An NHL game-day scratch is a player left off that game’s submitted lineup. It does not, by itself, mean the player is injured, on injured reserve (IR), or removed from the club’s roster. Those are separate statuses, and a scratch is specific to one game.
How many players can dress for an NHL game?
Under the NHL’s 2025–26 Official Rules, a team’s game lineup consists of 20 players: 18 skaters and two goaltenders. A player not included in that lineup cannot participate in the game under the rule that only listed players may play.
When is the lineup submitted?
The visiting team’s manager or coach submits the eligible-player list within five minutes after warm-up ends. The rules place warm-up completion 20 minutes before face-off, describing the deadline as “within five (5) minutes of the completion of the warm-up (twenty (20) minutes prior to face-off).” The league provides for submission through an app, with a paper Club Playing Roster form as a fallback if technology or connectivity prevents use of the app.
Once the game begins, the submitted list cannot be changed. The rules also state that if an ineligible player is identified, that player is removed and the club cannot substitute another roster player under that provision. That specific eligibility rule should not be treated as a complete account of every possible late injury or game-day exception.
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How is a scratch different from injured reserve?
A scratch is a game-specific lineup omission. IR is a separate roster designation governed by NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines. The distinction matters: an omission does not establish why a player is absent, while an IR move carries its own eligibility and roster consequences.
| Point of comparison | Game-day scratch | Injured reserve (IR) |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Omission from a particular game’s submitted lineup. | A roster designation, not merely a description of sitting out one game. |
| What it establishes | That the player is not listed for that game; it does not establish an injury or IR status. | Under NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines, the player has an injury that makes them unable to play for at least seven days after the injury date. |
| Timing and eligibility | Determined through the pregame lineup process; only listed players may participate. | A player placed on IR is ineligible to compete in NHL games for at least seven days. |
| Replacement | Game participation is governed by the submitted-lineup rules; do not assume another player can always be added after submission. | The club may replace the IR player on its NHL roster. IR players do not count toward the 23-player regular-season limit through the trade deadline. |
The IR timing and roster provisions come from the league’s Hockey Operations Guidelines. Replacing a player on the NHL roster under IR rules is a roster procedure; it is not the same as changing a submitted game lineup.
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How to read a player-status report
Look for the exact status, the game or date it refers to, and whether the report describes a lineup decision or a roster move. NHL reporting has used “scratched” for a player omitted from a particular game and “Injured and/or Non-Roster” as a category in an opening-day roster announcement. That category does not mean every player named there is a game-day scratch.
- A report that says a player was scratched for a named game establishes that game’s lineup status, not the reason for the omission.
- An IR announcement establishes a roster move; use the announcement’s wording rather than treating “scratch” and “IR” as interchangeable.
- Opening-day roster information is a snapshot. It does not establish a player’s status on a later game day.
For an individual player, rely on a dated team or NHL report close to the game in question. Status can change from day to day, and lineup omission alone is not enough to diagnose an injury.
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What a scratch does—and does not—tell you
It tells you the player was left out of that game’s submitted lineup. On its own, it does not tell you whether the reason was injury, coaching choice, or another circumstance; whether the player is on IR; or whether the player has lost a place on the club roster. The NHL sources define the relevant lineup and IR procedures, but do not provide a formal glossary definition of “scratch.”
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