The St. Louis Blues gear up for the 2025–2026 NHL season with one objective: establishing themselves as serious contenders in the race for the Stanley Cup. After a competitive off-season and high expectations from both analysts and fans, this squad is drawing national coverage across ESPN, TNT, and NHL Network broadcasts. With top matchups and high-stakes moments ahead, live access becomes a non-negotiable for fans across the U.S.
DirecTV delivers the flexibility to follow every puck drop: traditional live TV channels, integrated streaming platforms, and on-demand options built into their packages. Whether following road games on national networks or catching replays on your schedule, a range of viewing formats ensures Blues fans never miss a moment of the 82-game grind.
The NHL released the full 2025–2026 regular season schedule in late June 2025. The St. Louis Blues open their season at home on October 9, 2025, at Enterprise Center, facing off against the defending Western Conference champions, the Edmonton Oilers—a matchup already generating attention across national networks.
Other notable games include:
The regular season concludes on April 14, 2026, with a home game against the Nashville Predators, a contest likely to hold playoff implications given both teams’ recent form.
The Blues play 41 games at home and 41 away, following standard league format. The home schedule is front-loaded, with 23 home games occurring before January 1. That distribution increases the likelihood of early-season matchups being picked up by national broadcasters like ESPN and TNT, especially when facing top-tier opponents.
Based on last season’s ratings data and team rivalries, at least 10–12 Blues games are projected for national broadcast across ESPN, ABC, TNT, or NHL Network. Key dates fall into prime slots: Saturday evenings, Wednesday night doubleheaders, and holiday fixtures. These nationally televised games will directly influence which DirecTV channels carry them versus those aired on regional networks.
When a game is selected for national broadcast, it typically shifts away from Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) like Bally Sports Midwest and airs instead on national channels such as TNT or ESPN. This creates fluctuations in availability depending on the market and the channel lineup of your DirecTV package.
In-market fans may find that local blackout rules suppress access on national feeds and redirect them to the RSN. Out-of-market viewers, on the other hand, might receive broader access via NHL Center Ice or streaming bundles carried by DirecTV. Understanding the nuances of the schedule and how games are distributed helps in identifying the correct channel for each game day.
For fans in Missouri and much of the Midwest, watching St. Louis Blues games on DirecTV remains a straightforward experience through satellite service. Bally Sports Midwest holds the regional broadcast rights and is included in DirecTV’s Choice and above packages. Here's how to access the channel based on your location:
Not located in the Midwest? Viewing gets more complex out-of-market. For example, subscribers in Florida won't automatically receive Bally Sports Midwest on satellite. In these cases, the NHL Center Ice package or DirecTV Stream (covered below) provides broader access. Blackout rules still apply, so not every game may be available live depending on your location and team rights agreements.
DirecTV Stream expands access to Blues games for those who’ve cut the cord or live outside satellite service areas. The streamer offers the Choice package or higher, which includes Bally Sports Midwest if you're located in the coverage zone. Simply sign in and start watching immediately—no dish installation required.
Here's what fans can expect:
DirecTV Stream also enables users in out-of-market areas to bundle NHL Center Ice or subscribe to a national sports add-on for broader coverage. This gives more control to fans outside Missouri who still want full-season access to the St. Louis Blues 2025–2026 campaign, whether at home or on-the-go.
Bally Sports Midwest serves as the primary broadcast home for St. Louis Blues games during the regular season. This RSN covers a defined geographic region referred to as the "home territory," which directly influences viewing access for DirecTV subscribers. For the Blues, that home region spans across Missouri, central and southern Illinois, parts of eastern Kansas, northern Arkansas, and select counties in western Kentucky and Indiana.
If your household is located within this territory, you'll receive Bally Sports Midwest as part of your DirecTV package, specifically on channel 671 in HD. Access to live Blues games is automatically included when the network has broadcasting rights, subject to blackout rules that apply to overlapping markets or national broadcast conflicts.
DirecTV determines RSN availability by evaluating your ZIP code and matching it to the appropriate Designated Market Area (DMA), as defined by Nielsen Media Research. Subscribers can enter their ZIP code on DirecTV’s regional sports network lookup tool to see which teams, channels, and games are included in their package.
