Game Day · Park Slope, Brooklyn · Updated October 2026
A 7:00 PM puck drop fits our hours
Where you should watch NHL hockey in Park Slope depends on the puck drop, not the bar. The Beer Garage closes at 10:00 PM ET Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 PM ET on Fridays and Saturdays, which leaves 180 minutes after a 7:00 PM ET start and a lot less after a West Coast one. Here is the honest map for the 2026-27 season.
- 148 5th Avenue, Park Slope
- Season opened Tuesday, September 29, 2026
- We close 10:00 PM ET on weeknights
- 100 per cent gluten-free kitchen
- 8 minutes from the 2 and 3 to Penn Station
Marina Charny, Owner, The Beer Garage
Hockey is the one major sport whose start times were practically designed for a neighborhood bar that closes early. Most Rangers and Islanders games drop the puck at 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM ET, which is a different proposition from an 8:20 PM ET football kickoff. So this guide to where to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope does the same boring arithmetic we did for football, puck drop against closing time, and the answer comes out kinder to us. It is still not kind every night, and the table says which nights.
Our room is the Park Slope sports bar at 148 5th Avenue. For the broader comparison of the same neighboring bars on screens, sound and practicality, see which is the best sports bar in Park Slope.
To watch NHL hockey in Park Slope for a 7:00 PM ET weeknight game or any Friday, Saturday or Sunday game, The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue works: it closes at 10:00 PM ET Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 PM ET on Fridays and Saturdays, and its kitchen is 100 per cent gluten-free. For a 9:00 PM ET or later start, pick McMahon’s Public House, open to 2:00 AM, or The LayUp Bar, which lists the NHL on its own site and publishes nine screens with sound on.
For hockey nights the point is simple: nothing cooked at 148 5th Avenue in Park Slope contains gluten, and the menu header says so in print. Wings, nachos, the burger and the pizzas are all covered. Drinks are not part of that promise, because most beer is made with gluten grains, and neither is our Manhattan room on Christopher Street, where the kitchen is a conventional one. Anyone with celiac disease should talk to the staff and decide for themselves; we are a bar, not a doctor.
The short version, by puck drop
There are four kinds of start time in an NHL season, and the right place to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope changes with each. The deciding fact is our closing time rather than anything on the screens.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday games: come here. A 7:00 PM ET Saturday start has 240 minutes before our 11:00 PM ET close, and a 6:00 PM ET Sunday start has 240 before 10:00 PM ET. Weeknight 7:00 PM ET: come here; 180 minutes. Weeknight 7:30 PM ET or later in the 7 o’clock hour: 135 to 150 minutes, which is tight if the game goes to overtime, so sit near the door or pick a later room. 8:00 PM ET starts: not us. Go to McMahon’s Public House, The LayUp Bar, The Commissioner or The Dram Shop. West Coast starts: McMahon’s Public House, the one open to 2:00 AM every night.
NHL start times against our closing time
The minutes column below is arithmetic: the gap between a published puck drop and our published closing time. It is not a claim about how long a hockey game lasts, and it takes no account of overtime or a shootout. Start times are the ones that appear in the Rangers and Islanders schedules for the opening weeks of 2026-27, read on September 18, 2026.
| Start | Typical night | We open | We close | Minutes from puck drop to our close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 PM | Saturday matinee | 1:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 540, the whole game and the evening after it |
| 6:00 PM | Sunday | 1:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 240 |
| 7:00 PM | Friday or Saturday | 2:00 PM or 1:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 240 |
| 7:00 PM | Monday to Thursday | 3:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 180 |
| 7:30 PM | Monday to Thursday | 3:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 150, tight if there is overtime |
| 8:00 PM | Late weeknight start | 3:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 120 |
| 9:00 PM or later | Road trips out west | 3:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 60 or less |
Compare that with football, where three of the five weekly windows beat our closing time by halftime. Hockey is the sport our hours actually suit, and it would be false modesty not to say so.
