NHL Projected Lineups - Game Day March 31, 2026
Date: 30 March 2026
By IceHockeyMan Newsroom
Update: Additional matchups will be added as projected lineups are updated throughout the day.
New York Islanders vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Islanders - Projected lineup
Forwards
Anders Lee - Bo Horvat - Emil Heineman
Calum Ritchie - Brayden Schenn - Mathew Barzal
Ondrej Palat - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean - Casey Cizikas - Marc Gatcomb
Defense
Matthew Schaefer - Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech - Carson Soucy
Scott Mayfield - Adam Boqvist
Goalies
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich
Scratched
Anthony Duclair
Adam Boqvist
Isaiah George
Injured
Tony DeAngelo (lower body)
Kyle Palmieri (ACL)
Alexander Romanov (upper body)
Semyon Varlamov (knee)
IHM Lineup Note:
The Islanders remain a structure-first team built around Sorokin’s stability, Horvat’s support game and Barzal’s controlled offense. This lineup is most effective when the game stays patient and physical rather than wide open.
IHM Tactical Signals:
New York should try to close the middle, keep Pittsburgh to one-and-done looks and force the Penguins to earn everything through traffic. Their clearest route is low-event discipline with quick counters off turnovers.
Penguins - Projected lineup
Forwards
Egor Chinahkov - Rickard Rakell - Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha - Tommy Novak - Justin Brazeau
Ville Koivunen - Ben Kindel - Rutger McGroarty
Elmer Soderblom - Connor Dewar - Noel Acciari
Defense
Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson
Samuel Girard - Kris Letang
Ryan Shea - Connor Clifton
Goalies
Arturs Silovs
Stuart Skinner
Scratched
Ilya Solovyov
Ryan Graves
Avery Hayes
Injured
Sidney Crosby (lower body)
Evgeni Malkin (upper body)
Caleb Jones (lower body)
Kevin Hayes (upper body)
Filip Hallander (blood clot)
Blake Lizotte (upper body)
Jack St. Ivany (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note:
Pittsburgh remains heavily depleted down the middle, which severely impacts puck possession and overall structure. Karlsson and Letang still provide offensive push, but the lineup lacks balance.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Penguins should try to keep the game simple, limit turnovers and capitalize on isolated chances. Their only realistic path is opportunistic offense combined with strong goaltending support.
IHM Match Pressure Index:
Pittsburgh carries heavy pressure due to missing core stars, especially at center. The Islanders have the clearer structural advantage, but they must still generate enough offense to avoid letting a short-handed Penguins team hang around.
Colorado Avalanche vs Calgary Flames
Faceoff: 02:30 CET
Avalanche - Projected lineup
Forwards
Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Artturi Lehkonen
Valeri Nichushkin - Brock Nelson - Martin Necas
Ross Colton - Nazem Kadri - Logan O’Connor
Parker Kelly - Jack Drury - Joel Kiviranta
Defense
Brett Kulak - Cale Makar
Devon Toews - Sam Malinski
Josh Manson - Brent Burns
Goalies
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched
Nick Blankenburg
Zakhar Bardakov
Injured
Nicolas Roy (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note:
Colorado continues to look like one of the most complete teams in the league. MacKinnon, Makar and Landeskog drive elite pace, while depth scoring remains strong across all lines.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Avalanche should push speed, puck movement and layered attack patterns. Their biggest edge is overwhelming opponents before they can settle into defensive structure.
Flames - Projected lineup
Forwards
Blake Coleman - Mikael Backlund - Joel Farabee
Matvei Gridin - Morgan Frost - Matt Coronato
Yegor Sharangovich - Ryan Strome - Victor Olofsson
Brennan Othmann - John Beecher - Adam Klapka
Defense
Kevin Bahl - Zach Whitecloud
Olli Maatta - Hunter Brzustewicz
Brayden Pachal - Zayne Parekh
Goalies
Devin Cooley
Dustin Wolf
Scratched
Ryan Lomberg
Martin Pospisil
Yan Kuznetsov
Tyson Gross
Injured
Jake Bean (undisclosed)
Samuel Honzek (upper body)
Jonathan Huberdeau (hip surgery)
Connor Zary (upper body)
Joel Hanley (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note:
Calgary relies heavily on structure and goaltending to stay competitive, but lacks the high-end firepower to consistently match elite teams like Colorado.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Flames must slow the game down, block the middle and rely on counterattacks. Any open, high-tempo game strongly favors Colorado.