For example:
Households located outside the official Blues broadcast territory won’t receive live games via Bally Sports Midwest unless they subscribe to an NHL out-of-market package, such as NHL Center Ice or ESPN+.
Unlike RSNs thought of as general sports hubs covering multiple teams across multiple leagues—such as NBC Sports Philadelphia or Spectrum SportsNet in Los Angeles—Bally Sports Midwest focuses more narrowly. It holds exclusive regional rights to both the St. Louis Blues (NHL) and the St. Louis Cardinals (MLB), anchoring its broadcast schedule heavily toward those two franchises.
This setup benefits Blues fans on DirecTV by providing in-depth, consistent hockey coverage throughout the season. Editorial control remains locally tailored, enhancing relevance and team-specific content. In contrast, RSNs in other regions often split their time across more franchises and sports, which can dilute coverage for any single team.
For fans watching the St. Louis Blues 2025–2026 season on DirecTV, Bally Sports Midwest serves as the primary regional network delivering game broadcasts. As the official television partner of the Blues, this RSN provides live coverage of most regular-season matchups, as well as select preseason games. All games aired on Bally Sports Midwest are available to DirecTV subscribers in the Blues' broadcast territory—typically covering Missouri and parts of Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana.
Bally Sports Midwest airs nearly every St. Louis Blues game not nationally televised on ESPN, TNT, or ABC. Most weekday games begin at 7:00 PM Central Time, while weekend games may vary in start time. The network allocates a broadcast slot that includes both pre-game and post-game programming, providing wall-to-wall coverage that extends well beyond the puck drop and final horn.
Subscribers can find Blues games on DirecTV Channel 671 within the regional viewing area. Games are broadcast in high definition, and a simulcast feed may be available via the Bally Sports app for DirecTV Stream users authenticated through their subscription.
Bally Sports Midwest’s game-day coverage doesn’t begin or end with the opening faceoff. "Blues Live", the signature studio show, kicks off 30 minutes before each game with pre-game analysis, injury reports, lineup changes, and coach commentary. Following the game, the post-game edition of "Blues Live" returns with reaction segments, in-depth stat breakdowns, and postgame interviews featuring players and coaches.
Bally Sports Midwest deploys a team of seasoned analysts and insiders for its Blues broadcasts. During the 2024–2025 season, viewers saw Darren Pang and John Kelly in the booth providing play-by-play and color commentary, along with Bernie Federko and Jamie Rivers in the studio offering post-game analysis. If current trends continue, this familiar team will return for the 2025–2026 campaign, bringing historical context, up-to-date scouting reports, and technical breakdowns that go beyond surface-level commentary.
Onsite reporters such as Erica Weston and Andy Strickland regularly deliver interviews from the bench and locker room, providing fans with access to real-time reactions and behind-the-scenes developments. These segments often offer critical insights into player decisions, injuries, or in-game adjustments that shape the outcome on the ice.
Starting in the 2021–2022 NHL season, the league entered into new seven-year broadcast agreements with ESPN and Turner Sports (TNT and TBS). These deals carry through the 2025–2026 season, placing a significant portion of national NHL coverage exclusively on these platforms. ESPN and ABC — both operated under The Walt Disney Company — share coverage responsibilities, while TNT airs marquee matchups throughout the week, particularly on Wednesdays.
Each week, select NHL games are aired exclusively on these national networks, which means local broadcast partners like Bally Sports Midwest do not have the right to show them. For instance, if the St. Louis Blues appear in a Wednesday night showcase on TNT or Saturday night game on ABC, DirecTV subscribers must tune in to those specific channels — regional RSNs will be blacked out for that event.
When ESPN or TNT holds the exclusive rights to broadcast a specific Blues game, even fans located in St. Louis will not see the matchup on Bally Sports Midwest. Likewise, ESPN+ plays a unique role in broadcasting more than 1,000 out-of-market games per season, but does not offer access to in-market games unless they fall under national exclusivity. That distinction often causes confusion but proves critical: national broadcasts override regional network obligations.
Blackouts operate under a concept designed to protect local broadcast rights. This means fans within a team’s designated home region — in this case, St. Louis and surrounding areas — must access the game through the appropriate regional or national broadcaster. If a viewer in St. Louis tries to stream a Blues game through a service like ESPN+ that's not carrying the event nationally, they'll face a blackout screen.
The league uses a viewer’s physical location — determined by ZIP code or IP address — to enforce these rules. For example:
Blackouts apply not only in cities with NHL teams but also in adjacent markets. So if a nearby city overlaps with the Blues’ broadcast territory, those residents will also face in-market viewing restrictions. DirecTV handles this by directing customers to the correct channel based on geography.
Curious which games are affected by blackouts? DirecTV’s on-screen guide flags these matchups, and the NHL’s official app offers blackout alert notices for every scheduled game. Timing, day of the week, opponent, and national scheduling patterns often influence whether a game becomes nationally exclusive.
For Blues fans located in the team’s home market, Bally Sports Midwest broadcasts most regular season games. On DirecTV satellite, this channel is found on Channel 671. This location doesn’t vary across most Midwestern states where the Blues are considered the home team, including Missouri, parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa.
If you're watching via DirecTV STREAM (and you're in a region that gets Bally Sports Midwest), the channel appears under the same name in the guide, but you won’t need to remember a channel number — just search “Bally” in the guide or voice search function to find upcoming games quickly.
Some high-profile Blues games will air nationally. DirecTV carries all the major networks that hold NHL broadcasting rights during the 2025–2026 season. Here's where to find them:
Games shown on these networks are typically part of nationally exclusive broadcasts, meaning they won't appear on Bally Sports Midwest that night. Playoff games and marquee matchups often run on TNT or ESPN, while ABC will carry select weekend or primetime slots.
Scanning through hundreds of channels wastes time. Set up your DirecTV guide to highlight the networks that matter. Use the Favorite Channels feature to prioritize Bally Sports Midwest, ESPN, TNT, ABC (your local), and NHL Network. This creates a streamlined viewing experience where you won’t miss a faceoff.
To record upcoming games, navigate to the desired listing in the guide and press "R" on your remote. Want to catch every Blues game of the season? Select “Record Series” on Bally Sports Midwest broadcasts, and your DVR will automatically capture every match — no manual setup needed each time.
NHL Center Ice on DirecTV delivers up to 40 out-of-market NHL games per week during the regular season. For fans of the St. Louis Blues living outside the Bally Sports Midwest broadcast area—say, in Florida, California, or New York—this package becomes the primary tool for following every game.
The 2025–2026 NHL season version of Center Ice includes both home and away team broadcasts, offering different commentary perspectives for every game. With multi-game viewing and dual feeds, viewers can jump between matchups or follow a specific team in detail.
DirecTV traditionally kicks off the regular season with a free preview week of NHL Center Ice. For the 2025–2026 season, fans can expect a similar offering, typically aligning with Opening Week in early October. After the preview period ends, the current full-season pricing trends between $69.99 and $109.99, depending on promotional offers or installment plans.
The service renews automatically each season unless canceled, ensuring continuity for returning subscribers. Need full access with minimal effort? Enabling auto-renewal keeps every puck drop on your schedule without interruption.
Inside the Blues’ home broadcast territory, regional coverage through Bally Sports Midwest is already baked into several DirecTV subscription options. Customers subscribed to the Choice package or higher receive access to regional sports networks, including Bally Sports Midwest, without requiring an add-on package.
Here’s how DirecTV bundles regional sports:
Wondering why this matters? For St. Louis-area viewers, a Choice package ensures live access to nearly all locally broadcast regular season Blues games via Bally Sports Midwest, without the need for NHL Center Ice or alternative services.
Planning to watch every moment of the 2025–2026 Blues campaign? Aligning your DirecTV package with your location ensures blackout-free access and maximum coverage.