Rangers and Islanders games, October 22 to October 31
The 2026-27 NHL regular season opened on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, per the league’s own announcement, and the Rangers were part of the opening night tripleheader, away to Boston at 8:00 PM ET. The Islanders opened at home to the Devils on Saturday, October 3. From October 22 to October 31, these are the Rangers and Islanders games to plan around if you watch NHL hockey in Park Slope, with each one set against our closing time that night.
| Date | Game | Puck drop | We close | Minutes to our close |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, October 22, 2026 | Rangers at Maple Leafs | 7:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 180 |
| Thursday, October 22, 2026 | Kings at Islanders | 7:30 PM | 10:00 PM | 150 |
| Saturday, October 24, 2026 | Rangers at Senators | 7:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 240 |
| Sunday, October 25, 2026 | Islanders at Stars | 6:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 240 |
| Monday, October 26, 2026 | Kings at Rangers | 7:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 180 |
| Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | Islanders at Predators | 8:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 120 |
| Thursday, October 29, 2026 | Islanders at Wild | 8:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 120 |
| Saturday, October 31, 2026 | Oilers at Islanders | 2:00 PM | 11:00 PM | 540 |
Five of those eight games leave three hours or more. Kings at Rangers on Monday, October 26, the Rangers’ next game at the Garden, is one of them: a 7:00 PM ET start against a 10:00 PM ET close is 180 minutes. Start times can move for television, so check the team’s schedule on the day.
Where you can watch NHL hockey in Park Slope, bar by bar
Only one Park Slope bar names the NHL on its own website, and it is not us. The table below is built only from what each venue publishes about itself. “Not named” means the bar’s site does not mention hockey, not that it will not put the game on. Walks were measured in Google Maps walking mode from the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station on September 14 and 16, 2026.
| Bar | Address | Walk from Atlantic Av | Hockey on its own site? | Weeknight close | Friday and Saturday close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beer Garage | 148 5th Ave | 9 minutes | Not named; “a full sports line-up” | 10:00 PM | 11:00 PM |
| The LayUp Bar | 47 5th Ave | 3 minutes | Yes, NHL listed among its leagues; nine screens with sound on | 12:00 AM | 12:00 AM |
| McMahon’s Public House | 39 5th Ave | 3 minutes | Not named; space “to watch a game on tv” | 2:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| The Commissioner | 247 5th Ave | 15 minutes | Not named by the bar; a customer review shown on its site mentions TVs | 12:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| The Dram Shop | 339 9th St | 27 minutes | Not named | 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
Is there an official Rangers or Islanders bar in Park Slope?
Not that either team publishes. The Islanders run an official Islanders Bar Network on their own site, and on September 18, 2026 its Brooklyn section listed three bars: Irish Haven at 5721 4th Avenue in Sunset Park, Kent Ale House at 51 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, and Bull’s Eye Sports Pub at 2073 Flatbush Avenue. None is in Park Slope. The team says every bar in the network will be playing the Islanders game, which is a stronger promise than any Park Slope bar makes, ours included.
The Beer Garage does not claim a team. On a night when the Rangers and the Islanders both play, as they do on Thursday, October 22 (7:00 and 7:30 PM ET), call 718-576-3409 and ask which game is on before you walk over. If the Islanders with guaranteed sound is what you want, Irish Haven is the closest network bar to Park Slope, a short ride down the R line to 59 St.
The best bar for watching hockey in Park Slope
There is no single best bar for watching hockey in Park Slope; it depends on the puck drop and on whether you need to hear the game. Here is the short version, using only the facts on this page.
- To hear the game: The LayUp Bar at 47 5th Avenue, the only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on.
- For a 7:00 or 7:30 PM puck drop with dinner: The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue, where a regulation game ends before we close and every dish is gluten-free.
- For a late West Coast game: McMahon’s Public House at 39 5th Avenue, open until 2:00 AM every day.
- For a weekend afternoon game: The Beer Garage, open from 1:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. The LayUp opens at noon on both days.
