NHL Projected Lineups - Game Day March 7, 2026
Date: 07 March
By IceHockeyMan Newsroom
Update: Projected lineups remain subject to change closer to puck drop due to late scratches, travel issues, maintenance days and final coaching decisions.
New Jersey Devils vs New York Rangers
Faceoff: 21:00 CET
Devils - Projected lineup
Forwards
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Arseny Gritsyuk - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Jesper Bratt - Cody Glass - Lenni Hameenaho
Paul Cotter - Nick Bjugstad - Maxim Tsyplakov
Defense
Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched
Colton White
Dennis Cholowski
Evgenii Dadonov
Injured
Stefan Noesen (knee)
Zack MacEwen (ACL)
Brett Pesce (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: New Jersey’s pace rises sharply with Jack Hughes back in the middle. The Devils can attack through quick middle-lane transport and weak-side support, but without Pesce their defensive spacing on second attacks and low-slot coverage becomes less stable against teams that reload quickly off broken plays.
Rangers - Projected lineup
Forwards
Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Vincent Trocheck - Taylor Raddysh
Tye Kartye - Noah Laba - Conor Sheary
Adam Edstrom - Jonny Brodzinski - Jaroslav Chmelar
Defense
Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox
Braden Schneider - Will Borgen
Matthew Robertson - Vincent Iorio
Goalies
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched
Urho Vaakanainen
Jaroslav Chmelar
Aidan Thompson
Jusso Parssinen
Injured
Matt Rempe (upper body)
J.T. Miller (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note: New York will want Fox controlling first-touch exits and slowing the Devils through compact neutral-zone layers. Without Miller, the Rangers lose a major puck-protection piece, so their offensive structure depends more on clean entries and faster support underneath Zibanejad’s line.
Buffalo Sabres vs Nashville Predators
Faceoff: 23:30 CET
Sabres - Projected lineup
Forwards
Peyton Krebs - Tage Thompson - Alex Tuch
Jason Zucker - Ryan McLeod - Jack Quinn
Noah Ostlund - Josh Norris - Josh Doan
Zach Benson - Tyson Kozak - Beck Malenstyn
Defense
Mattias Samuelsson - Rasmus Dahlin
Bowen Byram - Owen Power
Zach Metsa - Michael Kesselring
Goalies
Alex Lyon
Colten Ellis
Scratched
Sam Carrick
Logan Stanley
Luke Schenn
Tanner Pearson
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Injured
Tyson Kozak (undisclosed)
Jordan Greenway (middle body)
Conor Timmins (broken leg)
Jiri Kulich (blood clot)
Justin Danforth (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Buffalo’s attack still runs through Dahlin’s puck movement and Thompson’s release profile from dangerous inside lanes. If the Sabres can keep their breakouts clean and avoid extended D-zone shifts, they can stretch Nashville’s defensive layers and create repeated second-wave looks from the slot.
Predators - Projected lineup
Forwards
Steven Stamkos - Erik Haula - Jonathan Marchessault
Filip Forsberg - Matthew Wood - Luke Evangelista
Zachary L’Heureux - Tyson Jost - Joakim Kemell
Reid Schaefer - Fedor Svechkov - Ozzy Wiesblatt
Defense
Brady Skjei - Roman Josi
Nicolas Hague - Nick Perbix
Justin Barron - Ryan Ufko
Goalies
Juuse Saros
Justus Annunen
Scratched
None
Injured
Adam Wilsby (lower body)
Ryan O’Reilly
IHM Lineup Note: Nashville looks thinner down the middle without full certainty around O’Reilly, so the Predators may have to simplify their entry game and lean on Josi’s transport and weak-side shooting support. If they fail to win puck retrievals early, Buffalo can control tempo off the rush.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers
Faceoff: 23:30 CET
Penguins - Projected lineup
Forwards
Rickard Rakell - Ben Kindel - Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov - Tommy Novak - Ville Koivunen
Anthony Mantha - Kevin Hayes - Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar - Blake Lizotte - Noel Acciari
Defense
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Samuel Girard - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Connor Clifton
Goalies
Stuart Skinner
Arturs Silovs
Scratched
Ilya Solovyov
Ryan Graves
Elmer Soderblom
Injured
Sidney Crosby (lower body)
Jack St. Ivany (hand surgery)
Caleb Jones (lower body)
Suspended
Evgeni Malkin
IHM Lineup Note: Pittsburgh is missing major center gravity, so their offensive game becomes more fragmented and reliant on Karlsson-Letang activation plus rush support from the wings. If they cannot establish controlled entries, the Penguins will struggle to create slot traffic consistently against Philadelphia’s layered defensive posture.
