Flyers preseason 2021: Channel, schedule, how to watch and stream

Who’s ready for some hockey?

For the first time in three seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers will play a full 82-game schedule in front of a packed house at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sixty-nine of those games will air on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which is also broadcasting four of the team’s five preseason games, beginning with tonight’s opener against the New York Islanders at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.

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Returning to call Flyers games this season is Jim Jackson, who is entering his 26th season handling play-by-play duties. Back with him to the booth is former Flyers right-winger and occasional 94.1 morning show co-host Keith Jones. NBC Sports Philadelphia will sandwich all games with pre- and postgame coverage anchored by Taryn Hatcher and former Flyers forward Scott Hartnell. WIP host Al Morganti is also expected to return before and after some games.

Jones will also be calling NHL games on TNT, which along with ESPN acquired the league’s television rights from NBC. Flyers fans will get their first look at TNT’s hockey coverage Thursday, when the network airs the team’s second preseason game against the Boston Bruins at 7:30 p.m. Joining Jones in the booth will be Kenny Albert and Eddie Olczyk.

A new wrinkle for Flyers fans will be the addition of games on ESPN+, the network’s subscription service. Four Flyers game this season are scheduled to air exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu (which is also owned by Disney), meaning fans will have to pony up at least $7 a month if they want to see every game.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Flyers preseason games:

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NBC Sports Philadelphia will stream four Flyers preseason games on both the NBC Sports app and the MyTeams app, but a subscription to a cable service is required. Fans in the Philadelphia metro area can also get NBC Sports Philadelphia on fuboTV, Hulu Live TV, and DirecTV Stream (though you have to subscribe to their more expensive “choice” package).

YouTube TV also carries both NBC Sports Philadelphia and NBC Sports Philadelphia+, but Google and NBCUniversal are in the middle of a carriage dispute that could end with NBC removing its networks from the service. If the two can’t come to an agreement, YouTube TV customers will lose NBC Sports Philadelphia on Thursday.

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The Flyers will open their season against the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center, which will be allowed to have full capacity for the first time since the 2019 season (though all fans will be required to wear masks to comply with Philadelphia’s city-wide indoor mask mandate).

In addition, Wells Fargo Center parking lots will no longer accept cash payments. Parking can be purchased in advance at the Wells Fargo Center website, or fans can use Apple Pay, Google Pay, or any major credit card.

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