Why You Can Trust CNET NHL Stanley Cup Final: Watch, Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 Tonight
The Stanley Cup will be in the building and the Vegas Golden Knights can hoist the trophy with a win tonight over the Panthers.
The Vegas Golden Knights are just one win from their first Stanley Cup. The Golden Knights grabbed a 3-2 victory in Game 4 and now have the opportunity to clinch the Cup on home ice in Game 5.
The Florida Panthers have to hope that injured star Matt Tkachuk will be healthy enough to play in Game 5. The power forward was limited to less than 17 minutes of ice time in Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury -- his lowest total of the postseason.
Both teams are making only their second appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. The Florida Panthers last went in 1996, when they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche. The Vegas Golden Knights made it to the final in their inaugural season in 2018, but lost in five games to the Washington Capitals.
Whether you live in the US or are looking to follow the NHL action from around the world, we'll outline the best live TV streaming services to watch the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, no matter where you are.
The Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights are battling it out in the Stanley Cup Final.
Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5: When and where?
The series shifts back to Las Vegas for Game 5 as the Golden Knights host the Panthers at T-Mobile Arena. The puck drops tonight at 8 p.m. ET or 5 p.m. PT in the US -- that's 1 a.m. BST in the UK and 10 a.m. AEST in Australia on Wednesday, June 14.
What's the schedule for the rest of the NHL Stanley Cup Final?
The schedule for the rest of the best-of-seven NHL Stanley Cup Final series is as follows. All games will air in the US on TNT.
• Tuesday, June 13: Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET (Game 5, Golden Knights lead 3-1)
• Friday, June 16: Golden Knights at Panthers, 8 p.m. ET (Game 6, if necessary)
• Monday, June 19: Panthers at Golden Knights, 8 p.m. ET (Game 7, if necessary)
How to watch Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 online from anywhere using a VPN
If you find yourself unable to view the game locally, you may need a different way to watch -- that's where using a VPN can come in handy. A VPN is also the best way to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds on game day, by encrypting your traffic, and it's also a great idea if you're traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and you want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins.
With a VPN, you're able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the game. Most VPNs, like our Editors' Choice, ExpressVPN, make it really easy to do this.
Using a VPN to watch or stream sports is legal in any country where VPNs are legal, including the US, UK and Canada, as long as you have a legitimate subscription to the service you're streaming. You should be sure your VPN is set up correctly to prevent leaks: Even where VPNs are legal, the streaming service may terminate the account of anyone it deems to be circumventing correctly applied blackout restrictions.
Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.
ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It's normally $13 per month, and you can sign up for ExpressVPN and save 49% plus get three months of access for free -- the equivalent of $6.67 per month -- if you get an annual subscription.
Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 in the US
This season marks the first time in decades that the Stanley Cup Final will be broadcast entirely on cable television, with the series being shown live on TNT/TBS.
How can I stream the games on my phone?
If you have a live TV streaming service (like Sling TV, YouTube TV or one of the ones below), you can use its app. If you have cable or satellite, you can use your provider's app or watch via the TNT app. Click the person icon to sign in with your TV provider.
Sling TV's Orange plan includes TNT and TBS in most major markets and costs $40 a month, with $10 off your first month.
TruTV is meanwhile available via Sling's Blue package, which comes in at a slightly more expensive $45 per month albeit, but is also offered with a $10 off discount for the first month.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and carries TBS, TruTV and TNT.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and offers TBS, TruTV and TNT.
DirecTV Stream is expensive. It's the priciest of the five major live TV streaming services. Its cheapest, $65-a-month Entertainment package includes TBS, TruTV and TNT. You can use its channel lookup tool to see which local channels and RSNs are available in your area.
It is worth noting that DirecTV has an additional $15 "advanced receiver service" fee that automatically applies and is added on to the sticker price, which makes the Entertainment package $80 per month.
Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.
Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 in Canada for free
The great news for Canadian ice hockey fans is that every game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final series will be shown on free-to-air CBC Sports. Pay TV provider Sportsnet will also be broadcasting every game.
You can stream the entirety of the Panthers vs. Golden Knights series live on CBC's streaming service CBC Gem. There's also the option to pay CA$5 per month for ad-free access to the service.
Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 in the UK
Viewers in the UK can watch every 2023 Stanley Cup Final game live on Viaplay. This game will be broadcast on Viaplay Sports 1, with the puck drop set for 1 a.m. BST, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
You'll need to be a subscriber to Viaplay's Total package to watch its Stanley Cup Final coverage, which is priced at £15 per month or £144 per year.
Viaplay currently has the UK broadcast rights to the United Rugby Championship, La Liga soccer, plus the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and Champions Hockey League.
Livestream Panthers vs. Golden Knights Game 5 in Australia
Select games from this year's Stanley Cup Final can be watched Down Under on ESPN via Foxtel. If you're not a Fox subscriber, your best option is to sign up for streaming service Kayo Sports.
A Kayo Sports subscription starts at AU$25 a month and lets you stream on one screen, while its Premium tier costs AU$35 a month for simultaneous viewing on up to three devices.
The service gives you access to a wide range of sports including F1, NRL, NFL, F1 and MLB, and there are no lock-in contracts.
Better still, if you're a new customer, you can take advantage of a one-week Kayo Sports free trial.
Quick tips for streaming the Stanley Cup Final using a VPN
- With four variables at play -- your ISP, browser, video streaming provider and VPN -- your experience and success when streaming Stanley Cup Final games may vary.
- If you don't see your desired location as a default option for ExpressVPN, try using the "search for city or country" option.
- If you're having trouble getting the game after you've turned on your VPN and set it to the correct viewing area, there are two things you can try for a quick fix. First, log into your streaming service subscription account and make sure the address registered for the account is an address in the correct viewing area. If not, you may need to change the physical address on file with your account. Second, some smart TVs -- like Roku -- don't have VPN apps you can install directly on the device itself. Instead, you'll have to install the VPN on your router or the mobile hotspot you're using (like your phone) so that any device on its Wi-Fi network now appears in the correct viewing location.
- All of the VPN providers we recommend have helpful instructions on their main site for quickly installing the VPN on your router. In some cases with smart TV services, after you install a cable network's sports app, you'll be asked to verify a numeric code or click a link sent to your email address on file for your smart TV. This is where having a VPN on your router will also help, since both devices will appear to be in the correct location.
- And remember, browsers can often give away a location despite using a VPN, so be sure you're using a privacy-first browser to log into your services. We normally recommend Brave.