Stanley Cup live stream: How to watch Lightning vs Stars game 3

Stanley Cup live stream of finals: Lightning vs Stars game 3
(Image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Stanley Cup Finals: Game 3 start time, channel

Lightning vs Stars starts today (Wednesday, Sept. 23) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and it's airing on NBCSN. Full series schedule below.

We're an hour away from the next Stanley Cup live stream of the finals. Tonight's Stars vs Lightning game 3 will break the 1-1 tie between the teams and see which can inch ahead toward the ultimate goal of holding the big silver trophy.

The Lightning were sluggish in the first match against the better-rested Stars. In game 2, they struck early, netting three goals in the first period. Dallas came back with two goals of their own, but the Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy was able to stave off a ton of power plays and stop 17 shots.

For game 3, the Lightning will rely again on Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman to power the offense. The Stars will have to up the intensity on defense without incurring too many penalties and yielding more power plays. Tampa Bay fans continue to hope for the return of team captain Steven Stamkos, who's been out for the entire playoffs. But he's stayed in the bubble and has started skating in practice again.

As for Dallas, they're more than capable of making shots. Center Joe Pavelski will be the key to the Stars' offensive attack, just as he has been all season. And fans are hoping for a repeat of the tremendous game 2 performance by goaltender Anton Khudobin.

We've got everything you need for Stanley Cup live streams of the finals.

How to avoid Stanley Cup live stream blackouts with a VPN

If you've had to leave your own "bubble" -- or you've been hit by a dreaded local blackout -- and you can't watch Stanley Cup live streams on cable, you're not out of luck. With a virtual private network, or VPN, you can appear to be surfing the web from your home town (or somewhere that blackouts won't hit), and access the same streaming services you already paid for. 

Not sure which VPN is right for you? We've tested many different services and our pick for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. It offers superb speeds and excellent customer service. But you've got other VPN options as well. Here are our top picks.

ExpressVPN

We think speed, security and simplicity make <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Foffer%2Ftomsguide%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ExpressVPN second to none. During our tests, we saw fast connection times, and we're impressed by the service's ability to access more than 3,000 services spread out across 160 locations in 94 countries. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

Stanley Cup live streams in the US

In the U.S., viewers can watch the Stanley Cup live stream of Lightning vs Stars game 3 today (Wednesday, September 23) at 8 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network, website or app. 

If you've already cut the cord and don't have a cable package with NBCSN, you'll be able to get this game on the live TV services Sling TV or FuboTV

Both are two of the picks on our best streaming services list and come with NBC Sports, as well as other top sports, news and entertainment channels.

Sling TV:

<a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/221109/1132376/14334?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F" data-link-merchant="sling.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sling TV: You can get NBC Sports in the Sling Blue package, which costs $30 per month and offers more than 50 channels. That includes local NBC and Fox networks (in select regions), AMC, Bravo, CNN, FX, HGTV, Syfy, TNT and USA.

Fubo.TV:

<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/?irad=366904&irmp=221109&subId1=hawk-custom-tracking" data-link-merchant="fubo.tv"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Fubo.TV: If you love sports, you probably want to check out Fubo.TV. It's got a 7-day free trial so you don't need to pay up front. The 118 channels includes NBC Sports, ESPN the NFL Network and more niche sports offerings. Plus, you get local networks and many top entertainment channels.

NHL.tv: The league's streaming service has all of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals games and is heavily discounted right now — just $9.99. And the NHL.tv app is available on most major streaming devices, including Android and iOS mobile, Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Xbox and Playstation.

Stanley Cup live streams in the UK

British hockey fans can watch the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals between the Lightning vs Stars live on Premier Sports at 1 a.m. BST (ouch, that's late!). 

Stanley Cup live streams in Canada

Hockey lovers in Canada (which is basically everyone in the country) can tune into the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals live on CBC.

Stanley Cup live streams in Australia

Down under, the Stanley Cup Finals are airing on ESPN2 as part of a Foxtel package at 10 a.m. AEST. 

If they've cut the cord, they can sign up for the Kayo Sports Basic Package which costs $25 per month and includes ESPN.

Stanley Cup Finals series schedule

(all times ET)

  • Game 1: Stars 4, Lightning 1
  • Game 2: Lightning 3, Stars 2
  • Game 3: Wednesday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
  • Game 4: Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
  • Game 5: Saturday, Sept. 26, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
  • *Game 6: Monday, Sept. 28, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)
  • *Game 7: Wednesday, Sept. 30, 8 p.m. (NBCSN)

* = if necessary

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.