How to watch Washington Capitals games on TV and streaming (Updated for 2026-27)

Quick reference for games

At a glance, here’s how to watch games in market, depend on the network.

TV or streaming?

You can watch the Caps in two main ways:

1. through a traditional TV provider like cable or satellite, or
2. streaming over the internet.

Keep in mind: even if you’re streaming over the internet, you can usually watch the game on your actual physical TV screen.

How you watch the game depends on four factors:

1. where you are
2. who is covering the game
3. what methods are available to you, and
4. what devices you have.

This flow chart will get us started.

Monumental Sports Network is the home of the Capitals

Monumental Sports Network is owned by Monumental Sports, the ownership group of the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards, Washington Mystics, Capital One Arena, and more. The ownership group is run by Dippin’ Dots hater Ted Leonsis, and the network is run by his son Zach Leonsis. As the primary rightsholder for the Caps, Monumental is the place for the vast majority of Caps games – about 80 percent.

Washington Capitals 2026-27 network coverage

Watching Monumental on cable

Most people will watch Monumental using their cable box or dish TV provider. There are a bunch of different providers, but – as cable companies flirt with non-competition accusations, most areas only have one viable option.

Monumental Sports Network may not be on your cable plan

Cable companies offer different tiers of service. For a long time, Monumental was on the standard plans, but now – at least on Comcast Xfinity in Frederick, MD – it is now only available on the Ultimate TV plan.

This is the most expensive cable tier, costing $140 a month unless you get a special deal. You can often get a deal if you call them and threaten to leave.

What is Monumental Sports Network 2?

Ah, you noticed that too. Monumental Sports Network actually has two channels – the main one, and an overflow channel. Caps games air on Monumental 2 only when another game, usually the Wizards, gets priority on the main channel. It generally happens only a few times a year.

If you tune in to Monumental, and the game is supposed to be on, but instead you see people doing a sport on a hardwood floor instead of ice and in sick sneakers instead of knife-boots, you may need to switch to the other channel.

It appears not all cable providers offer Monumental 2. Don’t worry – there are still more options below.

If you’re streaming through Monumental+ (more on that in a moment), it won’t matter if the game is on Monumental or Monumental 2.

Some games are national exclusives

The NHL will sometimes sell the rights to individual Caps games to national rightsholders. In 2026-27, they’re doing it a lot.

RMNB News

Seventeen Capitals games will be on national television this season — including all 4 matchups against the Penguins

That’s actually down one game from last season, but still a lot.

Some of these games will be national exclusives, which is when the big network pays extra to take a local option away from you. But not all national games are exclusive, so you often can still find it on Monumental. If not, there are instructions below.

How to get Monumental+ (three ways)

If you want or need to watch the Caps not through cable, you have two options.

Through a TV provider like your cable service

If you get Monumental Sports Network through your cable plan, but you want to stream it instead of using the cable signal, you can do it at no added cost.

You’ll have to log in to the Monumental website or app using your TV provider, which can be a pain, but it won’t cost you extra. When you land on the Monumental Sports Network website, you’ll see this bar along the top.

The box I highlighted in pink at right is the one you want. Select that and you’ll authenticate using your TV provider. You may have to enter your username and password for that provider, but sometimes the system is smart and will detect it automatically based on your home network.

In my experience, you have to re-authenticate with your TV provider pretty often, which is a bother.

Directly from Monumental

If you don’t have cable, then you’ll use a direct-to-consumer (DTC) option. You will subscribe directly to Monumental+. They have monthly and annual plans, so you’ll have to pick one. I have the annual plan. It costs $180 per year.

In this setup, you’ll create your own account with Monumental. You can use your Google or Apple account, which is convenient, or you can make your own username and password with Monumental.

If you use your own account, instead of asking for a password, Monumental may just send a short numeric code to your email address. That’s easier. Copy it onto the webpage and you’re in. It’s convenient, but make sure you’ve got handy access to your email through your nearby phone or computer.

If you subscribe directly to Monumental, though you won’t be able to watch through your cable provider, you can still watch on your TV. I’ll tell you how in a minute.

