How To Find The Cheapest 2021 NHL Tickets + Which Teams Are Hosting Fans

Where To Buy 2020-21 NHL Tickets

Almost every team will have tickets available on both the primary and secondary ticket markets. For the primary market, the majority of teams use Ticketmaster, while a handful uses AXS. While every team is unique, teams are often 'sold out' of the best sections and seats, with more unsold face-value tickets available in the upper rows of the lower and upper levels. Some teams also have a more even mix of unsold tickets available throughout the venue, but the bottom line that smart ticket buyers need to check both 'unsold' primary and 'sold out' Secondary market options.

On the secondary market, TicketIQ has Fee-Free NHL tickets with a Refund Guarantee. Our Refund Guarantee states that if an event is canceled or deem unfit for fans to attend, TicketIQ will refund ticket buyers in as soon as 15 days. That means that you can buy from TicketIQ worry-free.

Which NHL Teams Are Hosting Fans In 2021

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How Much Are 2020-21 NHL Tickets

With only a few teams hosting fans (so far) this season and attendance limited, prices on the secondary market are quite inflated. Below is a look at the average list price for the three teams hosting fans versus their 2019-20 prices:

Overall, secondary market tickets prices are up 98% from last  year, and we expect this trend to continue as more teams begin to allow fans back into their arenas. 

Outdoor Games at Lake Tahoe

February 20: Las Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche

February 21: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

At 3:00 pm eastern (noon pacific), two National Hockey League games will be played at Edgewood Tahoe Resort on the fairway of the 18^th hole. Fans will be able to see stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Patrice Bergeron playing NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe. The game will be broadcasted on NBC and SN1. Once ticket information is released, we will be sure to update you.

2020-21 NHL Rules Update

Offsides

With the NHL season starting on January 13, the offsides rule has changed, stating “a player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with the blue line, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line.” With this rule, 14 more goals would have counted last season.

2020-21 NHL Season Update

The NHL and NHL Players' Association have announced several important updates for the 2020-21 season.

There will be a 56-game regular-season schedule that will begin on January 13th and include all divisional games. Training camps are set to start on January 3rd, although the seven teams that didn't make last year's postseason can begin as early as December 31st. They have also agreed on temporary realignment for the 2020-21 season. Here are the new divisions:

North: Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks

East: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals

Central: Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning

West: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Vegas Golden Knights, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues

The league hopes to have teams play in their arenas. Whether or not fans can attend games will be based on each team's governmental guidance.

The regular season will end on May 8 and the playoffs will return to a 16-team, best-of-seven, four-round format. Four teams from each division will qualify. The first two rounds of the playoffs will be intradvisional play. The four division winners will then advance to the semifinals and be reseeded based on their regular-season point totals. The two semifinal teams will play in the Stanley Cup Final, meaning there is a possibility that an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference team won't be competing against each other for the Stanley Cup. 

The Stanley Cup should be awarded around mid-July.

Further updates including the full schedule, are expected to be released soon.

2020 Season Update

The NHL recent announced phase 3 of its plan to restart the 2019-2020 season for the 24 teams that will take part in the league's extended playoff format. 

Formal training camps will begin on Friday, July 10. The start date for playing games isn't set but is expected to be July 27-31. Here's some more information from the article:

Despite teams having played an uneven amount of games, the league opted to expand its playoff format for this season, ensuring 12 teams per conference get into the postseason, which will be played at two undetermined central locations.

The top four seeds in each conference will partake in a round-robin tournament to decide their final rankings while the 5-12 seeds face off in a best-of-five play-in series.

The winners move on to the more traditional 16-team Stanley Cup Playoffs while the eight losers will head into the NHL Draft Lottery.

Check back for more updated and more information is released and made official. 

How To Watch 2020 NHL Games

The National Hockey League is returning to play on August 1 in Edmonton and Toronto, according to reports.

There will be 24 teams in the NHL’s restart playoff format, and they will be fighting for 16 playoff spots. Be sure to check out all the amazing NHL action on NHL.TV.

How Much is NHL.TV?

When the league is closer to its restart date, NHL.TV packages should become available.