DirecTV offers two distinct ways to follow the St. Louis Blues during the 2025–2026 NHL season: traditional satellite service and DirecTV Stream. Each has strengths—and trade-offs—that matter depending on how, where, and when you want to watch the Blues on game night.
However, DirecTV Stream depends entirely on internet reliability. Consistent, high-speed bandwidth is non-negotiable for buffering-free game viewing—especially during peak primetime hours.
DirecTV Stream provides complete access via smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and streaming devices like Roku and Apple TV. Logging in with a DirecTV Stream account lets fans watch from virtually anywhere without satellite alignment or installation hassles. Game streaming while traveling or outside the living room becomes straightforward.
In contrast, DirecTV Satellite imposes limitations. While the DirecTV App does allow for some mobile viewing via TV Everywhere credentials, not all channels—especially regional sports networks—are accessible outside of the satellite receiver environment.
To maintain smooth streaming on DirecTV Stream, a sustained internet speed of at least 8 Mbps per stream is needed for HD quality. For households with multiple users or devices, 25 Mbps or more is recommended to avoid latency or dropout during Blues power plays or overtime thrills.
In areas where fiber or high-speed cable is available, DirecTV Stream can perform as well as—or even better than—satellite. But in regions with DSL or limited broadband capacity, satellite’s consistent bit-rate and predictable delivery give it a performance edge during live sports broadcasts.
Think about your home internet speed. Are others streaming or gaming during games? Are you watching in 4K on a large screen? The right choice depends less on features and more on how your infrastructure holds up during a fast-paced game in early March when playoff races heat up.
DirecTV offers a robust package for hockey fans, but it’s not the only option. Several streaming services provide strong NHL coverage, especially for viewers outside the traditional St. Louis market or those looking for flexibility in how they watch. Here's how key platforms stack up for following the St. Louis Blues during the 2025–2026 season.
Hulu + Live TV carries a selection of Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), including some Bally Sports affiliates. However, as of early 2024, Bally Sports Midwest is not part of Hulu’s channel lineup. That means fans in the Blues’ home broadcast territory cannot rely on Hulu + Live TV for comprehensive local coverage. National games aired on ABC, ESPN, or TNT are included, which can still deliver key matchups and marquee events.
For fans living outside of Bally Sports Midwest’s designated region, ESPN+ is the primary streaming outlet for out-of-market NHL games. The platform streams over 1,000 NHL games each season and includes nearly every out-of-market St. Louis Blues contest. All content is integrated into the ESPN app, and blackout rules apply based on your IP address at the time of viewing, not your billing address.
NHL.tv has transitioned into ESPN+ for U.S.-based viewers. There’s no separate NHL.tv subscription available domestically anymore. All services previously offered through NHL.tv — including full-game replays, condensed games, and extensive out-of-market access — are part of ESPN+ now. This consolidation simplifies access but removes the option of team-specific streaming packages.
National games remain viewable on streaming platforms that support ESPN, TNT, or ABC. However, none of these services currently offer a complete solution for in-market fans seeking Bally Sports Midwest access. DirecTV remains the only major provider offering both satellite and streaming access to Bally Sports Midwest, locking in exclusivity for core Blues coverage in the region.
The 2025–2026 St. Louis Blues season brings a packed schedule full of championship potential, and DirecTV offers multiple pathways to keep every fan connected. Whether you're watching from Missouri, Florida, or somewhere far from Enterprise Center, every viewing scenario has a tailored solution—across DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream, or authorized streaming platforms.
For in-market fans, Bally Sports Midwest remains central to regular season broadcasts. Out-of-market supporters can rely on NHL Center Ice or ESPN+ through DirecTV for live access to non-local matchups. Complement these with regional pre- and post-game shows, DVR capability, and compatible streaming devices to create an immersive Blues viewing experience at home or on the go.
The Blues will make another strong push toward the Stanley Cup this year. Choosing the right DirecTV package allows you to catch every rush, save, and scoring play without interruption. Explore which setup fits your location, budget, and viewing habits best, and never miss a moment of the 2025–2026 run.
The passion of Blues fans fuels the momentum on the ice. Make sure your screen is part of the journey all season long.
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