As an add-on to Amazon Prime Video or DAZN

Starting with the 2026-27 season, Monumental+ is also available as a subscription you can add to two existing services: Prime Video or DAZN. Did you know what DAZN is? I didn’t. Do you know how to pronounce DAZN? No one does.In both these options, you’ll need to go to your existing service and then find Monumental as an add-on. Here are shortcuts:

• Add Monumental to DAZN
• Add Monumental to Prime Video

The price to add Monumental is about the same as subscribing directly to Monumental. The feed and quality you get is virtually identical to Monumental – just with different menus before you get to the stream. It’s just a convenient way to get Monumental where you already get other stuff.

If you do this, your Caps games will appear in a card just like any other show.

A few games are supposed to be available on Prime Video even if you don’t subscribe to any particular service. We’ll see how that works out.

How to watch Monumental Sports Network on cable or satellite

AKA how everyone on the planet did it up until a few years ago.

First, figure out if you use Comcast Xfinity, Verizon FiOS, DirecTV, or another provider.

1. Turn on your TV and/or cable box.
2. Turn to Monumental channel. See the table below for channel numbers.
   1. Or, instead of channel numbers, some people like to use the “Guide” feature on their TVs. You can filter by sports and usually find your game quickly, but I think TVs are kinda sluggish.
   2. If you have a voice remote, you can be like Jean Luc Picard. Hold down the button and say “Channel (whatever number from the table below)” or “Monumental Sports Network” and it’ll figure out the rest.
3. That’s it. It was really easy.

A professional tip from me is to “star” or “favorite” the channel, which could give you (or your grandma) a shortcut to get back to it faster in the future. Or you could be like me and literally never watch any other channel, so it’s always on every time you turn on the TV.

Monumental Sports Network channels based on your provider

There are standard definition (SD) options as well, but these channels have lower quality, so use the high definition (HD) ones if you can.

Monumental has other traditional cable providers, but I’ve never heard of them. Let us know about them, and we’ll share whatever useful info we can. And please let us know if your channels are different than the table above; these are very difficult to find on the public internet.

Streaming the Caps on Monumental

If you don’t have a traditional TV provider – or if you don’t have access to it because your cable box isn’t working or because you’re on the road – you can still watch Caps games by streaming them over the internet. You will need a subscription to Monumental+. I shared my own review of Monumental+ in my story on cord-cutting.

Fun fact: Season ticket holders get a Monumental+ subscription automatically.

Keep in mind: you’ll need a decent internet connection for everything below.

All the ways to stream Monumental

• Laptop or desktop computer, through the website
• Apple devices – iPhone or iPad app
• Android devices
• Prime Video, as an add-on
• DAZN, as an add-on
• Apple TV
• Chromecast
• DirecTV Gemini
• Fire Stick
• Samsung
• Google TVs

We’ll give details on as many as we can.

Remember: You can use these options whether you subscribe through a traditional TV provider like cable OR if you’re a direct-to-consumer Monumental subscriber.

Monumental is no longer available on YouTube TV and Hulu

As of October 2025, Monumental Sports Network is no longer carried by YouTube TV and Hulu. It’s a whole thing.

RMNB News

Who’s to blame for Monumental Sports Network leaving Hulu and YouTube TV?

If you used to watch Caps games on Monumental through Hulu or YouTube TV, you’ll need a new option, and you’ll probably need a Monumental+ subscription. Don’t worry; there are a lot of them.

Monumental has geographic restrictions

You need to live in the region to be able to stream Monumental Sports Network – roughtly a 150-mile radius of Washington, DC. If you’re out west, outside central Pennsylvania, or down by Virginia Beach, it’s iffy if you can watch. This restriction also applies to DirecTV subscribers.

You can watch Monumental+ when traveling

If you’re a subscriber and you’re temporarily out of town, you should be okay.

Just make sure:

1. you’re using the Monumental+ app (I can’t speak for the other apps)
2. you first log in from inside the viewing area
3. you are away for less than 30 days

Let me know if it is working for you.

How to watch Monumental on iOS (iPhone, iPad)

1. Find the App Store. It’s a blue icon with an A.
2. Select Search
3. Enter Monumental
4. Tap Get.
5. The app will download.
6. Tap Open.
7. Follow the instructions to log in.

How to watch Monumental on your computer

1. Open your web browser – e.g. Chrome, Safari
2. In your address bar, enter https://monumentalsportsnetwork.com/ – or just search for “Monumental Sports Network”
3. Follow the instructions and log in.

