After an exciting finish to the season, the New York Islanders are playoff-bound! Despite 16 overtime losses (the most of any playoffs team) and the least regulation wins of all 16 teams in the playoffs, the team finished with 94 points — enough to clinch the third seed in the Metropolitan Division.
As a result, they’ll face the second seed, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s a rematch of last season’s first round between the two teams, which ended with the Hurricanes winning in six games.
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The start of the playoffs also comes with good news for the team: defenseman Noah Dobson, who suffered an undisclosed upper-body injury that forced him to miss the last two games of the regular season, is good to go and will be back in the lineup for game 1 tonight.
The first game of the playoffs this year is the Islanders-Hurricanes, and we have everything you need to know before tuning in.
What TV channels will the New York Islanders NHL Playoffs games be on?
The New York Islanders’ first-round games will air on TBS (games 1 and 4), ESPN2 (games 2 and 3), and truTV (game 1). Additionally, game 1 will air on the Islanders’ home network, MSG. See the schedule below for more on when and where these games are airing.
How to watch the New York Islanders playoff games:
If you don’t have cable, there are a few streaming services you’ll need to subscribe to before you can watch every game of the Rangers’ playoff run.
How to stream TBS games without cable:
The easiest, most cost-effective way to stream TBS games during 2024 NHL Playoffs without cable is with a Max subscription. You can get Max for as low as $9.99/month, and all three plans (up to $19.99/month) currently come with the Bleacher Report Sports add-on, which you’ll need to watch these games live
You can also get all of the necessary networks for these games on the following live TV streaming services: Sling TV (either base plan), DirecTV Stream, and Hulu + Live TV.
How to stream ESPN2 games without cable:
If you don’t have cable, the only way to stream the NY Islanders playoff games on ESPN2 is with a live TV streaming service, since ESPN+ will not be carrying live ESPN games until the conference finals (third round). The following services include ESPN:
- DirecTV Stream – any plan, starting at $94.98/month with $10 off the first three months
- Sling TV – Orange plan, $40/month with half off the first month
- Hulu + Live TV – base plan, $76.99/month
- fuboTV – any plan, starting at $79.99/month
Can I stream New York Islanders playoff games for free?
While you won’t be able to stream the full series, you can get five days of DirectTV Stream free (and its base package includes MSG, too!) or seven days of fuboTV for free.
2024 NHL Playoffs schedule: When do the New York Islanders play?
- Game 1: Islanders at Hurricanes – Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (TBS, truTV, MAX, MSGSN,)
- Game 2: Islanders at Hurricanes – April 22, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
- Game 3: Hurricanes at Islanders – April 25, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
- Game 4: Hurricanes at Islanders – April 27, 2 p.m. ET (TBS)
- Game 5: Islanders at Hurricanes – April 30, TBD
- Game 6: Hurricanes at Islanders – May 2, TBD
- Game 7: Islanders at Hurricanes – May 4, TBD
Following the conclusion of this series, the winner will face the winner of the Rangers and Capitals series, so a Battle of New York second round is possible.