For a league-wide preview, start with NHL.com’s dated projected lineups; for confirmed scratches, check the game’s roster report or Game Center after the team submits its lineup. Projections and injury labels can change, so check the report’s date and revisit it near puck drop.
Where to check today’s NHL lineups
NHL.com’s Projected lineups, starting goalies for today is a useful league-wide starting point. It includes projected line combinations, defense pairs, goalies, scratches, injuries and a status report. Check that the page is for the correct date and game: the version published October 3, 2026, is a dated report, not a guarantee that a lineup remains unchanged.
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For an update about one player, look for the relevant club’s statement or a report that attributes its information to the team or coach. NHL.com’s October 1, 2026 Status Report, for example, reported that Ivan Provorov was week to week for the Blue Jackets. Such wording reports availability as described at that time; it does not establish a diagnosis or a precise return date.
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How to confirm who is scratched
A projected lineup is an informed forecast, not the final submitted game lineup. Under Rule 5.1 of the NHL’s 2024–25 Official Rules, the league’s policy is for the visiting team’s manager or coach to submit its list of eligible players using the NHL Game Line-up Management application within five minutes after warmup concludes. The rule describes warmup as occurring 20 minutes before faceoff.
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“It is the policy of the National Hockey League that the Manager or Coach of the visiting team submit, using the NHL Game Line-up Management application, a list of eligible players within five (5) minutes of the completion of the warm-up (twenty (20) minutes prior to face-off).”
For actual dressed players and scratches, check the game roster report or Game Center once that submission is available. The same rule describes a game lineup as twenty players: eighteen skaters and two goalkeepers. That roster checkpoint is more definitive than an earlier projection, though a report viewed before submission cannot confirm the final lineup.
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A practical checking routine
- Find the game on NHL.com’s projected lineups page. Read the publication date and make sure you have the correct matchup.
- Check the team’s latest update. Use the club’s or coach’s attributed wording for a player’s status rather than turning a possibility into a confirmation.
- Recheck near warmup and puck drop. A game-time decision or an earlier projection may change as the team finalizes its lineup.
- Confirm the scratch in the game roster report or Game Center. Use the submitted lineup when it is available, not an earlier forecast.
What injury and availability labels mean
Terms such as “game-time decision,” “day to day” and “week to week” signal uncertainty about availability. They are not, by themselves, a firm return date or a detailed medical diagnosis. Public reports may state an injury category or body area without providing more detail; stick to what the named source actually reported.
An injury mention is also not proof that a player is on injured reserve. The NHL and NHLPA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement sets formal conditions for injured reserve, including at least seven days of ineligibility after an injury, illness or disability for a player placed on the list. A preview describing a player as injured or doubtful does not establish that roster designation.
Using third-party injury trackers
A fantasy injury dashboard can be a convenient way to browse by team. CBS Sports Fantasy Support says its player injury report can be filtered by team and uses the NHL’s official injury report for statuses. Its help page, however, does not establish the timing or accuracy of every update. Treat a third-party tracker as an index, then verify consequential lineup decisions against current NHL or team reporting and the game roster report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Don’t mistake a roster snapshot for a daily injury update
The NHL Public Relations 2026–27 season-opening roster release was published September 29, 2026, and labeled its rosters “as of 10 a.m., Eastern time.” It included players listed as “Injured and/or Non-Roster.” That release is a timestamped roster snapshot, not a live, game-by-game lineup or injury feed.
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