When watching on your computer, you’ll generally need a setting in your browser called “Hardware Acceleration” turned on. This setting enables DRM (digital rights management). It is evil and mandatory. It is on by default, but if you run into trouble, you may have to flip it on.

Find your browser’s settings screen; you’ll have to pick it from a menu, generally from the top right. Most settings screens will have a search function. Type in “acceleration” and you’ll see something like “Use graphics acceleration when available.” Make sure that’s on. You may have to restart your browser.

How to watch Monumental on Android devices

1. Open the Google Play Store app. It’s a colorful arrow pointing to the right.
2. Select search.
3. Enter Monumental.
4. Select the app with the red M icon.
5. Choose Install.
6. Follow the instructions to log in.

How to watch Monumental on Chromecast

Chromecast allows you to stream a video from one device to another. For example, on your desktop computer, you load the Monumental Sports Network website from your Chrome browser, then stream the video from your computer to your TV.

This is a finicky setup. It requires both devices stay on and connected to the internet. It requires both devices be compatible with Chromecast. If your TV is a “Google TV,” then you’re in good shape. If not, you may need a Chromecast HDMI dongle or Google TV Streamer device connected to your TV in the same way you would a Blu-ray player or video game console.

1. Make sure your sending device (computer) is on and connected.
2. Make sure your receiving device (TV, usually) is on and connected.
3. Using the steps above, log into Monumental and play a video.
4. You should see a Cast icon at top right of the toolbar. (See image below)
5. Select the icon.
6. From the list of the devices, find your receiving device – probably your TV.
7. Hit cast.
8. Pray it works.

How to watch Monumental on Roku

If you have it, Roku is either the operating system behind your TV or a device plugged into your TV. If it’s the latter, you just need to switch your input to the Roku device. The rest of the steps will be the same.

1. On your controller, press left and then down until you find Settings.
2. Search for Monumental.
3. Find the red icon with an M.
4. Select install.
5. Open the app and follow the instructions.

Watching Caps games on national coverage

When national networks buy exclusivity for a Caps game, they will be the only place you can watch. This only happens a few times a year – for example on October 7 against Pittsburgh. That game is available on TNT only, though broadcasting situations change all the time.

The most common national coverage options are:

• NHL on TNT, which can be seen on TNT or HBO Max. TruTV often carries NHL on TNT games too.
• ESPN+, Disney+, and/or Hulu – these are streaming-only games
• ESPN, infuriatingly separate from ESPN+
• NHL on ABC, which is also available on ESPN’s streaming solution

For ABC, TNT, and ESPN, most cable packages should carry those channels, so you can watch from your TV like normal. If you have a subscription – either through your TV provider or to the network directly – you may also watch from a web browser on your computer. This is handy when traveling.

• Watch TNT
• Watch ABC
• Watch ESPN

But a game may be unavailable on those websites if the game is non-exclusive, meaning it could also be seen on a local channel.

Now, if a game is on ESPN+, HBO Max, or Hulu, you’re probably going to have to watch online – either through your browser or your TV, if your TV has the app for the network.

Sling one-day passes are extinct

Up until very recently, you could pay a few bucks to get a one-day pass to stream a game via the streaming service Sling, which has apps on tons of platforms. But all the rightsholders hated Sling and sued them, and then just this fall Sling cancelled the whole service. So gone is the option to pay eight dollars to watch a single Caps game on TNT, no strings attached. This is why people sail the seven seas.

Watching Caps games from out of market

If you liove outside the DMV region I illustrated above, Monumental+ is not for you. The 20 percent of games on national coverage or streaming exclusives won’t be any different, but you’ll need a different solution for the majority of games.

There are two solutions:

Using ESPN+ for out out-of-market games

If you’re outside the viewing area and you have ESPN+, you should be able to watch all 70-ish Caps games on Monumental. ESPN+ is streaming only, so if you don’t have the ability to install apps on your TV or cast video from a different device, then this won’t work for you.

ESPN+ also gets you a ton of other teams’ games – but not the ones for the home broadcasts of the region you’re in. You can watch the Caps on Monumental on ESPN+ from San Jose, but Sharks games on NBC Sports California will be blacked out.

Important: ESPN+ is not the same as ESPN. You don’t automatically get the mainline ESPN programming through ESPN+. It is awfully confusing.