NHL Projected Lineups - Game Day April 6, 2026
Date: April 5, 2026
By IceHockeyMan Newsroom
Update: Additional matchups will be added as projected lineups are updated throughout the day.
New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Rangers - Projected lineup
Forwards
Gabe Perreault - Mika Zibanejad - Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye - J.T. Miller - Conor Sheary
Jonny Brodzinski - Vincent Trocheck - Will Cuylle
Adam Sykora - Noah Laba - Jaroslav Chmelar
Defense
Vladislav Gavrikov - Adam Fox
Matthew Robertson - Will Borgen
Drew Fortescue - Braden Schneider
Goalies
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Scratched
Vincent Iorio
Adam Edstrom
Taylor Raddysh
Dylan Garand
Injured
Matt Rempe (upper body)
Urho Vaakanainen (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note:
The Rangers still lean on a familiar structural spine through Shesterkin, Fox, Zibanejad, Trocheck and Miller. They are most effective when the game stays organized and their top skill players can attack off cleaner support rather than chase a broken pace.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Rangers prefer a controlled game with selective bursts.
Forecheck Signal: Balanced pressure, more positional than chaotic.
Blue Line Signal: Rangers slight edge through Fox and Gavrikov’s overall control.
Goalie Stability Signal: Rangers.
X-Factor Signal: Shesterkin gives New York the biggest pure stability piece in the matchup.
Capitals - Projected lineup
Forwards
Aliaksei Protas - Dylan Strome - Alex Ovechkin
Connor McMichael - Pierre-Luc Dubois - Tom Wilson
Anthony Beauvillier - Justin Sourdif - Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime - Hendrix Lapierre - Ethen Frank
Defense
Martin Fehervary - Rasmus Sandin
Jakub Chychrun - Trevor van Riemsdyk
Cole Hutson - Matt Roy
Goalies
Charlie Lindgren
Logan Thompson
Scratched
Ivan Miroshnichenko
David Kampf
Declan Chisholm
Dylan McIlrath
Timothy Liljegren
Injured
None
IHM Lineup Note:
Washington keeps a strong veteran identity with Ovechkin, Wilson, Dubois, Strome and Chychrun still driving the key minutes. The Capitals remain dangerous when they keep the puck moving north and make the game direct and physical.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Capitals can play medium pace with strong direct pressure.
Forecheck Signal: Capitals through heavier physical pressure and straight-line support.
Blue Line Signal: Capitals are solid, but New York has the cleaner overall top-pair profile.
Goalie Stability Signal: Even, with Lindgren starting and Shesterkin on the other side.
X-Factor Signal: Ovechkin’s finishing gravity still changes how the Rangers must defend the weak side.
IHM Match Pressure Index
Offensive Pressure
Capitals slight edge
Transition Edge
Rangers
Defensive Stability
Rangers
Goaltending Edge
Rangers
Game Control Projection
Washington has enough veteran offense and direct pressure to make this uncomfortable, but New York still owns the cleaner structural path if Shesterkin and Fox settle the game into a more disciplined rhythm.
Montreal Canadiens vs New Jersey Devils
Faceoff: 01:00 CET
Canadiens - Projected lineup
Forwards
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook - Oliver Kapanen - Ivan Demidov
Zachary Bolduc - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson
Joe Veleno - Phillip Danault - Brendan Gallagher
Defense
Mike Matheson - Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble - Lane Hutson
Kaiden Guhle - Arber Xhekaj
Goalies
Jacob Fowler
Jakub Dobes
Scratched
Samuel Montembeault
Adam Engstrom
Injured
Kirby Dach (upper body)
Alexandre Texier (lower body)
Alexander Carrier (upper body)
Patrik Laine (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note:
Montreal still carries a dangerous mix of speed, creativity and puck-moving support through Suzuki, Caufield, Demidov, Hutson and Dobson. Fowler likely starting adds intrigue, but the skater structure in front of him is strong enough to keep the Canadiens competitive.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Canadiens can play with tempo if the top six gets touches early.
Forecheck Signal: Active and skill-driven rather than heavy.
Blue Line Signal: Canadiens have real offensive movement through Hutson, Matheson and Dobson.
Goalie Stability Signal: Slight edge Devils if experience matters, but this is close.
X-Factor Signal: Demidov continues to give Montreal a live offensive swing factor every night.
Devils - Projected lineup
Forwards
Timo Meier - Nico Hischier - Dawson Mercer
Jesper Bratt - Jack Hughes - Connor Brown
Lenni Hameenaho - Cody Glass - Nick Bjugstad
Paul Cotter - Marc McLaughlin - Brian Halonen
Defense
Jonas Siegenthaler - Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes - Johnathan Kovacevic
Brenden Dillon - Simon Nemec
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
Scratched
Dennis Cholowski
Evgenii Dadonov
Maksim Tsyplakov
Injured
Arseny Gritsyuk (upper body)
Stefan Noesen (knee)
Zack MacEwen (ACL)
Brett Pesce (lower body)
IHM Lineup Note:
New Jersey still has the stronger pure top-six offensive engine, with Hughes, Bratt, Meier, Hischier and Hamilton giving the Devils multiple routes to tilt play. The concern remains whether the lower-half structure holds consistently enough on a back-to-back road spot.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Devils.
Forecheck Signal: Devils through quicker pressure and transition entries.
Blue Line Signal: Devils slight edge on overall upside, especially offensively.
