Stars vs Lightning live stream: how to watch NHL Stanley Cup Final game 6 from anywhere

The 2020 NHL season, playoffs and Stanley Cup will long be remembered as one of the most unusual ever, with representatives from Texas and Florida duking it out on the ice in Edmonton. And after almost two months living in the NHL's bubble in Canada, the Tampa Bay Lightning have the chance (again) tonight of claiming hockey's big one.

Follow our guide to watch a Stars vs Lightning live stream and catch the climax of the 2020 Stanley Cup Final series online no matter where you are - it's even ABSOLUTELY FREE to do so in some regions.

Nobody expected the Stars to get anywhere near the final, yet here they are, having disposed of Western Conference top seeds the Vegas Golden Knights in just five games. It's their first Stanley Cup Final in more than 20 years, and after upset after upset in the postseason it's hard to imagine anything other then yet another inspiring underdog effort from Rick Bowness' men.

Bowness has been on the losing side of a Stanley Cup Final twice, most recently in 2015, when he was the Lightning and Jon Cooper's assistant coach. Coop and Bones share an excellent relationship, and surely that interim tag hanging over the Stars coach will be struck out soon enough.

The Lightning needed six games to knock out the New York Islanders, and Cooper's men are out to banish the specter of 2019, when they were fell at the first hurdle of the playoffs straight after securing a record-tying 62-win season. If they're to go all the way, they need to find a way to stop the Stars' defensemen, especially Miro Heiskanen, who've been scoring for fun in the postseason.

Steven Stamkos is still out of action for the Lightning but looks like he could return before the end of the series. And it wouldn't be a moment too soon as Brayden Point, who's stepped up heroically in his absence, looks in need of a rest. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, their defensemen are also chipping in at the front.

It's all or nothing, so read on as we explain how to watch the Stars vs Lightning online and get a Stanley Cup Final NHL live stream from anywhere in the world right now.

How to watch 2020 Stanley Cup Finals online from outside your country

If you live in the US, Canada (where it's free!), UK or Australia and want to know how to catch a 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Final live stream, then keep scrolling and we’ll tell you your best viewing options.

But if you can't watch because you're not in your home country and so your coverage is geo-blocked then we can suggest a clever alternative (and no, it doesn’t involve finding some dodgy feed on Reddit). Using a VPN - or Virtual Private Network - you can change the IP address to one in a different state or country which does have the stream so that you can watch the NHL Stanley Cup Final from anywhere in the world.

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Dallas Stars vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Stanley Cup Finals schedule and TV channels

Here's how this week's Stanley Cup Final NHL series between Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning looks.

• Game 1: Stars win 4-1
• Game 2: Lightning win 3-2
• Game 3: Lighting win 5-2
• Game 4: Lighting win 5-4 (in OT)
• Game 5: Stars win 3-2 (in OT)
• Game 6: Monday, September 28 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on NBC (if required)
• Game 7: Wednesday, September 30 at 8pm ET/5pm PT on NBC (if required)

How to get a Stars vs Lightning live stream with NHL.tv

The best end-to-end live streaming option for the 2020 Stanley Cup Final is still NHL.tv. 

The league’s streaming service normally costs $115.99 for its Single Team Pass or $144.99 for its All Access Pass but due to the fact that the regular season is over and only the Stanley Cup Final remains, the price of NHL.tv has been heavily reduced to just $9.99.

Stars vs Lightning live stream: how to watch the NHL Stanley Cup Final in the US

The Stars vs Lightning series is being nationally televised on NBC and NBCSN, so you can also live stream the game via the NBC Sports website on desktop and mobile, but you'll have to enter your cable provider’s credentials to get access to this stream.

Not got cable? There are plenty of over-the-top TV streaming services you can use instead - loads of which come with a completely FREE trial. 

Of the many options, we recommend Sling TV for most NHL fans, as its $30 a month Blue package gets you NBC, NBCSN and USA Network - and a further $10 p/m will get you the Sports Extra add-on you need to watch the NHL Network. That's $40 in total for all the biggest hockey games and a whole lot more, which is considerably cheaper than the competition.

Other options include:

• Hulu - $54.99 per month - Hulu with Live TV gives you access to NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA but not the NHL Network. The service supports a wide variety of streaming devices and even includes its own Hulu Originals in case you want a break from watching hockey.
• fuboTV - starting at $54.99 per month - fuboTV gives you access to NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA but not the NHL Network. The service also includes Cloud DVR so you can record games to watch them later and if you forget to record a game, the company's 3-day replay allows you to replay nearly any game, show or movie that aired in the last three days. FuboTV even offers a free 7-day trial so you can test out the service.
• YouTube TV - $65 per month - YouTube TV gives you access to NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA but not the NHL Network. With YouTube TV you get free unlimited DVR storage space to record games for later and you can stream the service on three devices simultaneously. A free 7-day trial is also available so you can test it out for yourself.
• AT&T TV Now - $65 per month - AT&T TV Now's Plus package comes with NBC, NBCSN, CNBC and USA but doesn't include the NHL Network. You can stream content on two screens simultaneously (or pay $5 extra to do so on three screens) and with the AT&T TV Now app you can watch live TV on the go. The service also lets you record 20 hours of Cloud DVR storage. New customers can take advantage of a 7-day trial but you'll have to purchase one of AT&T TV Now's packages first.

FREE Stars vs Lightning live stream in Canada

The great news for Canadians is that the Stanley Cup Final Stars vs Lightning series is being shown on CBC for FREE, as part of Hockey Night in Canada. You can live stream the games via the CBS Sports app for iOS or Android, or on the CBC Sports website.

You can also tune in on SportsNet if you're already a subscriber, and if you’ve already cut the cord and would rather stream the NHL game online, you can do so with a subscription to Sportsnet NOW. 

Canadians outside of the country can follow the VPN route set out above and tune in to their service of choice regardless of their geography. 

How to live stream Dallas Stars vs Tampa Bay Lightning in the UK

Hockey fans based in the UK can tune into the NHL Stanley Cup Final Stars vs Lightning series on Premier Sports. All of the games in the series are scheduled to start at 1am BST. 

If you're not familiar with Premier Sports, it and sister channel FreeSports typically show up to 15 NHL games per week exclusively.

If you’re already a Sky subscriber, adding Premier Sports - which also carries La Liga and Serie A football - will cost you £11.99 per month, though Virgin Media customers get a bit of a discount and only have to pay £9.99 per month. 

NHL.tv is available in the UK but games selected by Premier Sports for live coverage won’t be available through the league’s own service until 24 hours later. 

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Stanley Cup Finals live stream in Australia (for free)

NHL fans based Down Under can watch NHL ice hockey on ESPN channels via a Foxtel subscription - or through the excellent value streaming service Kayo Sports. 

Costing either $25 or $35 monthly, it's far cheaper than Foxtel and you can grab a 14-day FREE TRIAL to test it out. Perhaps best of all, a single subscription can be used simultaneously across multiple devices, meaning you can share one with family or friends and pay less.

If you're already a Foxtel subscriber, you’ll need to add the premium Sports Pack for an additional $29 per month to your subscription to watch the Stanley Cup Final action. 

Check your local listings for times and availability, but coverage is generally surprisingly robust given the NHL's niche status in Australia.