What time is Lightning vs. Rangers tonight? TV channel, streams for first game of ESPN opening night doubleheader

While the season technically started on Oct. 7 and 8 with the Predators and Sharks playing in the NHL Global Series, Tuesday marks the first night of the NHL in North America. The Rangers and Lightning will battle in New York, as the first game of the NHL's opening night doubleheader on ESPN. 

The last time the Rangers played a game at Madison Square Garden? Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning. That's right, we have a rematch of the 2022 conference finals on opening night, as New York aims to avenge its series loss to Tampa Bay. 

Last season, the Lightning made it to their third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, knocking the Rangers off in the process. After wins over Toronto and Florida, Tampa Bay came back to beat New York before meeting Colorado in the finals. However, the 2020 and 2021 champions could not complete the three-peat, losing to the Avalanche in six games. 

The Rangers surprised some last season and finished second in the Metro Division with 110 points. They defeated their in-division rivals the Penguins and the Hurricanes in the first two rounds of the playoffs before squaring off against the Lightning in the conference finals. After going up 2-0, the Rangers dropped four consecutive games to fall short of the Stanley Cup Final. 

This season, the Lightning will rely on its core group again of Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy and co. to make another deep postseason run. On the other side, the Rangers will turn to 2022 Vezina winner Igor Shesterkin, along with star players like Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox, to take another step towards becoming annual Cup contenders. 

MORE: Watch the 2022-23 NHL season on ESPN+

Here is what you need to know to watch the Lightning vs. Rangers game on opening night. 

What time is Lightning vs. Rangers?

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.

The puck drop for the Rangers and Lightning game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Madison Square Garden. 

What channel is Lightning vs. Rangers on?

• TV channel: ESPN (U.S.) | SN1 (Canada)

ESPN will be home to both games on Tuesday night in the United States, as the network is set to broadcast Lightning vs. Rangers first followed by the Kings hosting the Golden Knights.

Viewers in Canada can watch the game on Sportsnet, as it will be available on SN1. It can also be streamed on SN NOW.

How to live stream Lightning vs. Rangers

• ESPN+
• ESPN.com/ESPN App

With a cable subscription, you can stream Lightning vs. Rangers on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Select NHL games will be available to stream in the United States at ESPN.com, on the ESPN App, or with a subscription to ESPN+. More than 1,050 out-of-market games will be available to fans on ESPN+ this season.

Fans can watch up to 103 exclusive games across ESPN, ESPN+, Hulu and ABC.

How much does ESPN+ cost?

Monthly subscriptions to ESPN+ begin at $9.99, while an annual subscription is $99.99.

Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform

How to watch NHL games without cable 

While Lightning vs. Rangers isn't available to fans without cable there are still plenty of options to catch NHL games this season.

Those who don't have cable but still want to watch the NHL can sign up for ESPN+ and live stream games. More than 1,050 out-of-market games will be available to fans on ESPN+ this season.