SAN JOSE — Unless they have a ticket or are able to pick up one of the few remaining tickets in the next few hours, San Jose Sharks fans who want to watch the NHL debut of Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith will need to have a subscription to either Hulu or ESPN+.

The Sharks’ season-opening game against the St. Louis Blues at SAP Center on Thursday will be shown exclusively on the two streaming networks and not on NBC Sports California, the team’s longtime local cable broadcast partner. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. PT and is expected to be sold out, a Sharks spokesman said.

In August, ESPN released its NHL broadcast plans for the 2024-25 NHL season. The Sharks will be seen exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu three times this season and another three times on ESPN.

ESPN+ subscriptions cost $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year, and an ad-supported Hulu plan costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. On October 17, prices for both streaming services will increase, with ESPN+ rising to $11.99 per month and $119.99 per year and Hulu rising to $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year.

Both Disney and Turner Sports (TNT) own the national broadcast rights to the NHL, and the decision to take the season opener in San Jose off cable television and make it an ESPN+ game was out of the hands of the Sharks organization .

In addition to today’s game, the other Sharks games on ESPN+ are home games against the Nashville Predators on March 11 at 7:30 p.m. and the Edmonton Oilers on April 3 at 7:30 p.m

The Sharks will be on national television three times, all on ESPN. The first is San Jose’s home game against Los Angeles on October 29th, followed by the January 30th game in Seattle and the March 30th game in Los Angeles. All three games are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. PT.

NBC Sports California is scheduled to show 76 Sharks games this season, starting with Saturday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks.