NHL Projected Lineups - Game Day Feb 4, 2026

IHM News

NHL Projected Lineups - Game Day Feb 4, 2026

Date: 03 February
By IceHockeyMan Newsroom

New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Faceoff: 01:00 CET

Devils - Projected lineup

Forwards

Timo Meier - Cody Glass - Connor Brown
Arseny Gritsyuk - Nico Hischier - Lenni Hameenaho
Jesper Bratt - Paul Cotter - Dawson Mercer
Juho Lammikko - Luke Glendening - Maxim Tsyplakov

Defense

Jonas Siegenthaler - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brett Pesce - Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec

Goalies

Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen

Scratched

Colton White
Evgenii Dadonov

Injured

Luke Hughes (shoulder)
Zack MacEwen (ACL)
Stefan Noesen (knee)
Jack Hughes (lower body)

IHM Lineup Note:
With Jack Hughes out, the Devils are more likely to lean into cycle-based offense (extended O-zone possessions) instead of pure rush hockey. Hamilton’s activation from the blue line can drive entries and shot volume, but it also increases counterattack risk if the gap control breaks on turnovers.

Blue Jackets - Projected lineup

Forwards

Mason Marchment - Adam Fantilli - Isac Lundestrom
Dimitri Voronkov - Sean Monahan - Kent Johnson
Cole Sillinger - Charlie Coyle - Mathieu Olivier
Danton Heinen - Boone Jenner - Miles Wood

Defense

Zach Werenski - Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov - Denton Mateychuk
Dante Fabbro - Erik Gudbranson

Goalies

Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves

Scratched

Egor Zamula
Jake Christiansen

Injured

Brendan Smith (knee surgery)
Kirill Marchenko (illness)

IHM Lineup Note:
Fabbro’s return helps with cleaner defensive zone exits and reduces panic clears under pressure. Columbus is built to play north-south and attack the slot through power wingers, while Fantilli’s unit can be deployed as a matchup line to disrupt the Devils’ top-six rhythm.

Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators

Faceoff: 01:00 CET

Hurricanes - Projected lineup

Forwards

Andrei Svechnikov - Sebastian Aho - Seth Jarvis
Taylor Hall - Logan Stankoven - Jackson Blake
Nikolaj Ehlers - Jordan Staal - Jordan Martinook
William Carrier - Mark Jankowski - Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Defense

Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Shayne Gostisbehere - Alexander Nikishin

Goalies

Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen

Scratched

Mike Reilly

Injured

Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body)
Eric Robinson (upper body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Carolina’s identity stays intact: heavy forecheck pressure and constant retrieval work that turns into layered O-zone attacks. Slavin-Chatfield stabilizes the back end, giving Gostisbehere room to activate as a second-wave shooter when the Senators lose coverage in the high slot.

Senators - Projected lineup

Forwards

Drake Batherson - Tim Stutzle - Claude Giroux
Brady Tkachuk - Dylan Cozens - Ridly Greig
Nick Cousins - Shane Pinto - Michael Amadio
Stephen Halliday - Lars Eller - Fabian Zetterlund

Defense

Jake Sanderson - Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot - Nick Jensen
Tyler Kleven - Jordan Spence

Goalies

James Reimer
Linus Ullmark

Scratched

Kurtis MacDermid
Nikolas Matinpalo

Injured

David Perron (sports hernia)

IHM Lineup Note:
Ottawa’s middle-six can create chaos via a heavy forecheck and net-front traffic, but that style is vulnerable against Carolina’s structure if the Senators lose the puck in the neutral zone. Clean puck management on exits will be critical to avoid getting pinned.

Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals

Faceoff: 01:00 CET

Flyers - Projected lineup

Forwards

Nikita Grebenkin - Christian Dvorak - Travis Konecny
Denver Barkey - Trevor Zegras - Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov - Noah Cates - Bobby Brink
Nicolas Deslauriers - Sean Couturier - Carl Grundstrom

Defense

Travis Sanheim - Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York - Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler - Noah Juulsen

Goalies

Dan Vladar
Aleksei Kolosov

Scratched

Garnet Hathaway
Emil Andrae

Injured

Tyson Foerster (arm)
Rodrigo Abols (lower body)
Samuel Ersson (lower body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Philadelphia can tilt between Zegras-led skill plays and Couturier’s shutdown usage. Michkov remains a half-wall distributor at five-on-five, and the Flyers will look to generate lateral movement before shooting to beat Washington’s layers.

Capitals - Projected lineup

Forwards

Anthony Beauvillier - Dylan Strome - Alex Ovechkin
Aliaksei Protas - Justin Sourdif - Tom Wilson
Ryan Leonard - Nic Dowd - Ethen Frank
Brandon Duhaime - Hendrix Lapierre - Sonny Milano

Defense

Martin Fehervary - John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun - Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin - Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies

Clay Stevenson
Garin Bjorklund

Scratched

Bogdan Trineyev
Declan Chisholm
Dylan McIlrath

Injured

Pierre-Luc Dubois (abdomen)
Logan Thompson (upper body)
Charlie Lindgren (lower body)
Connor McMichael (upper body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Washington has to manage the game more conservatively without its usual goalie stability. Ovechkin still hunts the weak-side shooting pocket, while Carlson drives controlled entries and sets the tempo through structured puck distribution.

