How this match is broadcast across different countries.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals is a NHL ice hockey fixture scheduled for Saturday, 3 October 2026 at 23:10 UTC. The NHL is United States's headline ice hockey competition and pulls a global audience of fans tracking results, table positions and qualification storylines. NHL games are played over three 20-minute periods, with sudden-death overtime and a shootout used to break ties in the regular season. Allow around two and a half hours for the full broadcast, including pre-match analysis and post-match reaction. The match is scheduled and broadcasters will confirm their final channel allocations closer to kick-off.
ABC — Free. No subscription required.
Pricing is the entry tier published by the broadcaster and may vary by promotion or region. Check the live broadcaster site for the current offer before signing up.
If you are watching from United States, your options for Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals are ABC, ESPN and ESPN Select.
Free-to-air viewers in United States can watch on ABC without paying anything — this is the cheapest legal route to live coverage and you only need a free account on the broadcaster's site or app.
Pay-TV subscribers should check ESPN, ESPN Select, TNT, TBS and HBO MAX for the live channel — typically added through a cable, satellite or IPTV package.
Always cross-check the match start time in your local timezone, since broadcasters list the kick-off in their own market's time and coverage often begins 15-30 minutes before the first whistle.
The NHL is the premier ice hockey league in North America, contested by 32 franchises across the Eastern and Western Conferences. After an 82-game regular season, 16 teams enter the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a four-round best-of-seven knockout that decides the champion in June. Matches like Tampa Bay Lightning vs Washington Capitals can move table positions, decide qualification places and shape end-of-season storylines, which is why broadcaster coverage tends to grow as the campaign progresses.