IHM Match Pressure Index:
Calgary carries major pressure facing one of the league’s top offensive teams. Colorado has the clear edge, but still needs to convert dominance into goals against a team that can defend in layers.
San Jose Sharks vs St. Louis Blues
Faceoff: 04:00 CET
Sharks - Projected lineup
Forwards
Igor Chernyshov - Macklin Celebrini - Will Smith
William Eklund - Alexander Wennberg - Kiefer Sherwood
Collin Graf - Michael Misa - Tyler Toffoli
Barclay Goodrow - Zack Ostapchuk - Adam Gaudette
Defense
Dmitry Orlov - Vincent Desharnais
Mario Ferraro - Shakir Mukhamadullin
Sam Dickinson - Nick Leddy
Goalies
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
Scratched
Pavol Regenda
Philipp Kurashev
Injured
Ryan Reaves (upper body)
Ty Dellandrea (lower body)
John Klingberg (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note:
San Jose continues to rely on young offensive talent like Celebrini, Smith and Misa. Their ceiling is high in open ice, but defensive structure remains inconsistent.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Sharks should push pace and create rush chances. They cannot afford to get stuck in long defensive-zone sequences against a structured Blues team.
Blues - Projected lineup
Forwards
Dylan Holloway - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud
Jake Neighbours - Pavel Buchnevich - Jordan Kyrou
Otto Stenberg - Dalibor Dvorsky - Jonatan Berggren
Alexey Toropchenko - Jack Finley - Pius Suter
Defense
Philip Broberg - Logan Mailloux
Theo Lindstein - Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler - Justin Holl
Goalies
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratched
Jonathan Drouin
Oskar Sundqvist
Nathan Walker
Matthew Kessel
Injured
Tyler Tucker (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note:
St. Louis has regained stability with Thomas back and looks much more balanced across all four lines. Their structure should hold up well against San Jose.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Blues should aim for controlled possession and force San Jose into mistakes. Their biggest advantage is consistency across all zones.
IHM Match Pressure Index:
San Jose carries more pressure due to defensive inconsistency. St. Louis has the clearer structure but must avoid letting the game open up into a speed contest.
Anaheim Ducks vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Faceoff: 04:00 CET
Ducks - Projected lineup
Forwards
Chris Kreider - Leo Carlsson - Troy Terry
Alex Killorn - Mikael Granlund - Beckett Sennecke
Jeffrey Viel - Ryan Poehling - Cutter Gauthier
Mason McTavish - Tim Washe - Ian Moore
Defense
Jackson LaCombe - Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov - John Carlson
Olen Zellweger - Radko Gudas
Goalies
Ville Husso
Lukas Dostal
Scratched
Nathan Gaucher
Frank Vatrano
Drew Helleson
Injured
Jansen Harkins (upper body)
Ross Johnston (lower body)
Petr Mrazek (hip)
IHM Lineup Note:
Anaheim continues to build a deeper, more balanced roster with strong offensive pieces across multiple lines. The Ducks are dangerous when they play fast and with confidence.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Ducks should push pace and test Toronto’s defensive depth. Their best path is attacking in waves and forcing turnovers.
Maple Leafs - Projected lineup
Forwards
Easton Cowan - John Tavares - William Nylander
Matthew Knies - Bo Groulx - Matias Maccelli
Dakota Joshua - Max Domi - Nicholas Robertson
Michael Pezzetta - Jacob Quillan - Steven Lorentz
Defense
Morgan Rielly - Brandon Carlo
Jake McCabe - Troy Stecher
Simon Benoit - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Goalies
Anthony Stolarz
Joseph Woll
Scratched
Philippe Myers
Calle Jarnkrok
Injured
Auston Matthews (MCL)
Chris Tanev (groin)
IHM Lineup Note:
Toronto still lacks its main center anchor, which affects structure and consistency. Offensive production relies heavily on Nylander and Tavares.
IHM Tactical Signals:
The Leafs should aim for speed and quick-strike offense. They cannot afford to let Anaheim dictate tempo.
