To answer your most pressing question first: Yes, if you are an Islanders or Rangers fan who does not subscribe to ESPN+ or Hulu, there will be games this season you cannot watch in your home.
Ten of them, to be exact —six for the Islanders (the first being Nov. 16 against the Panthers), four for the Rangers (the first being Nov. 26 against the Bruins).
That is a key wrinkle in the NHL’s new national TV contracts with ESPN and Turner, and one that at least in the short term figures not to sit well with many fans.