How to Watch the NHL All-Star Game Live for Free to See McDavid, Hughes, & More
Katie Decker-Jacoby
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, StyleCaster may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
If you’re a big hockey fan, there’s a good chance you’re wondering how to watch the NHL All-Star Game live for free. It’s the event everyone’s looking forward to because they get to see the season’s top-performing players face off against each other. The 2024 All-Star Game will no doubt be one to remember since fan favorites like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are set to take the ice.
Debuting on October 13, 1947, the National Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey tournament that features the season’s biggest stars. The NHL All-Star game usually takes place at the halfway point of the regular season, which is in late January or early February.
The 2024 NHL All-Star Game is on the calendar for Saturday, February 3, 2024 and is set at the Toronto Maple Leaf’s Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The League has switched up the format of the NHL All-Star Game many times, but this year, it’s a three-on-three format with two semifinal games and one final game that determines the winning team. The game’s proceeds go toward the pension fund of the players and the winning team gets to award $1,000,000 to a charity of their choice.
Hockey legends such as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Mark Messier, and Gordie Howe top the NHL All-Star Game leaderboard in terms of points, goals, assists, and games played. But this year, all eyes are on the five team captains, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks (the Hughes brothers are co-captains of one team).
So, who will it be? Team Matthews, Team McDavid, Team MacKinnon, or Team Hughes? Keep reading to find out how to watch the NHL All-Star Game so that you can see the League’s biggest names in showdowns that are sure to bring fans to their feet.
When does the NHL All-Star Game start?
The 2024 NHL All-Star Game airs on Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN Plus. The first semifinal game, Team MacKinnon vs. Team McDavid, starts at 3 p.m. ET. The second semifinal game, Team Hughes vs. Team Matthews, starts at 4 p.m. ET. The two winning teams will compete in the finals, which starts at 5 p.m. ET.
- Semifinal: Team MacKinnon vs. Team McDavid – Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 3 p.m. ET
- Semifinal: Team Hughes vs. Team Matthews – Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET
- Final: TBD vs. TBD – Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
How to watch the NHL All-Star Game live for free
The 2024 NHL All-Star Game airs on ABC and ESPN Plus. ABC is available to stream on services like DirecTV Stream, Fubo, and Hulu+ With Live TV. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial, and starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial, and starts at $74.99 per month after the trial ends. While Hulu+ With Live TV doesn’t have a free trial, it is cheaper per month than the other options, starting at $68.99 per month, and offers plans that include free subscriptions to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.
ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $99.99 per year for a yearly plan, which saves customers about 17 percent or $20 from the monthly rate.
- Best Overall Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial
- Best Budget Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: ESPN Plus
- Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: Fubo’s Free Trial
- Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: Hulu+ With Live TV
Best Overall Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: DirecTV Stream’s Free Trial
Direct TV is our best overall pick to watch the NHL All-Star Game live for free for its free trial, price, and channel selection. DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial. DirecTV offers four plans: Entertainment, which costs $74.99 per month with the first three months at $64.99 per month; Choice, which costs $99.99 per month with the first three months at $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which costs $109.99 per month with the first three months at $99.99 per month; and Premiere, which costs $154.99 per month with the first three months at $144.99 per month.
As for other differences between the plans, Entertainment includes more than 75 channels, the ability to stream on unlimited devices in your home, unlimited cloud DVR storage, and a special offer on premium channels. Choice, which is the most popular plan, includes more than 105 channels, regional sports networks, and everything included in Entertainment. Ultimate includes more than 140 channels and everything included in Entertainment and Choice. Premiere includes more than 150 channels including premium channels like HBO and Starz and everything included in Entertainment, Choice, and Premiere. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NHL All-Star Game with DirecTV Stream’s free trial.
- Visit streamtv.directv.com‘s packages page
- Click “Try It Free” for the plan of your choice
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for ABC and start watching the NHL All-Star Game
Best Budget Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: ESPN Plus
ESPN Plus costs $9.99 per month for a monthly plan or $99.99 per year for a yearly plan, which saves customers about 17 percent or $20 from the monthly rate. ESPN Plus includes access to live events, such as Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer games when their seasons are active. Subscribers can also watch other sports like college football, international soccer, tennis, Professional Golfer’s Association games, and Ultimate Fighting Championship matches. ESPN
In addition to live events, ESPN Plus includes original shows, such as Peyton’s Places, a docuseries hosted by NFL quarterback Peyton Manning; Detail, a recap show that includes in-depth analysis from the perspective of players; Stephen A’s World, a sports news show hosted by ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith; Why Not Us, a docuseries on a men’s basketball team at a historic Black university; and the award-winning 30 For 30, a docuseries that highlights notable sports moments and people through the decades. ESPN Plus also includes select films and game replays and is available to stream in HD on ESPN.com and through the ESPN App on various phones, tablets, computers, and smart TVs. Along with streamable content, ESPN Plus includes fantasy sports tools and premium articles from respected voices in the sports industry.
- Visit ESPN Plus’ website
- Click “Get the Disney Bundle” or “Subscribe to ESPN+ only”
- Create an account
- Select your plan and insert your payment information
- Log into your account and start watching the NHL All-Star Game
Best Free Trial Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: Fubo’s Free Trial
Fubo is our best free trial pick to watch the NHL All-Star Game live for free. Fubo offers a seven-day free trial (two days longer than DirecTV Stream) and offers three plans: Pro, which costs $74.99 per month; Elite, which costs $84.99 per month; and Ultimate, which costs $99.99 per month.
As for the difference between the plans, Pro includes 180 channels, 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR, and the ability to watch on up to 10 screens at once. Elite includes everything in Pro, as well as a total of 256 channels and 4K resolution. Ultimate includes everything in Pro and Elite, as well as a total of 299 channels, Showtime, and Red Zone NFL Network. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NHL All-Star Game with Fubo’s free trial.