Goalie Stability Signal: Even.
X-Factor Signal: Jack Hughes remains the fastest single driver of game flow in this matchup.
IHM Match Pressure Index
Offensive Pressure
Devils slight edge
Transition Edge
Devils
Defensive Stability
Even
Goaltending Edge
Even
Game Control Projection
Montreal has enough skill and puck-moving support to make this dangerous again, but New Jersey still carries the better pure offensive ceiling and the cleaner route to controlling the game if Hughes and Hamilton dictate the tempo.
Colorado Avalanche vs St. Louis Blues
Faceoff: 03:30 CET
Avalanche - Projected lineup
Forwards
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog - Brock Nelson - Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton - Nazem Kadri - Logan O’Connor
Parker Kelly - Jack Drury - Joel Kiviranta
Defense
Devon Toews - Sam Malinski
Brett Kulak - Josh Manson
Nick Blankenburg - Brent Burns
Goalies
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched
Zakhar Bardakov
Injured
Cale Makar (upper body)
Nicolas Roy (upper body)
IHM Lineup Note:
Colorado still has massive top-end speed and skill through MacKinnon, Necas, Lehkonen, Landeskog and Nichushkin, even without Makar. The overall transition ceiling is slightly lower than full strength, but the Avalanche remain explosive enough to overwhelm teams quickly.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Avalanche.
Forecheck Signal: Colorado through speed, repeat entries and pressure off retrievals.
Blue Line Signal: Even to slight Blues edge structurally without Makar, but Colorado still carries enough mobility.
Goalie Stability Signal: Avalanche slight edge.
X-Factor Signal: MacKinnon remains the dominant pace driver and hardest player in the matchup to contain through the middle.
Blues - Projected lineup
Forwards
Dylan Holloway - Robert Thomas - Jimmy Snuggerud
Jonathan Drouin - Dalibor Dvorsky - Jordan Kyrou
Jake Neighbours - Pius Suter - Jonatan Berggren
Alexey Toropchenko - Jack Finley - Pavel Buchnevich
Defense
Philip Broberg - Logan Mailloux
Theo Lindstein - Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler - Tyler Tucker
Goalies
Joel Hofer
Jordan Binnington
Scratched
Justin Holl
Nathan Walker
Matthew Kessel
Oskar Sundqvist
Otto Stenberg
Injured
None
IHM Lineup Note:
St. Louis gets useful reinforcements back with Toropchenko and Buchnevich returning, which deepens the lineup and improves puck support. The Blues still need Robert Thomas and Kyrou to keep the game from becoming a pure Colorado speed contest.
IHM Tactical Signals:
Pace Signal: Blues want to keep it more controlled than Colorado does.
Forecheck Signal: Blues can pressure effectively if they force heavier sequences along the walls.
Blue Line Signal: Blues have decent structure but less overall dynamic threat than Colorado’s forward-driven pace.
Goalie Stability Signal: Even.
X-Factor Signal: Thomas is the one Blue who can most directly slow Colorado down by owning the puck through the middle.
IHM Match Pressure Index
Offensive Pressure
Avalanche
Transition Edge
Avalanche
Defensive Stability
Even
Goaltending Edge
Avalanche slight edge
Game Control Projection
St. Louis is deeper than it looked a few days ago, but Colorado still owns the cleaner top-end route to tempo, transition and sustained offensive pressure, especially if MacKinnon gets the game moving early.
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 or late scratches.
Q2: Why is lineup order important when reading hockey analysis?
Line order shows more than talent hierarchy. It reveals who is expected to drive offense, which players are trusted in matchup minutes and where coaches are concentrating scoring pressure.
Q3: What should readers check first in a lineup post?
Start with the top center, confirmed goalie and the first special-teams look. Those areas usually show the team’s tactical identity fastest.
Q4: Why can one missing defenseman change an entire game?
A single blue-line absence can affect zone exits, retrieval speed, gap control, penalty killing and offensive support. The effect often spreads through the entire structure.
Q5: How should readers interpret a back-to-back situation in lineup analysis?
Back-to-backs can affect goalie usage, bench energy, pace tolerance and deployment choices, especially in the bottom six and on the third pair.
Q6: What do IHM Tactical Signals add that raw line combinations do not?
IHM Tactical Signals translate names into game logic by identifying likely pace control, forecheck identity, blue-line leverage, goalie stability and key swing points.
Q7: What does IHM Match Pressure Index do?
It condenses the matchup into a direct read on offensive burden, transition edge, defensive stability, goaltending and likely control direction.
Q8: Why does center depth matter so much?
Centers drive faceoffs, low-zone support, transition routes and matchup defense. When center depth drops, the whole team shape becomes less stable.
Q9: Why are special-teams and first units so important in lineup analysis?
Because high-leverage players on the first unit often reveal who the coaching staff trusts most to decide close games. That usually shapes game flow as much as even-strength lines.
Q10: What usually points to a lower-event game?
Reliable goaltending, veteran centers, steady top-pair defense and conservative team structure usually indicate a tighter, more territorial matchup.
Q11: Why does home ice still matter?
The home coach gets last change, which helps create favorable matchups, protect weaker combinations and control deployment in key situations.
Q12: Can projected lineups still change after this post is published?
Yes. Treat projected lineups as the latest reliable snapshot, not the final card. Always recheck closer to puck drop for confirmed changes and late updates.