Flyers - Projected lineup
Forwards
Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Owen Tippett
Matvei Michkov - Noah Cates - Luke Glendening
Denver Barkey - Sean Couturier - Nikita Grebenkin
Alex Bump - Carl Grundstrom - Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Travis Sanheim - Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York - Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae - Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Dan Vladar
Samuel Ersson
Scratched
None
Injured
Tyson Foerster (arm)
Rodrigo Abols (lower body)
Travis Konecny (upper body)
Nick Seeler (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Philadelphia can turn this into a forecheck and board-battle game, especially if Couturier’s line controls defensive-zone matchups and Michkov’s line gets offensive-zone starts. Glendening’s addition gives them more defensive detail, which matters against a Penguins team trying to survive through structure rather than pure star power.
Los Angeles Kings vs Montreal Canadiens
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Kings - Projected lineup
Forwards
Artemi Panarin - Anze Kopitar - Adrian Kempe
Trevor Moore - Alex Turcotte - Alex Laferriere
Jared Wright - Kenny Connors - Mathieu Joseph
Jeff Malott - Samuel Helenius - Taylor Ward
Defense
Mikey Anderson - Drew Doughty
Joel Edmundson - Brandt Clarke
Brian Dumoulin - Cody Ceci
Goalies
Darcy Kuemper
Anton Forsberg
Scratched
Jacob Moverare
Scott Laughton
Injured
Quinton Byfield (undisclosed)
Joel Armia (back)
Andrei Kuzmenko (meniscus)
Kevin Fiala (fractured leg)
IHM Lineup Note: LA’s structure looks better with Doughty back, because it sharpens their first-pass game and stabilizes defensive retrievals. The Kings still lack some high-end finishing depth, so their path is possession, low-to-high pressure, and repeated second chances rather than trading rush chances with Montreal.
Canadiens - Projected lineup
Forwards
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc - Jake Evans - Kirby Dach
Josh Anderson - Phillip Danault - Brendan Gallagher
Defense
Lane Hutson - Noah Dobson
Mike Matheson - Kaiden Guhle
Arber Xhekaj - Alexandre Carrier
Goalies
Jakub Dobes
Samuel Montembeault
Scratched
Jayden Struble
Alexandre Texier
Joe Veleno
Injured
Patrik Laine (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Montreal can create offense with speed through the middle and lateral puck movement from Hutson and Dobson, but LA will try to pin them into a heavier, lower-event structure. If Suzuki’s line can break through the first layer cleanly, the Canadiens can expose slower recovery routes on the Kings’ back end.
Winnipeg Jets vs Vancouver Canucks
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Jets - Projected lineup
Forwards
Kyle Connor - Mark Scheifele - Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti - Adam Lowry - Gabriel Vilardi
Gustav Nyquist - Jonathan Toews - Isak Rosen
Cole Koepke - Morgan Barron - Brad Lambert
Defense
Dylan Samberg - Elias Salomonsson
Josh Morrissey - Dylan DeMelo
Haydn Fleury - Jacob Bryson
Goalies
Connor Hellebuyck
Eric Comrie
Scratched
Ville Heinola
Injured
Nino Niederreiter (knee)
Neal Pionk (undisclosed)
Colin Miller (knee)
Vladislav Namestnikov (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Morrissey’s return is huge because it restores Winnipeg’s transitional rhythm and blue-line composure. The Jets can control this game if they keep Vancouver from exiting cleanly and turn neutral-zone pressure into quick re-entries and net-front sequences.
