WATCH Rangers vs. Lightning Live Stream Online: NHL Division Rivals 2015, Playoff Updates

Hockey's back for the official 2015-2016 NHL season, so get ready, MstarsNews readers!

The New York Rangers battle it out on the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Week 12 of the regular season on Thursday, December 30 at 8:00 p.m. EST from Amalie Arena in Florida. Read on to see where fans can watch and listen to a live stream of the Thursday evening hockey game online and catch up-to-date feeds and coverage on highlight plays and scores.

Now heading into mid-season, Tampa Bay snags a Top 10 spot in Joe McDonald's official NHL power rankings for ESPN.com (out of a total 30 teams), while New York lags a bit behind:

Lightning (8): "The Lightning scored four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday. Captain Steven Stamkos scored a pair of power-play goals in a 32-second span and finished the game with three points. Tampa is 4-2-0 in its last six games."

Record: 18-15-4 (6th in Atlantic Division).

Rangers (15): "After a dominating start, the Rangers won four of the 15 games before the holiday break. A 3-2 OT win against the Ducks on Tuesday -- Mats Zuccarello's power-play goal ended a three-game losing skid. -- could prove to be a crucial turning point for the Rangers, who return to action Monday night in Nashville."

Record: 20-13-4 (3rd in Metropolitan Division).

Tonight's game will be broadcasted live on your local NBC Sports channel.

For fans who want to try out a free live stream (which may mean downloading a torrent), click here. Also try this or another option.

For a one-time fee, fans can access a NHL Gamecenter Live pass.

ESPN, ESPN Scoreboard, and NHL.com  are both good sources for up-to-date game coverage and feeds.

More radio listening options for Rangers and Lightning.

Official NHL team websites: Rangers and Lightning.

Enjoy the highly-anticipated hockey game from the south this evening, and always stick with MstarsNews for even more NHL gameday coverage later this week. Which top division rival will snag the big win tonight?