In the past, NHL.TV prices ranged from a $24.99 monthly pass to a $144.99 all-access pass.

Fans can head to NHL.com/subscribe to access NHL.TV, which is currently free.

When are NHL Games Being Played?

While all the games of the 2019-20 regular season were not played, the regular season is now considered complete. The top 12 playoff teams in each conference by points percentage will begin play in the qualifying round starting on August 1. The rest of the NHL schedule should be released soon.

The No. 5 through No. 12 seeds will play in the qualifying round. Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will battle the No. 12 seed Montreal Canadiens in the first round. The Carolina Hurricanes, who surprised NHL fans with their playoff run in 2019, will take on the No. 11 seed New York Rangers.

In the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers will take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets will be the lone Canada-only matchup in the qualifying round.

Where to Purchase NHL.TV?

When packages become available, fans can purchase NHL.TV via NHL.com and watch the thrilling goals, tremendous hits, and game-changing saves starting August 1.

Coronavirus Impact on NHL Ticket Market

With the rest of the 2019-2020 regular season and playoffs being played in Orlando and without fans, we estimate the lost revenue for secondary market NHL tickets is just over $406 million for the remaining regular season games, and an additional $715 million for the playoffs. That estimate is based on secondary market value, average attendance from the 2019-20 season, and the number of games canceled. This is not a precise measure, but the simplest way to benchmark the magnitude of losses, by team. Below is a breakdown of the teams with the biggest impact across the NHL:

Where To Buy 2019-2020 NHL Tickets

For fans looking to see the fastest sports on two feet in person, almost every team has tickets available on both the primary and secondary ticket markets. For the primary market, the majority of teams use Ticketmaster, while a handful use AXS.  While every team is unique, teams are often 'sold out' of the best sections and seats, with more unsold face value tickets available in the in the upper rows of the lower and upper levels.  Some teams also have a more even mix of unsold tickets available throughout the venue, but  the bottom line that smart ticket buyers need to check both 'unsold' primary and 'sold out' Secondary market options.

TicketIQ has a Fee Free seats on Sold Out NHL games and games on the 2019-20 schedule, which means that if you find a secondary market ticket for less on a site like Stubhub or Vivid Seats, we’ll give you 200% of the difference in ticket credit. TicketIQ customers save an average of 5%-20% compared to Stubhub and Vivid Seats.

In addition to price and availability, the below chart as provides info on the quantity of tickets available by team. Every team in the NHL has unsold face value tickets, most of which are available via Ticketmaster. These tickets can be above or below the secondary market, depending on the team and game, so it's important to check around before you buy.

TicketIQ has a Low Price Guarantee on NHL tickets for all games on the 2019-20 schedule, which means that if you find a secondary market ticket for less on a site like Stubhub or Seatgeek, we’ll give you 200% of the difference in ticket credit. TicketIQ customers save an average of 5%-20% compared to Stubhub and Vivid Seats.

How Much Are 2019-2020 NHL Tickets

The average price for NHL Tickets on the Secondary ticket market is $135, which is down 10% from last year.  Only one team has an average price over $300. The Maple leafs only have two regular season games where the cheapest ticket is under $100. As a point of comparison, the Eastern Conference champion Bruins only have 5 games where the cheapest ticket is over $100. Every single home game for the Stanley Cup champion Blues has availability under $50, with a lot of games under $30.  Below are the average secondary market prices for the ten most expensive teams this season. Below are some noteworthy data points.

• Blues ticket prices are only up 5% after fans had to shell out record dollars for Stanley Cup Finals Tickets. 
• Like last year, the most expensive secondary ticket market in the league belongs to the Maple Leafs, who's fans are showing some impatience, with prices down 10% from last last years average price.   
• The Islanders had the biggest price jump of any team this season, with secondary prices up 46%, with 21 games being plated at NYCB Live, otherwise know as Nassau Coliseum, and 20 games scheduled for Barclays Center.
• The Maple Leafs, Rangers, Predators, Knights and Oilers have the most expensive secondary market tickets...and the lowest quantity of tickets on the secondary market.
• The Flyers and Hurricanes have the two biggest drop in average price on the secondary market.  For 2019-20, hockey is more affordable than ever, which is great news for fans.

