NHL Lineup Glossary

Plain-English definitions of NHL lineup terms: line combinations, defense pairs, power-play units, line moves, confirmed starting goalies and back-to-backs.

Terms

Line combination

The group of players who skate together as a unit. An NHL team dresses four forward lines of three (one center and two wingers), three defense pairs of two, and a goalie.

Forward line

Three forwards who share shifts: a center and two wingers. The first line usually plays the most minutes and the fourth line the fewest.

Defense pair

Two defensemen who share shifts. Teams use three pairs, and the first pair usually plays the most minutes.

Power-play unit (PP1 and PP2)

The five skaters on the ice when a team has a man advantage. PP1 is the first unit and usually gets most of the power-play time; PP2 is the second unit.

Line move

A change between one lineup and the next: a promotion to a higher line, a demotion, a healthy scratch, a return, or a power-play change. Between the Lines compares each lineup snapshot with the one before it and lists each move once, newest first.

Healthy scratch

A player who is healthy but not in the lineup for a game.

Starting goalie

The goalie who plays the start of a game. Most teams have a number-one goalie and a backup, and the starter is often not known until the morning of the game.

Confirmed goalie

A starting goalie whom the data source lists as confirmed rather than expected. An expected starter can still change before puck drop.

Injured reserve (IR)

A roster list for injured players. A player on injured reserve is out of the lineup.

Morning skate

The skate on game day when teams often show their expected lines, and when goalie starts are often reported.

Back-to-back

Two games on consecutive nights. The second game is the one played on the night after another game, and the starting goalie is worth checking.

Off-night

A night when fewer than 16 of the 32 NHL teams play. Fantasy managers look for off-nights because most rosters have open spots on them, so a team with several off-night games can fit more of its players into a week.

Schedule fatigue

The strain from the calendar: back-to-backs, three games in four nights, long road trips and time-zone travel. The schedule fatigue page shows these for every team playing tonight.

Goals allowed by position

The goals an NHL defense has given up to opposing centers, wingers and defensemen, over a full season or the last 10 games.

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