow you to access NHL streams legally as long as you have a subscription to the service that holds the rights to the broadcast, if you decide to use an unofficial add-on, there are some risks involved and you need to keep them in mind. Unofficial Kodi add-ons may be used by hackers as a way to get access to your system. In addition, copyright holders may find out that you are accessing their content illegitimately. While we advise you to stick to official and legitimate add-ons, if you decide to use other options, it is particularly important that you take measures to protect the security and privacy of your connection. With a VPN, you can avoid security threats such as MITM attacks and can also keep your identity protected when you are online.
Even if you are using official Kodi add-ons, a VPN would be a valuable tool to keep your privacy protected. After all, there are always dangers lurking and in order to secure your internet traffic, the encryption that a VPN offers is the best solution. Plus, if you want to access content that is only available in a specific country and you happen to be travelling abroad or don’t live there, a VPN can help you to bypass geographical restrictions by disguising your IP address. For instance, some NHL events are subject to geo-blocks, but if you use a VPN, you can connect to a server in the region where the content is available and you will appear as if you were there, which will allow you to stream without issues.
A VPN will prevent your ISP from throttling your connection and from tracking your online activities. It is a comprehensive solution to enjoy online security and access to the content that you want to watch, regardless of your location. We recommend services like ExpressVPN, VPNArea, NordVPN, Buffered, PureVPN and Private Internet Access. They offer high quality, fast speeds and will protect your privacy. The encryption that they offer and the wide selection of servers available will ensure that others can’t see what you do online and will allow you to unblock content without issues. These providers have servers in Canada and the United States that will enable you to stream the NHL on Kodi.
Watching NHL on Kodi – Official live streaming add-ons
Although there are several add-ons that offer free live NHL streams, they are not always reliable and may stop in the middle of the game. In addition, the quality may not be the best, which is why you may want to stick to official options. Let’s start with a list of games and the national broadcasters that hold the rights to them.
United States
The majority of regular season games are available on NBCSN (NBC Sports Network)
Regional and Canadian broadcasts are available on NHL Network
NBC will air one “Game of the Week” starting in January
NBC, CNBC and NBCSN offer different playoff games
Telemundo and NBC Universo offer simulcasts in Spanish
Official add-ons
Canada
FX Canada, Sportsnet and CBC air Saturday night games
Sportsnet offers Sunday night games
Sportsnet and CBC broadcast Playoff games
TVA Sports offers broadcasts in French
NHL GameCenter
This is the official Kodi add-on for NHL.tv, which provides access to all the regular season and preseason out-of-market games. If the local team games are blacked out, you can use a VPN and connect to a server in a city in which the game is available. A subscription to NHL GameCenter is available for around $25 USD per month or around $140 per year, and you can also get a single team package for about $112. You will need a GameCenter username and login in order to access content on NHL GameCenter and the add-on can be found in the Official Kodi Add-on Repository.
NHL.tv
This Kodi add-on is very similar to NHL GameCenter and it also allows you to access content from NHL via Kodi. You can set up an NHL.tv account and get the add-on from the Official Kodi Add-on Repository. A paid account costs $24.99 per month and once you enter your login details through the Kodi add-on, you will be able to access NHL.tv streams without issues.
USTV Now
USTV Now allows you to stream content from 7 channels for free, including NBC, but if you want to get access to more games and options, you can pay $19.99 per month to get NBC Sports Network as well. This will allow you to watch pretty much every game. Singing up for USTV Now is easy (https://watch.ustvnow.com/subscription) and then you can download the add-on from the official Kodi Add-on Repository.
NBC Sports Live Extra
If you have a US cable subscription, you can log into this service to stream live NHL games in high quality with the NBC Sports Live Extra Kodi add-on. If you happen to travel outside the United States, you can use a VPN and connect to a server in the US to stream the games. You will be able to access your NBC Sports Live account through Kodi once your install the add-on from the Official Kodi Add-on Repository.
Sportsnet Now
Sportsnet combines multiple Canadian sports TV channels. The online streaming service that offers these channels is called Sportsnet Now. With the Kodi add-on, you can get access to the service and enjoy the games that this platform offers. The Sportsnet Now service costs $24.99 per month. Keep in mind that while you can access the service from outside Canada, using a VPN, in order to sign up, a Canadian credit card is required.
Unofficial Kodi add-ons for NHL live streams
There are also unofficial add-ons that allow you to access NHL live streams and while we don’t recommend them, you may come across about them.
SportsDevil
This is a third-party add-on that scans for streams from other websites. SportsDevil doesn’t host the content and the streams come from sources that don’t hold the license to offer the live streams. Most of the streams offer low quality and they are not very reliable.
SportsAccess
SportsAccess offers high-quality streams, but again, they are obtained from unofficial sources and on top of that, it charges users for access to them. If you are going to pay for a service, you may as well pay for a legitimate source that offer the best quality and reliability.
cCloud TV
This is a popular Kodi add-on that gets content from a large number of streaming channels from around the world. Most of the content available from cCloud TV is focused on US and UK channels, but there are options from other locations. While it is easy to find streams, cCloud is not a legitimate solution, which is why you should be careful if you decide to access it.