Most Expensive NHL Teams

St. Louis fans won’t want to miss the home opener on October 2. The Blues will host the Washington Capitals – and raise their championship banner. Also on October 2, Vegas will host San Jose in a rematch of the Sharks’ first-round playoff victory last season.

On October 26, fans can catch a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final, when the Blues will play at Boston. St. Louis beat Boston to win the Cup in seven games. There are just a handful of primary market tickets available, but TicketIQ has seats, including two in Loge 1, Row 4 at center ice, for $794. The get-in price for the game on the secondary market is $13

Least Expensive NHL Teams

The below infographic shows the teams with the cheapest average ticket price on the secondary ticket market. Not surprisingly, this list consists of teams with the highest quantity of secondary ticket market, which pushes down prices. The average number of ticket available fro each game is over 2,000 for each of the teams in the below list, while the teams with the highest average prices may have 1/4 of that available on the secondary market.   The five teams with the cheapest average secondary market are also for teams in warmer-weather markets.

NHL Team Value Index

What Team Has The Best Deals/Value NHL Tickets For 2019-20 Season

While there are a lot of expensive tickets to be bought in the NHL, especially in bigger cities, for the majority of cities, it’s a very affordable ticket. As the below infographic shows, there are nine teams with an average price under $100, which means the cheapest tickets are usually available around $25 for an average game  For those ‘cheap teams’, the average projected point total for the 2019-20 season is 88, which means, on average, they’re all playoff teams. That means a lot of wins for home games that are very affordable, which is just one more reason why Hockey is the best sport on earth. The two best values for the 2019-20 season as measured by the number of expected point per dollars spent on a ticket are the Panthers, Hurricanes and Coyotes, all warm weather teams. With 98 projected points and an average price of $66, the Panthers are earning a 1.5 points for every dollar their fans spend. The best value for a cold weather team belongs to the Devils. With 83 points projected and an average cost of $80, they’re earning just over 1 point per dollars spent. The lowest point to dollar spent ratio belongs to the Leafs, who earn less than half a point ( .4)  per dollar spent

How Much Are Tickets For 2019-2020 NHL Outdoor Games + Winter Classic

 2019 Tim Horton’s NHL Heritage Classic: Calgary will play Winnipeg on October 26 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. The game will be second regular-season outdoor game in history for both teams.

2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic: Set for New Year's Day, this game will be the first for at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. The Stars will play Nashville, in a rematch of the first-round playoff series the Stars won in six games. TicketIQ has seats all over the Cotton Bowl for this game, starting at $194. 

📓Visit Winter Classic 2020 Buying Guide with Historical Prices from 2011

2020 NHL Stadium Series: For the only the second time, the NHL will hold a game at a service academy. Colorado will play its second outdoor game on February 15, 2020, at Falcon Stadium at Air Force against Los Angeles. The Kings are 1-2 in outdoor games. 

TicketIQ is committed to Transparent Ticketing, and we make much less on sold out tickets compared to other major marketplaces like StubHub and Vivid. That means ticket buyers save from up to 25% on TicketIQ on sports, music and theater. We're able to do this because we also work with teams, venues, and other ticket owners, to help them sell tickets at face price, directly to consumers like you, through Ticketmaster and AXS. For an overview of the 2019 NHL Ticket Buying landscape, and details on the cheapest way to get tickets for every team, visit the TicketIQ Blog.

Previous years below.

2018-19 NHL Tickets Report: Maple Leafs and Golden Knights Lead The League On Secondary Market, Ducks Best Value

With fall officially upon us, one of the best parts of the sports calendar has arrived. Football is in full swing, the baseball season is nearing its homestretch, and both the NBA and NHL seasons are around the corner. And while the teams are still in the midst of the preseason, there are already some marquee players donning new sweaters. From John Tavares heading home to Toronto and Erik Karlsson moving west to San Jose, there have been plenty of moves shaking up both line-ups and the ticket market.  (Check out our midseason update here)

Toronto Maple Leafs tickets are always some of the hottest in the NHL and this year is no exception; after adding Tavares in the offseason, their tickets are the most expensive in the league, averaging $332 on the secondary market. Below them, the Vegas Golden Knights, coming off last years’ Cinderella run, have jumped to second overall in terms of average price. Two of the Western Conference’s best teams, the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators, and the rebuilding New York Rangers round out the top five.