Canucks - Projected lineup
Forwards
Jake DeBrusk - Elias Pettersson - Nils Hoglander
Liam Ohgren - Marco Rossi - Brock Boeser
Evander Kane - Aatu Raty - Drew O’Connor
Max Sasson - Teddy Blueger - Linus Karlsson
Defense
Elias Pettersson - Filip Hronek
Marcus Pettersson - Tom Willander
Zeev Buium - Victor Mancini
Goalies
Kevin Lankinen
Nikita Tolopilo
Scratched
Curtis Douglas
Injured
P.O Joseph (upper body)
Filip Chytil (facial fracture)
Thatcher Demko (hip surgery)
Derek Forbort (undisclosed)
IHM Lineup Note: Vancouver needs to keep this game mobile and avoid long defensive-zone cycles where Winnipeg’s size can wear them down. Pettersson’s line must control the puck through the middle lane and turn offensive-zone entries into immediate shot threats rather than perimeter possession.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Utah Mammoth
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Blue Jackets - Projected lineup
Forwards
Mason Marchment - Adam Fantilli - Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson - Sean Monahan - Conor Garland
Cole Sillinger - Charlie Coyle - Mathieu Olivier
Isac Lundestrom - Boone Jenner - Miles Wood
Defense
Zach Werenski - Damon Severson
Ivan Provorov - Denton Mateychuk
Egor Zamula - Erik Gudbranson
Goalies
Elvis Merzlikins
Jet Greaves
Scratched
Danton Heinen
Dmitri Voronkov
Jake Christiansen
Injured
Dante Fabbro (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Columbus gets a real skill boost with Garland and Johnson in the top-six mix, which should improve controlled entry quality and east-west play around the slot. The concern is on the back end, where Fabbro’s absence and Zamula’s insertion could affect retrieval stability under Utah’s forecheck pressure.
Utah Mammoth - Projected lineup
Forwards
Clayton Keller - Nick Schmaltz - Dylan Guenther
JJ Peterka - Logan Cooley - Logan Crouse
Jack McBain - Barrett Hayton - Kailer Yamamoto
Alexander Kerfoot - Kevin Stenlund - Michael Carcone
Defense
Nate Schmidt - Sean Durzi
Ian Cole - Nick DeSimone
Dmitri Simashev - John Marino
Goalies
Karel Vejmelka
Vitek Vanecek
Scratched
Liam O’Brien
Brandon Tanev
MacKenzie Weegar
Injured
Mikhail Sergachev (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Utah’s speed and layered transition game remain dangerous, but Sergachev’s absence reduces their top-end puck transport from the blue line. If they can still get clean exits and let Cooley’s line attack with pace, they can pressure Columbus’ third pair and force coverage errors.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Maple Leafs - Projected lineup
Forwards
Matias Maccelli - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
Matthew Knies - John Tavares - Easton Cowan
Nicholas Robertson - Max Domi - Dakota Joshua
Steven Lorentz - Jacob Quillan - Calle Jarnkrok
Defense
Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Simon Benoit - Troy Stecher
Goalies
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched
Philippe Myers
Injured
Chris Tanev (groin)
IHM Lineup Note: Toronto’s first line is built to manufacture controlled entries and then stretch coverage laterally around Matthews and Nylander. If the Leafs can force Tampa’s defense into repeated pivots and keep strong F3 support, they can attack the slot with more regularity than off pure point-volume hockey.
Lightning - Projected lineup
Forwards
Jake Guentzel - Brayden Point - Nikita Kucherov
Oliver Bjorkstrand - Anthony Cirelli - Brandon Hagel
Zemgus Girgensons - Yanni Gourde - Pontus Holmberg
Scott Sabourin - Connor Geekie - Corey Perry
Defense
J.J. Moser - Darren Raddysh
Ryan McDonagh - Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman - Charle-Edouard D’Astous
Goalies
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Jonas Johansson
Scratched
Emil Lilleberg
Declan Carlile
Injured
Gage Goncalves (undisclosed)
Dominic James (lower body)
Nick Paul (lower body)
Max Crozier (core muscle)
IHM Lineup Note: Tampa can still create premium offense through Kucherov’s half-wall manipulation and Point’s timing through the middle, but Toronto’s puck pressure can disrupt those seam plays if the Leafs keep their structure above the puck. Perry’s arrival adds more crease-layer detail and secondary finishing presence around rebounds.
Calgary Flames vs Carolina Hurricanes
Faceoff: 04:00 CET
Flames - Projected lineup
Forwards
Yegor Sharangovich - Mikael Backlund - Matt Coronato
Blake Coleman - Morgan Frost - Joel Farabee
Connor Zary - Ryan Strome - Martin Pospisil
Ryan Lomberg - John Beecher - Adam Klapka
Defense
Kevin Bahl - Zach Whitecloud
Yan Kuznetsov - Brayden Pachal
Olli Maatta - Zayne Parekh
Goalies
Dustin Wolf
Devin Cooley
Scratched
Joel Hanley
Victor Olofsson
Injured
Jake Bean (undisclosed)
Samuel Honzek (upper body)
Jonathan Huberdeau (hip surgery)
IHM Lineup Note: Calgary needs this to be a wall-battle and forecheck game, because if Carolina starts dictating pace through the middle, the Flames’ puck support can break down. New additions help depth, but their defensive spacing must stay disciplined against Carolina’s relentless second-wave pressure.