- Visit Fubo.TV
- Click “Start Free Trial”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for ABC and start watching the NHL All-Star Game
Best Upgrade Pick to Watch the NHL All-Star Game: Hulu+ Live TV
Hulu+ With Live TV is our best upgrade pick to watch the NHL All-Star Game based on its channel selection and its free subscriptions to Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus. Hulu+ With Live TV offers four plans: a $68.99 per month plan with access to only live TV; a $69.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; a $74.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads; and a $82.99 per month plan with free subscriptions to Hulu with no ads, Disney Plus with no ads, and ESPN Plus with ads. Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to watch the NHL All-Star Game with Hulu+ Live TV.
- Visit Hulu.com/liveTV
- Click “Sign Up Now”
- Enter your information and payment method
- Search for ABC and start watching the NHL All-Star Game
NHL All-Star Game Format
You might be surprised that the NHL All-Star Game is not just one game, but three. Fans should expect the usual three-on-three format for the 2024 NHL All-Star Game. The four-team tournament will see two semifinal games and then the two triumphant teams will head to the finals to decide the ultimate 2024 NHL All-Star Game winner. Teams will play for a total of 20 minutes (10-minute halves). If the game is tied at the end of the 20 minutes, teams will face off in a three-round shootout, with extra rounds as needed to crown a winner.
NHL All-Star Game Rosters
Typically, teams are split into divisions (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific). However, for the first time since 2015, the rosters will be established based on a draft. Each captain and assistant captain will have their pick of the litter (a.k.a the players who were already named as 2024 All-Stars) to form a team of 11 players total (seven skaters and two goalies). So how did the NHL All-Star Game draft shake out on February 1? See below for complete rosters for each of the 2024 NHL All-Star Game teams:
Team Matthews
- Auston Matthews (Captain) – Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Morgan Rielly (Assistant Captain) – Defenseman, Toronto Maple Leafs
- William Nylander – Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Mitch Marner – Forward, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Jake Oettinger – Goalie, Dallas Stars
- Clayton Keller – Forward, Arizona Coyotes
- Mathew Barzal – Forward, New York Islanders
- Igor Shesterkin – Goalie, New York Rangers
- Filip Forsberg – Forward, Nashville Predators
- Alex DeBrincat – Forward, Detroit Red Wings
- Vincent Trocheck – Forward, New York Rangers
Team McDavid
- Connor McDavid (Captain)- Forward, Edmonton Oilers
- Leon Draisaitl (Assistant Captain) – Forward, Edmonton Oilers
- Connor Hellebuyck – Goalie, Winnipeg Jets
- David Pastrnak – Forward, Boston Bruins
- Rasmus Dahlin – Defenseman, Buffalo Sabres
- Robert Thomas – Forward, St. Louis Blues
- Sam Reinhart – Forward, Florida Panthers
- Sergei Bobrovsky – Goalie, Florida Panthers
- Boone Jenner – Forward, Columbus Blue Jackets
- Nick Suzuki – Forward, Montreal Canadiens
- Tomas Hertl – Forward, San Jose Sharks
Team MacKinnon
- Nathan MacKinnon (Captain) – Forward, Colorado Avalanche
- Cale Makar (Assistant Captain) – Defenseman, Colorado Avalanche
- Sidney Crosby – Forward, Pittsburgh Penguins
- Alexandar Georgiev – Goalie, Colorado Avalanche
- Kirill Kaprizov – Forward, Minnesota Wild
- Sebastian Aho – Forward, Carolina Hurricanes
- Tom Wilson – Forward, Washington Capitals
- Jeremy Swayman – Goalie, Boston Bruins
- Travis Konecny – Forward, Philadelphia Flyers
- Elias Lindholm – Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Oliver Bjorkstrand – Forward, Seattle Kraken
Team Hughes
- Quinn Hughes (Co-Captain) – Defenseman, Vancouver Canucks
- Elias Pettersson (Captain) – Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Nikita Kucherov – Forward, Tampa Bay Lightning
- Thatcher Demko – Goalie, Vancouver Canucks
- Kyle Connor – Forward, Winnipeg Jets
- Brady Tkachuk – Forward, Ottawa Senators
- Jesper Bratt – Forward, New Jersey Devils
- Cam Talbot – Goalie, Los Angeles Kings
- Brock Boeser – Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- J.T Miller – Forward, Vancouver Canucks
- Frank Vatrano – Forward, Anaheim Ducks
Injured players: Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils), Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks), and Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights)
Who are the NHL All-Star Game captains?
Team Matthews
- Captain: Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Assistant Captain: Morgan Rielly (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Celebrity Captain: Justin Bieber
Team McDavid
- Captain: Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
- Assistant Captain: Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
- Celebrity Captain: Will Arnett
Team MacKinnon
- Captain: Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
- Assistant Captain: Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
- Celebrity Captain: Tate McRae
Team Hughes
- Co-captains: Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) and Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)
- Assistant Captain: lias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks)
- Celebrity Captain: Michael Bublé
- ** Jack Hughes is injured and will not play in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game
Who are the NHL All-Star Game coaches?
The NHL All-Star Game coaches include Peter Laviolette (New York Rangers), Jim Montgomery (Boston Bruins), Rick Bowness (Winnipeg Jets), and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks). This is Laviolette’s fourth time coaching in an NHL All-Star Game, Montgomery and Tocchet’s second time, and Bowness’ first. How were the NHL All-Star Game coaches decided? As of the halfway point of the 2023-2024 NHL season, the Rangers, Bruins, Jets, and Canucks sat at the top of the winning percentage leaderboard for each division.