Least Expensive Prices, By Team: 2018-19

After finishing last season in the cellar of the Western Conference, the Arizona Coyotes enter 2018-19 with the NHL’s cheapest tickets; their average secondary market ticket price clocks in at $72, a drop of $21 dollars from last year. Beyond them, however, some exciting teams are towards the bottom of the price list. The Anaheim Ducks are a perennial playoff contender, the Dallas Stars boast an explosive offense, and the New Jersey Devils made a surprise postseason appearance last year. Even the Buffalo Sabres, who round out the bottom five teams, boast first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin.

Most Expensive Games

Unsurprisingly, Canadian teams—especially the Maple Leafs—dominate the most expensive games of the 2018-19 NHL season. 10 of the 20 most expensive games in the upcoming season take place north of the borders; the other top games mainly feature Original Six teams and, more surprisingly, the Colorado Avalanche.

Whats Teams Are The Best Value For NHL Tickets

Based on Vegas Insider’s projected points and our average ticket prices, the best ticket value for 2018-19 is the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry may be closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, but their team should be headed for their seventh straight postseason. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Rangers are the most expensive, averaging $3.46 for every point this season. While the Blueshirt faithful won’t have many more years to appreciate Henrik Lundqvist, they’ll be paying a premium to see him back stopping a young team at Madison Square Garden.

Biggest Price Changes

After making it to the Stanley Cup Final in their first year as a franchise, the Vegas Golden Knights understandably see one of the largest growths in average ticket price on the secondary market. That success, combined with the fact that they play in a tourist mecca, led to an increase of 38% per seat. Playoff success also helped the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets market take a major leap; on the other hand, Chicago Blackhawks ticket prices dropped by a league-leading 38% as their dynasty comes to a close.

Last year, 13 of the 31 NHL teams averaged 100% attendance or higher. Even more impressively, six teams sold less than 90% of their tickets through the season. That reality means that the secondary market is the probably the easiest way to score some seats in 2018-19. Just be aware of your team’s ticketing policy; while some clubs have switched to mobile entry, others only accept printed tickets.

Outdoor Games:

Since 2008, the NHL has made a tradition of playing at least one outdoor game each year. This season, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins will face off in the Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers renew their rivalry at Lincoln Financial Field. As any fan who has attended one of these games can tell you, it’s an amazing experience to sit in a massive crowd, watching your team play in the open air.

If you’re willing to make plans a few months in advance, you can score a good deal for the 2019 Winter Classic. Tickets are currently the second cheapest of any Winter Classic to date; only the meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings cost less. Tickets currently average $207 on the secondary market, with the cheapest available seat going for $100. It’s also worth noting that there is plenty of available on the primary market starting at $85; just remember that the game is taking place in a football stadium, so those affordable tickets will be farther from the ice than at your average hockey game.

While the Winter Classic is a bargain, the same isn’t true for the stadium series. The average secondary market ticket to the rivalry game currently costs $252, while the cheapest available seat is $98. The tickets are still within the presale period, however, so it’ll be worth keeping tabs on both the primary and secondary markets as more tickets become available. This is not the first time the two Pennsylvania teams have met outside, though. The average secondary market price and get-in price were $210 and $90 respectively when the two teams met outdoors in Pittsburgh two seasons ago. You should also remember that the Penguins and Flyers will meet four additional times this season; if you’re not interested in sitting outside, any of those games will be cheaper than the Stadium Series.

Here's a look at the average NHL secondary market ticket prices for the 2018-19 season.

Here's a look at the average NHL secondary market ticket prices for the 2017-18 season.

Below Are Average Prices From Previous NHL Seasons.

How To Find The Cheapest Buffalo Sabres Tickets + Face Value Options

Buffalo Sabres 2021 Ticket Information

As of now, tickets are not available for Sabres home games in 2021. Give us your email below for future updates on their attendance policy, ticket availability, and pricing: