An NHL team dresses 20 players for a game: 18 skaters and two goaltenders. The 18 skaters are normally 12 forwards and six defencemen. The forwards skate in four lines of three, the defencemen in three pairs of two, and the goaltenders split the crease.
How many players dress for an NHL game?
Twenty. The lineup card that goes to the officials before puck drop lists 18 skaters and two goaltenders, and those are the only players who may play.
That is not the same as the roster. A club carries more players than it dresses — typically 23 on the active roster — and the players who are healthy but not in the lineup are healthy scratches. A club can also recall players from the AHL during the season, and those recalls are what usually fill a lineup when someone is hurt.
What are the forward lines?
The 12 forwards are grouped into four lines, each with a left wing, a centre and a right wing. The lines are numbered by how much the coach trusts them, not by a rule: the first line takes the most ice time and usually faces the other team's best players, and the fourth line takes the least.
- First line — the top offensive unit, usually the highest-paid forwards.
- Second line — a second scoring line, and often the matchup line against a deep opponent.
- Third line — usually a checking line that starts in the defensive zone.
- Fourth line — energy and penalty killing, with the fewest even-strength minutes.
Centres take the faceoffs and carry more defensive responsibility than the wingers on their line, which is why a centre is usually the player coaches match against an opponent's top line.
How many defence pairings are there?
Three. The six defencemen are paired two at a time, and a pairing usually has one defenceman who handles the puck and one who defends — the "puck mover" and the "stay-at-home" partner.
The first pair plays against the other team's top line and takes the most minutes, often 20 or more per game. The third pair is often sheltered, starting more shifts in the offensive zone.
Most coaches prefer a left-shot and a right-shot defenceman on the same pair, because each player then receives the puck on his forehand along the boards. A pair with two left shots is common but is usually a compromise forced by the roster.
How do the two goaltenders split the net?
One starts and one backs up. The starter plays most games — a workhorse starter can play 55 to 65 of 82 — and the backup plays the rest, usually the second half of a back-to-back set.
The backup is still dressed and can enter the game at any time, including mid-period, which is why a club carries two goalies rather than one.
How many players are on the power play and penalty kill?
Both units are five-on-four or four-on-five because the penalized player leaves the ice.
- Power play: five skaters. Most units use four forwards and one defenceman, and the two units together are often called PP1 and PP2.
- Penalty kill: four skaters, usually two forwards and two defencemen.
- Overtime: three skaters and a goalie per side during the regular season.
A player can be on both special-teams units, which is how a top forward ends up playing 22 minutes while a fourth-liner plays eight.
Build the lineup yourself
The HockeyDesk lineup builder uses exactly this structure: four forward lines, three defence pairings and two goalies on the even-strength tab, then separate units for the power play and the penalty kill. Lineups can be downloaded as a shareable card.