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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: How to Watch the Conference Finals Tonight

Only four teams are left vying for the Stanley Cup. Florida and Carolina kick off the Eastern Conference finals tonight.

Hockey’s final four is set, with the Florida Panthers taking on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference finals and the Dallas Stars facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights in the West. 

The Stars are looking to win their first Cup since 1999 and hoping to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019-20 season. The Vegas Golden Knights have also been to the Stanley Cup Final recently, losing to the Washington Capitals in the team’s inaugural season of 2018. 

Meanwhile, the underdog Florida Panthers are attempting to make their second Stanley Cup Final appearance and their first since they were swept by the Colorado Avalanche in 1995-96. The Carolina Hurricanes last won the Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season, when current coach Rod Brind’Amour was the captain of the team. 

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes will be played tonight, Wednesday May 18, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT. 

Thanks to live TV streaming services, cord-cutters can stream all the action with no cable subscription required. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch or stream the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs.

a Carolina Hurricanes player protects the puck from an Florida Panther defenseman. a Carolina Hurricanes player protects the puck from an Florida Panther defenseman.

The Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers meet in the Eastern Conference finals.

Joel Auerbach/Getty Images

NHL playoffs FAQ

What is the 2023 Conference finals schedule?

Here’s the schedule for the first four games of each series in the NHL Conference finals, including the series status. See NHL.com for the full schedule.

Thursday, May 18

  • Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT

Friday, May 19

  • Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Game 1, 8:30 p.m. ET (5:30 p.m. PT) on ESPN

Saturday, May 20

  • Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT

Sunday, May 21

  • Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, Game 2, 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT) on ABC

Monday, May 22

  • Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT

Tuesday, May 23

  • Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars, Game 3, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN

Wednesday, May 24

  • Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on TNT

Thursday, May 25

  • Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars, Game 4, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on ESPN

What does the full bracket look like? 

What channels will broadcast playoff games?

The NHL playoffs air on a collection of networks, including ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT and TBS.

The Stanley Cup Final will air on TNT in the US and on Sportsnet in Canada.

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 one of the following, after logging in with your cable provider’s credentials:

  • For ABC games, use the ESPN app. Click the gear icon in the upper right and then select Manage TV provider.
  • For TNT games, use the TNT app. Click the person icon to sign in with your TV provider. 

How to watch, livestream the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

As these games all air nationally, the best way to catch all the hockey action live, without cable, is with a live TV streaming service.

ESPN Plus is the home of hockey’s out-of-market coverage and will air all Stanley Cup playoff games simultaneously with ABC and ESPN. 

While the $10 a month, $100 per year service is best suited for die-hard fans of the sports it covers well — mainly hockey, soccer and UFC — more casual fans might find themselves with an ESPN Plus subscription anyway through the Disney bundle, which also includes Hulu and Disney Plus with ads for $13 total.

Sling TV’s Orange plan includes ESPN and TNT. ABC, however, is only available in eight markets (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Fresno, Houston and Raleigh) and requires the Orange and Blue combo plan if you want ESPN too. That combo plan costs $65 per month in all of those cities except Fresno, Houston and Raleigh, where it costs $60. Even if ABC isn’t available in your area, you can watch those games using the simulcast stream available on ESPN3. 

Hulu Plus Live TV costs $70 a month and carries ABC, ESPN and TNT. 

YouTube TV costs $73 a month and offers ABC, ESPN 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 ESPN, ABC, 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.

FuboTV costs $75 a month and also includes ABC and ESPN but not TNT. 

Most live TV streaming services offer a free trial or discounts during the first month and allow you to cancel anytime. All require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28 #635

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Nov. 28, No. 635.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is pretty tricky. If you’re not familiar with certain superstitious beliefs, you might not find all the answers. And some of the answers are difficult to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: If all else fails…

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Don’t tell, it won’t come true.

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • GLUB, RATS, TARN, DALE, FONT, FOUNT, LASH

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • DANDELION, STAR, COIN, FOUNTAIN, LADYBUG, EYELASH

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is MAKEAWISH. To find it, start with the M that’s three letters down on the far right, and wind backwards.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 28, #901

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 28, #901.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.


Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Appropriate.

Green group hint: I win!

Blue group hint: Musical instrument.

Purple group hint: Time to talk.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Fitting.

Green group: Achieve victory over.

Blue group: Parts of an electric guitar.

Purple group: Phonetic elements of speech.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is fitting. The four answers are fair, just, proper and right.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is achieve victory over. The four answers are beat, best, take and worst.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is parts of an electric guitar. The four answers are fret, peg, pickup and string.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is phonetic elements of speech. The four answers are intonation, loudness, rhythm and stress.

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Technologies

Anker’s New MagSafe Car Mount Keeps Your Phone Cool While Charging, and It’s 30% Off for Black Friday

Get wired-like charging speeds and MagSafe compatibility with Anker’s wireless car charging bundle for $62.99.

Black Friday is the best time of the year to upgrade the little essentials that make your everyday tech life more pleasant. I’ve found the perfect deal to amp up the phone charging setup in your car. This Anker MagSafe wireless car charging bundle is 30% off for the holidays, and it gives your iPhone a fast and steady way to power up while you navigate. It delivers up to 25-watt wireless charging speeds and with onboard active cooling, your phone stays comfortable to the touch.

Get it now for $62.99 verses the list price of $89.99.

What sets this charger apart is that its performance and cooling tech is built into a surprisingly compact package. The stand uses an ultra-strong Qi2 magnetic lock to keep your phone secure through bumps and turns. You can even tilt the mount and switch between portrait and landscape modes for navigation without blocking the view. The bundle has everything you need to get started including a 60-watt dual-USB-C charger, an adequately long USB-C cable, and cable organizers for a clean setup. Anker also includes a two-year warranty for peace of mind.

If you are getting your car prepped up for driving to a holiday vacation or just need a faster charging mount for your daily commute, this deal makes a lot of sense. CNET’s experts are also tracking more Black Friday and Cyber Monday picks across Apple products, headphones, and more, so you can score more savings before the sales season wraps up.

Why this deal matters

A high quality charger is a great addition to any car to speedily top up your phone on the go. You will especially want to look out for options from a top-tier brand like Anker for its fast charging speeds and reliability. This Black Friday deal is an excellent opportunity to save big on a staple car accessory. With holiday shopping heating up and tech accessories being one of the most popular categories, we expect the deal to sell out quick. So don’t wait too long before jumping on it.

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