Four other Park Slope rooms, fair first
Everything in this section comes from each venue’s own website. None of these bars was visited for this page and no rating of ours is implied.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on. Monday to Friday 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM, Saturday and Sunday 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM, per its homepage on October 13, 2026. Three minutes from the arena station.
- Best for hearing the game, and for nights when two local teams play at once.
- Skip if you want a weekday afternoon game, because it opens at 4:00 PM Monday to Friday, or a West Coast game that runs past midnight.
McMahon’s Public House, 39 5th Avenue. Daily 11:00 AM to 2:00 AM per its own site, with an upstairs lounge and two outdoor patios. It does not mention hockey, so ask.
- Best for a 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM ET start on a western road trip, which no one else on 5th Avenue covers with as much margin.
- Skip if you need a gluten-free kitchen or a published promise that the game will be on.
The Commissioner, 247 5th Avenue. Monday to Thursday 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM, Friday to Sunday 12:00 PM to 2:00 AM. The bar’s own copy does not mention sports; customer reviews shown on its site mention TVs for the games and dart boards in the back.
- Best for a weeknight game with overtime insurance, further up the Slope.
- Skip if you are arriving by train from Manhattan and do not want the fifteen minute walk.
The Dram Shop, 339 9th Street. Open from 11:00 AM daily, to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, with 8 TVs, a big-screen projector, pool, darts and board games, as read on September 25, 2026.
- Best for South Slope locals and anyone who wants something to do during the intermissions.
- Skip if you are walking from the arena; it is twenty seven minutes away.
Getting here, and getting to the Garden
Union St, Bergen St and Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr are all within a ten minute walk of our door. We measured each route in Google Maps walking mode on September 14, 2026.
| Station | Lines | On foot | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union St | R | 6 minutes | 0.3 mile |
| Bergen St | 2, 3 | 8 minutes | 0.4 mile |
| Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr | B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4, 5 | 9 minutes | 0.4 mile |
If you hold tickets rather than a bar stool: the 2 and 3 trains from Bergen St run to 34 St-Penn Station, underneath Madison Square Garden, so Park Slope is a sensible place to eat before a Rangers home game. For the Islanders at UBS Arena, the Long Island Rail Road leaves from Atlantic Terminal, nine minutes from our door; check the MTA trip planner for the Elmont-UBS Arena connection on the night. Barclays Center no longer hosts NHL games.
What to eat between periods
When you watch NHL hockey in Park Slope with us, every plate comes from a gluten-free kitchen, so the table can order without checking. The prices here were read from the posted Park Slope menu in September 2026.
| Item | Price | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Our Famous Garage Wings | $14 | BBQ, buffalo or mango habanero; order them at puck drop |
| Beer Garage Sampler Platter | $36 | Feeds a table of four through a period |
| Chicken Nachos | $21 | Avocado, beans, jalapeno, mozzarella; lasts a full period |
| Fried Pickles | $13 | The first intermission order |
| BG’s Famous Burger | $24 | Dinner for one before a 7:00 PM ET puck drop |
| Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese | $20 | Aged cheddar and roasted crumbs; a cold night order |
There is no printed beer list, because the taps change; read the board. The kitchen is gluten-free and the bar is not: beer is mostly made from gluten grains, so ask before you order a pint.
New York law, enforced by the State Liquor Authority, requires valid ID showing you are 21 or over before we can serve you. Pace yourself, and arrange the trip home before puck drop rather than in overtime.
Which bar for your game?
Two questions and sixteen possible answers for where to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope, and several of them send you somewhere other than here.
1. When does your game start?
2. What matters most?
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that publishes a 100 per cent gluten-free kitchen, open to 11:00 PM ET on Fridays and Saturdays and 10:00 PM ET on Sundays, which leaves 210 to 270 minutes after puck drop.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on. It opens at 12:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, an hour before a 1:00 PM ET matinee, and at 4:00 PM Monday to Friday.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. A 7:00 PM ET Friday or Saturday start has 240 minutes before our 11:00 PM ET close. There is no clock on you.