IHM Match Pressure Index:
Toronto carries pressure due to missing Matthews. Anaheim has a real chance if the game becomes fast and open.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Vancouver Canucks
Faceoff: 04:00 CET
Vegas Golden Knights - Projected lineup
Forwards
Barbashev - Eichel - Marchessault
Stephenson - Karlsson - Stone
Cotter - Roy - Kolesar
Carrier - Howden - Amadio
Defense
Hague - Pietrangelo
McNabb - Theodore
Whitecloud - Martinez
Goalies
Hill
Thompson
Injured
Lehner
IHM Lineup Note:
Vegas maintains a structured four-line system with strong center control and clean zone exits. The Eichel line drives offensive zone entries and sets the overall tempo.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace: Controlled with transition bursts
Forecheck: Layered 2-1-2
Blue Line: Active puck movement
Goalie Stability: Reliable rotation
X-Factor: Eichel zone entry efficiency
Vancouver Canucks - Projected lineup
Forwards
Mikheyev - Pettersson - Boeser
Hoglander - Miller - Garland
Joshua - Blueger - Garland
Lafferty - Aman - Podkolzin
Defense
Hughes - Hronek
Soucy - Myers
Cole - Juulsen
Goalies
Demko
DeSmith
Injured
None
IHM Lineup Note:
Vancouver builds around speed and puck movement through Pettersson and Miller. Hughes controls transitions and enables quick offensive activation.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace: High tempo
Forecheck: Aggressive pressure
Blue Line: Elite puck-moving
Goalie Stability: Strong with Demko
X-Factor: Pettersson creativity
IHM Match Pressure Index:
Offensive Pressure: Balanced
Transition Edge: Vancouver slight edge
Defensive Stability: Vegas
Goaltending Edge: Vancouver
Game Control Projection: Tight game with pace swings
Q&A: Projected Lineups and Starting Goalies
Q1: What is the difference between a projected lineup and the final lineup card?
A projected lineup is the best available estimate based on practices, media reports, travel notes and coach comments. The final lineup card can still change because of warmup decisions, illness updates, maintenance issues or late scratches.
Q2: Why is lineup order important when reading hockey analysis?
Line order reveals much more than simple talent hierarchy. It shows matchup usage, offensive-zone trust, defensive responsibilities and which players are expected to carry special-situation pressure.
Q3: What should readers check first in a lineup post?
Start with the top two centers, the first two defense pairs and the expected starting goalie. Those three elements usually reveal the tactical identity of the matchup the fastest.
Q4: Why can one missing defenseman change an entire game?
A single blue-line absence can affect retrievals, breakout timing, gap control, penalty killing and overall defensive stability. The impact often spreads far beyond one pair.
Q5: How should readers interpret a maintenance day?
Maintenance usually signals workload management rather than a guaranteed absence, but it still matters because it can hint at reduced usage, uncertainty or a late decision closer to puck drop.
Q6: What do IHM Tactical Signals add to raw line combinations?
IHM Tactical Signals translate personnel into game logic by identifying likely pace control, forecheck strength, blue-line leverage, goalie stability and hidden swing factors in each matchup.
Q7: What does IHM Match Pressure Index do?
It condenses the matchup into a quick tactical read of burden, execution stress and likely game-flow leverage, helping readers understand which side carries more structural pressure.
Q8: Why does center depth matter so much?
Centers drive faceoffs, low-zone support, matchup defense and transition structure. Losing top centers often destabilizes all three zones at once.
Q9: Why do some teams dress 11 forwards and 7 defensemen?
That setup can protect an injured roster, create more blue-line flexibility or shelter specific matchups, but it also increases the importance of bench management and shift distribution.
Q10: What lineup clues point to a lower-event game?
Heavier bottom-six usage, conservative third-pair deployment and strong shutdown-center profiles often indicate a slower, tighter and more territorial game environment.
Q11: Why is home ice so important in lineup analysis?
The home coach gets last change, which helps control matchups, hide weaker combinations and deploy key players against more favorable opposition.
Q12: Can projected lineups still change after publication?
Yes. Treat projected lineups as the latest reliable snapshot, not the final card. Always recheck closer to puck drop for confirmed goalies, illness updates and late scratches.