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 - Eric Robinson
Defense
Jaccob Slavin - Jalen Chatfield
K’Andre Miller - Sean Walker
Mike Reilly - Alexander Nikishin
Goalies
Brandon Bussi
Frederik Andersen
Scratched
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Nicolas Deslauriers
Injured
Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body)
Charles-Alexis Legault (hand)
Shayne Gostisbehere (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note: Carolina’s identity remains pace, forecheck, retrievals and repeated O-zone layering. Even without Gostisbehere, they can tilt the ice if Slavin’s pair controls exits and Aho’s line keeps forcing Calgary’s defense to turn and defend from underneath the puck.
Q&A: Projected Lineups, Matchups and Tactical Signals
Q1: Why do projected lineups matter more than just knowing who is active?
Because deployment reveals tactical intent. A player being active tells you availability. A player’s line, partner and likely usage tells you whether the team wants speed, forecheck pressure, defensive stability, matchup protection or offensive-zone creation.
Q2: What is the biggest clue that a team will play a lower-event game?
Look for a heavier bottom-six, more conservative third pair, and centers known for defensive-zone faceoff work. Those lineup signals usually mean the coach wants cleaner exits, more puck safety, and fewer rush exchanges.
Q3: How does the absence of one defenseman change an entire team structure?
If the missing defenseman is a top puck mover, zone exits become more predictable, retrieval speed drops and forwards have to come lower to support. That can weaken transition attack and leave fewer numbers available above the puck.
Q4: What should readers watch first in a lineup post if they want to understand matchup strategy?
Start with the top-six centers, then the first two defense pairs, then the goalie choice. Those three areas usually tell you whether the coach is prioritizing pace, structure, physical control or transition pressure.
Q5: Why are third and fourth lines so important in hockey analysis?
Because they shape the rhythm of the game. Strong depth lines can extend offensive-zone time, tilt momentum after TV breaks, and protect the top-six from hard defensive minutes. Weak depth lines get trapped, forcing stars into overuse.
Q6: What does “maintenance day” usually imply for projected lineups?
It often means the player is still likely to play, but the coaching staff is managing workload. It is not the same as a clear injury absence, though it can become one if symptoms worsen before puck drop.
Q7: How should a reader interpret a team using a backup or unconfirmed goalie?
Goalie choice can shift the team’s tactical risk tolerance. A trusted starter may allow more aggressive pinches and tighter gaps. A backup start often leads to slightly simpler exits, more conservative neutral-zone posture, and stronger focus on box-outs.
Q8: Why do new acquisitions often start lower in the lineup even if they are skilled?
Because coaches prioritize structure first. New players must learn forecheck routes, D-zone responsibilities, line-change timing and special teams reads. Even skilled players often begin in sheltered usage before earning larger matchup minutes.
Q9: What is the tactical value of a strong F3 in modern lineup usage?
F3 protects against counterattacks by staying above the puck and reading weak-side danger. Teams with disciplined F3 habits can activate defense more confidently because they have a built-in transition safety layer.
Q10: What lineup signal suggests a team wants more net-front offense?
Look for heavier wingers moving up, bigger centers playing between skilled passers, and defense pairs that shoot more from the point. Those combinations usually indicate a plan to create rebounds, screens and second chances rather than pure rush chances.
Q11: How does a returning top defenseman change a matchup immediately?
It improves more than defense. Breakouts get cleaner, pair matchups become more efficient, special teams stabilise, and the forwards no longer need to over-support low in the zone. That usually restores a team’s preferred pace and spacing.
Q12: Why do some lineups look unbalanced on paper but still work in games?
Because coaches do not always build lines for pure talent symmetry. Some groups are designed for retrievals, some for matchup defense, some for zone starts, and some for late-game situations. Function often matters more than appearance.
Q13: What is the best way to read an IHM Lineup Note?
Read it as a tactical forecast, not just a summary. It tells you where the game may tilt: forecheck pressure, gap control, middle-lane defense, transition pace, point activation, or crease-layer detail around rebounds and second attacks.
Q14: Can projected lineups still change after this post is published?
Yes. Treat projected lineups as the latest reliable snapshot, not a final card. Warmup adjustments, late illness updates, travel complications and coaching matchup decisions can still change the final combinations before puck drop.