McMahon’s Public House or The LayUp Bar. Both are three minutes on foot from the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station. We are nine.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. Weeknight doors open at 3:00 PM ET and a 7:00 PM ET puck drop leaves 180 minutes before our 10:00 PM ET close, with a 100 per cent gluten-free kitchen the whole time.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on. Open to midnight on weeknights.
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue. It works for a 7:00 PM ET start: 180 minutes to our 10:00 PM ET close. If you want overtime insurance as well, McMahon’s Public House is open to 2:00 AM.
McMahon’s Public House or The LayUp Bar. Three minutes from the arena station against our nine.
Eat here, and watch the clock. A 7:30 PM ET weeknight start leaves 150 minutes before our 10:00 PM ET close. Eat at 148 5th Avenue, and if the game is tied late, McMahon’s Public House is a seven minute walk and open to 2:00 AM.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on. Open to midnight, which covers a 7:30 PM or 7:45 PM ET start with room for overtime.
The LayUp Bar, McMahon’s Public House or The Commissioner. All three publish a weeknight close of midnight or later. We close at 10:00 PM ET, 135 to 150 minutes after these starts, and would rather tell you now.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. Three minutes from the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station, NHL named on its own site, open to midnight.
Eat here first, then move. We close at 10:00 PM ET on weeknights, which is an hour or less into a West Coast game. Eat at 148 5th Avenue before puck drop, then walk seven minutes to McMahon’s Public House, open to 2:00 AM.
The LayUp Bar, 47 5th Avenue. The only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site, with nine screens and the sound on. It closes at midnight, so for a 10:00 PM ET start McMahon’s Public House, open to 2:00 AM, is the safer room.
McMahon’s Public House, 39 5th Avenue. Open daily to 2:00 AM per its own site, the latest weeknight close on this page. It does not mention hockey, so call and ask for the game.
McMahon’s Public House, 39 5th Avenue. Three minutes from the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station and open to 2:00 AM, which is the combination that matters after a late game.
Use the start time table above: The Beer Garage covers Friday, Saturday and Sunday games and 7:00 PM ET weeknight starts, and The LayUp Bar, McMahon’s Public House, The Commissioner and The Dram Shop cover the later ones.
How we know this
The season start date on this page about where to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope comes from the NHL’s own announcement. Game dates and start times come from the NHL’s 2026-27 schedule data for the Rangers and the Islanders, read on October 21, 2026 and converted to Eastern Time; the two teams’ schedules were checked against each other where they share an opponent or a game. Start times can change for television.
Every bar’s hours and wording come from that bar’s own website, read on September 18, 2026, except The Dram Shop, whose site refused our request that day; its row was reread and corrected on September 25, 2026. The Islanders Bar Network listing was read on the team’s own site on September 18, 2026. No competitor was visited for this page and no rating of ours is implied.
The walks were measured in Google Maps walking mode on September 14 and 16, 2026. The minutes-to-close figures are plain subtraction of puck drop from closing time. They say nothing about how long a hockey game runs and take no account of overtime or a shootout.
Puck drop at 148 5th Avenue
The Beer Garage, 148 5th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217, entrance on Douglass Street. Monday to Thursday 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET, Friday 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM ET, Saturday 1:00 PM to 11:00 PM ET, Sunday 1:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET.
Order pickup or delivery through Seamless. Private parties and watch parties: BeerGarageBK@gmail.com.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch NHL hockey in Park Slope?
You can watch NHL hockey in Park Slope at The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue, which suits 7:00 PM ET weeknight games and every Friday, Saturday and Sunday game, and at The LayUp Bar at 47 5th Avenue, the only Park Slope bar that names the NHL on its own site. McMahon’s Public House, open to 2:00 AM every night, is the one for West Coast starts; The Commissioner and The Dram Shop also stay open later than we do.
