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An NHL game-day scratch is a player left off the lineup submitted for a particular game. That alone does not mean the player is injured, on injured reserve, or removed from the team’s roster. To understand what a status update means, distinguish a game-specific lineup decision from a roster designation.
What does “scratched” mean in the NHL?
“Scratched” is used in NHL status reporting to describe a player omitted from that game’s lineup. It tells you the player will not take part in that game; on its own, it does not explain why. The league sources cited here use the term in reports but do not provide a formal glossary definition.
A scratch may be reported alongside other player-status information, but do not infer an injury or injured reserve (IR) placement from the omission alone. Check a dated team or NHL report for the specific player and game.
How many players can dress, and when is the lineup submitted?
For the 2025–26 season, NHL Official Rules say a team’s game lineup consists of 20 players: 18 skaters and two goaltenders. Under Section 2, Rule 5.1, the visiting team’s manager or coach submits the list of eligible players within five minutes of warm-up ending; the rule describes warm-up completion as 20 minutes before face-off. In the rule’s words, the deadline is “within five (5) minutes of the completion of the warm-up (twenty (20) minutes prior to face-off).” The NHL rules describe submission through an app, with a paper Club Playing Roster form as a fallback if technology or connectivity prevents use of the app. Read the 2025–26 NHL Official Rules, Section 2, Rule 5.1.
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Only players listed on the pregame lineup may participate under the rule. Once the game begins, the submitted list cannot be changed. The rule also says that if an ineligible player is identified, that player is removed and the club cannot substitute another player from its roster under that provision. That specific eligibility rule should not be treated as a complete account of every possible late injury or game-day circumstance.
How is a scratch different from injured reserve?
A scratch applies to one game’s submitted lineup. IR is a separate roster designation governed by eligibility and timing rules. NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines state that a player may be placed on IR for an injury that makes the player unable to play for at least seven days after the injury date. A player on IR is ineligible for NHL games for at least seven days, and the club may replace that player on its NHL roster. IR players do not count toward the 23-player regular-season limit through the trade deadline described in the guidelines. See the NHL Hockey Operations Guidelines.
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| Question | Game-day scratch | Injured reserve |
|---|---|---|
| What does it describe? | Omission from a particular game’s lineup. | A roster designation governed by injury and timing criteria. |
| Does it establish an injury? | No. The scratch alone does not say why a player was omitted. | Placement is tied to an injury that makes the player unable to play for at least seven days after the injury date, under the NHL guidelines. |
| What is the timing effect? | Concerns the lineup for that game; listed players are subject to the pregame submission and game-start rules. | The player is ineligible to play in NHL games for at least seven days. |
| Can the club replace a player? | The post-submission eligibility rule does not permit a substitute from the roster when an ineligible player is removed under that provision. | The guidelines permit the club to replace the IR player on its NHL roster. |
These are different mechanisms: permission to replace a player on the NHL roster while someone is on IR is not permission to swap players into a submitted game lineup after the game begins.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read team roster and status reports
Pay attention to the wording and date. An opening-day roster announcement may group players under “Injured and/or Non-Roster”; that label is not proof that each person is a game-day scratch. Likewise, a dated report that calls someone scratched for one game does not establish a lasting roster or injury status. The NHL has used these categories separately in its roster announcements and status reporting. See the NHL’s 2025–26 opening-day roster announcement and a dated NHL status report.
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- For a specific game, look for a team or NHL report dated close to that game.
- Use “scratched” to describe the lineup omission only when the report supports it.
- Say a player is injured or on IR only when the source explicitly establishes that status.
- Do not treat a season-opening roster snapshot as an update to a player’s status on a later date.
What to remember about NHL scratches
- A scratch is game-specific: it means a player is not in that game’s submitted lineup.
- The 2025–26 NHL rules provide for 18 skaters and two goaltenders, with lineup submission tied to the end of warm-up.
- IR is a distinct roster designation with its own minimum ineligibility period and roster-replacement provision.
- A lineup omission alone does not establish why a player is out; use a dated source for the individual’s status.
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