New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Faceoff: 01:30 CET

Islanders - Projected lineup

Forwards

Ondrej Palat - Bo Horvat - Mathew Barzal
Emil Heineman - Jonathan Drouin - Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Marc Gatcomb

Defense

Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy - Scott Mayfield

Goalies

Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich

Scratched

Maxim Shabanov
Adam Boqvist

Injured

Calum Ritchie (lower body)
Kyle Palmieri (ACL)
Alexander Romanov (upper body)
Semyon Varlamov (knee)

IHM Lineup Note:
The Islanders can drive possession through the middle lane, but DeAngelo’s presence increases puck-moving upside at the cost of occasional coverage leaks. If gaps open on the backcheck, Pittsburgh can punish with quick strike transitions.

Penguins - Projected lineup

Forwards

Rickard Rakell - Sidney Crosby - Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov - Tommy Novak - Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha - Ben Kindel - Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari

Defense

Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Brett Kulak - Ryan Shea
Ilya Solovyov - Connor Clifton

Goalies

Stuart Skinner
Arturs Silovs

Scratched

Kevin Hayes
Rutger McGroarty

Injured

Kris Letang (foot fracture)
Jack St. Ivany (hand surgery)
Filip Hallander (blood clot)
Ryan Graves (lower body)
Caleb Jones (lower body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Karlsson remains the engine for transition offense, but without Letang the Penguins lose defensive gap control and clean retrieval efficiency. Expect Pittsburgh to simplify exits and rely on Crosby’s line to manage tilt through puck protection.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs Buffalo Sabres

Faceoff: 01:30 CET

Lightning - Projected lineup

Forwards

Brandon Hagel - Jake Guentzel - Nikita Kucherov
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Dominic James - Gage Goncalves
Zemgus Girgensons - Yanni Gourde - Pontus Holmberg
Curtis Douglas - Jack Finley - Scott Sabourin

Defense

J.J. Moser - Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman - Declan Carlile

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson

Scratched

Max Crozier

Injured

Brayden Point (lower body)
Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed)
Charle-Edouard D’Astous (undisclosed)
Anthony Cirelli (upper body)
Nick Paul (undisclosed)

IHM Lineup Note:
Tampa compensates for Point’s absence with high-tempo puck movement through Kucherov and aggressive slot creation from Hagel. The top unit can still generate premium looks via east-west plays and late-layered support.

Sabres - Projected lineup

Forwards

Jason Zucker - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Josh Doan - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Konsta Helenius - Peyton Krebs - Noah Ostlund
Isak Rosen - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malenstyn

Defense

Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Zach Metsa - Michael Kesselring

Goalies

Colten Ellis
Alex Lyon

Scratched

Jacob Bryson

Injured

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (lower body)
Jordan Greenway (middle body)
Josh Norris (upper body)
Josh Dunne (middle body)
Conor Timmins (broken leg)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot)
Justin Danforth (lower body)
Zach Benson (upper body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Buffalo leans into shot-volume hockey with Dahlin and Power driving play from the back end. Injuries reduce depth, so puck management and avoiding extended D-zone shifts will decide whether they can keep pace with Tampa’s tempo.

Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Faceoff: 02:30 CET

Oilers - Projected lineup

Forwards

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Connor McDavid - Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin - Leon Draisaitl - Kasperi Kapanen
Matt Savoie - Josh Samanski - Jack Roslovic
Andrew Mangiapane - Mattias Janmark - Trent Frederic

Defense

Mattias Ekholm - Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse - Jake Walman
Spencer Stastney - Ty Emberson

Goalies

Connor Ingram
Tristan Jarry

Injured

Adam Henrique (upper body)

IHM Lineup Note:
Edmonton’s top unit remains a speed-driven entry machine. McDavid and Hyman can force early D-zone collapses, while Ekholm-Bouchard dictates pace through controlled breakouts and quick up-ice distribution.

Maple Leafs - Projected lineup

Forwards

Bobby McMann - Auston Matthews - Max Domi
Matias Maccelli - John Tavares - William Nylander
Matthew Knies - Nicolas Roy - Nicholas Robertson
Steven Lorentz - Scott Laughton - Calle Jarnkrok

Defense

Jake McCabe - Brandon Carlo
Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Philippe Myers

Goalies

Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll

Scratched

Easton Cowan
Marshall Rifai

Injured

Dakota Joshua (kidney)
Dakota Mermis (knee)
Morgan Rielly (upper body)
Chris Tanev (groin)

IHM Lineup Note:
Toronto is aiming for two-way balance: Matthews can drop lower to support exits and stabilize the middle of the ice, while Nylander becomes the primary puck carrier on controlled entries. Defensive pairings are built to survive pace, not to trade chances.

Q&A: Projected Lineups and Starting Goalies

Q1: What are projected lineups?

Projected lineups are the expected forward lines and defense pairs based on the latest practice information, morning skate reports, and beat-writer updates. They can change closer to puck drop.

Q2: When are starting goalies confirmed?

Starters are most often confirmed after morning skate or during pregame media availability. Final confirmation can also come 30 to 90 minutes before faceoff.

Q3: Why do line combinations change on game day?

Coaches adjust lines for matchups, injury status, travel fatigue, and special teams roles. Late scratches can force quick reshuffles and role changes.

Q4: What is the difference between scratched and injured?

A scratched player is healthy but not in the lineup. Injured players are unavailable due to a reported injury or medical status designation.

Q5: How should I read forward lines and defense pairs?

Lines reflect expected even-strength usage, while defense pairs indicate matchup structure and puck-moving roles. Special teams usage can differ from the listed units.

Q6: What do the IHM lineup notes focus on?

The notes focus on forecheck structure, neutral-zone approach, transition quality, and how personnel changes affect matchups, tempo, and scoring chance quality.