Which Park Slope bar is best for watching hockey with the sound on?
The LayUp Bar at 47 5th Avenue is the only Park Slope bar that publishes a sound policy: nine screens with the sound on, and the NHL among the leagues it lists. The Beer Garage has never published a screen count or a sound policy, so call 718-576-3409 and ask before you walk over if sound matters to you.
When does the 2026-27 NHL season start?
The 2026-27 NHL regular season opened on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, according to the league’s own announcement. The Rangers played at Boston at 8:00 PM ET that night. The next game between two New York-area teams is Devils at Islanders on Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 PM ET; the next home games are Kings at Islanders on Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 PM ET and Kings at Rangers on Monday, October 26 at 7:00 PM ET.
Is there an official Islanders or Rangers bar in Park Slope?
No Park Slope bar appears in the Brooklyn section of the Islanders’ official Islanders Bar Network, as read on September 18, 2026. The three Brooklyn bars listed are Irish Haven in Sunset Park, Kent Ale House in Williamsburg and Bull’s Eye Sports Pub on Flatbush Avenue. The Beer Garage does not claim a team affiliation.
Does The Beer Garage in Park Slope show hockey?
Yes. The room at 148 5th Avenue carries a full sports line-up, and hockey start times suit its hours better than any other sport: a 7:00 PM ET weeknight puck drop leaves 180 minutes before the 10:00 PM ET close. When two local teams play at once, call 718-576-3409 and ask which game is on. The answer changes night to night.
Is the food gluten-free at the Park Slope location?
Yes. Every dish from the Park Slope kitchen at 148 5th Avenue in Brooklyn is gluten-free, which the menu header states as 100 per cent. That includes the wings, nachos, burger and pizzas you would order between periods. It does not include the beer, most of which is brewed with gluten grains, or our Manhattan room, which has a conventional kitchen. If you have celiac disease, raise it with the staff and use your own judgment.
What is the best bar for watching hockey in Park Slope?
It depends on the game. For the sound on, The LayUp Bar at 47 5th Avenue names the NHL on its own site and runs nine screens with the sound on. For a 7:00 PM puck drop with dinner, The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue finishes a regulation game before closing and has a 100 per cent gluten-free kitchen. For a late West Coast game, McMahon’s Public House at 39 5th Avenue is open until 2:00 AM every day.
The verdict
If you want to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope, The Beer Garage at 148 5th Avenue is a better answer than it is for almost any other sport: most Rangers and Islanders games start at 7:00 PM or 7:30 PM ET, the kitchen is 100 per cent gluten-free, wings are $14, and the 2 and 3 trains to the Garden are eight minutes away. Where we stop being the answer is the late start. For an 8:00 PM ET puck drop, a West Coast road trip, or a tied game you refuse to leave, The LayUp Bar names the NHL and keeps the sound on until midnight, and McMahon’s Public House is open to 2:00 AM. Pick by puck drop, not by list.
Sources and references
- NHL: 2026-27 season opening night and home openers, read September 18, 2026.
- New York Rangers schedule and New York Islanders schedule, NHL.com, 2026-27 dates and start times, read October 21, 2026.
- New York Islanders: Islanders Bar Network, Brooklyn listings, read September 18, 2026.
- The Beer Garage, beergarageny.com, Park Slope hours, address and phone, and the posted Park Slope menu, read September 18, 2026.
- The LayUp Bar, McMahon’s Public House and The Commissioner, own websites, read September 18, 2026; The Dram Shop, reread September 25, 2026.
- Google Maps walking directions, measured September 14 and 16, 2026.
- Metropolitan Transportation Authority, subway lines and the Long Island Rail Road.
Marina Charny
Wrote this page about where to watch NHL hockey in Park Slope the same way as our football guide: took two weeks of Rangers and Islanders start times off the league’s schedule, read what four neighboring bars publish on their own sites, and subtracted puck drop from closing time. This time the arithmetic mostly came out in our favor, and the page says where it does not.
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