NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates: your daily edge for every puck drop

Staying a step ahead of the coach’s whiteboard is half the battle for fantasy owners, bettors, and die-hard fans. Projected lines and goalie confirmations trickle out in waves—morning skate, pre-game media, the 5 p.m. ET league transaction sheet—and one late scratch can flip a matchup on its head. This rolling guide tracks the biggest changes, the reasoning behind them, and how to weaponize the news before face-off.

NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates for November 17, 2025

Below are the confirmed starters and expected forward pairs as of 2 p.m. ET. Always double-check team social feeds within 90 minutes of puck drop; coaches love a last-minute “tweak.”

Eastern conference skater shuffles

• Toronto maple leafs – Mitch Marner returns to the top line beside Matthews after a two-game maintenance stint. Bobby McMann drops to 3LW, pushing Noah Gregg to the press box.
• Boston bruins – Jim Montgomery is reuniting the “Perfection Line” for the first time since October 30. Jake DeBrusk slides to 2RW with Coyle and Zacha, giving Boston a heavier look against Carolina’s size.
• Buffalo sabres – Rookie Zach Benson earns a promotion to 1RW, bumping Alex Tuch to the second unit in an effort to spread scoring. Tage Thompson told reporters this morning, “We need a second wave that scares teams; I’m cool moving around if it helps us win.”

Western conference goalie carousel

• Colorado avalanche – Justus Annunen gets the call in Nashville after Alexandar Georgiev logged 38 saves in last night’s OT win in Dallas. Coach Bednar said Georgiev “told me he felt great, but we’re not pushing 65 starts in 2025-26.”
• Vegas golden knights – Adin Hill is day-to-day with a lower-body tweak, so Ilya Samsonov will make his third straight start. Hill skated lightly in a red “no-contact” jersey, hinting at a possible weekend return.
• Winnipeg jets – Connor Hellebuyck was first off the ice, confirming he’ll duel Juuse Saros. Hellebuyck is 5-0-1 with a .940 SV% in his last six, quietly putting himself back in the Vezina conversation.

Key fantasy and betting angles from today’s NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates

1. Marner’s re-entry vaults Auston Matthews’ goal prop from +115 to +95 on most books—value still exists at DraftKings if you act before warm-ups.
2. Boston’s top-heavy reunion means Brad Marchand’s shot total over 3.5 is free money against a Hurricanes squad allowing the sixth-most first-period shots.
3. Annunen’s price tag on DraftDuel sits at a laughable $7,200; Nashville’s 2.25 expected goals per game on the second half of back-to-backs makes the Swede a GPP gem.
4. Buffalo’s new-look second line (Tuch – Cozens – Greenway) is priced like a fourth line on Yahoo; stack them in tournaments before the market corrects.

Injury ripple effects you can’t ignore

Injuries don’t just open roster spots—they alter power-outlook structures and five-on-five usage. Keep an eye on these situations:

• Ottawa senators – Josh Norris is out “week-to-week” with a shoulder issue. Anton Wedin was recalled and will center the second line, but the real winner is Tim Stützle, who slides back to 1C and adds an extra two minutes of power-play time per night.
• Seattle kraken – Vince Dunn missed practice with an illness. If he’s a late scratch, rookie defenseman Ryker Evans jumps to the first pair and QB-1 on PP1, instantly becoming a minimum-price DFS punt.
• New York rangers – Filip Chytil (upper body) is on IR retroactive to November 10, so Jonny Brodzinski sticks as 3C. Coach Peter Laviolette admitted the team is “shopping for middle-six help” ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving roster freeze, a storyline that could yield trade dividends for savvy fantasy managers who stash cap-friendly Rangers.

Tools and accounts to track NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates in real time

Twitter remains the fastest wire, but algorithmic noise buries news. Curate a list with these handles and turn on notifications:

• @DailyFaceoff – posts graphics within minutes of morning skate.
• @GoaliePost – goalie confirmations only, usually 30-60 minutes ahead of the NHL media site.
• @IceTimeHQ – automated shift charts; great for spotting in-game line shuffles.
• @NHLInsight – blends analytics with beat-writer quotes, ideal for context behind the moves.

For deeper dives, bookmark Daily Faceoff’s line production tool and Left Wing Lock’s starting goalie page. Both sync to mobile and send push alerts the second a coach speaks.

What yesterday’s chaos taught us about tomorrow’s NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates

Sunday’s 11-game slate was a reminder that no lead is safe and no lineup card is final. The Devils yanked Jacob Markström after two periods despite a 2-1 lead, citing “load management” on the second half of a back-to-back. Akira Schmid slammed the door, but fantasy players who stacked Devils skaters early lost plus/minus points when the goalie change reset scoring conditions. Lesson: build flexible lineups with late-swap capability, and always leave salary for a “what-if” scenario in net.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks shocked Edmonton by elevating Lukas Reichel to 1LW with Bedard and Kurashev. The trio combined for nine points, single-handedly wrecking cash-game lineups that faded Chicago chalk. Moral: when a basement team shuffles youth onto the top unit, the market overcorrects—pounce before confirmation hits the mainstream apps.

Forward-looking note: how today’s NHL projected lineups and starting goalies updates shape the week ahead

Toronto’s schedule lightens after tonight (three home games in eight nights), so expect Sheldon Keefe to ride Matthews–Marner hard while the Pacific swing teams visit. In contrast, Colorado’s compression (four in six nights) means Georgiev/Annunen could split evenly; monitor starter trends if you’re streaming goalies in weekly leagues. Finally, Boston’s reunion experiment lasts only as long as the win column—if Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak stall, DeBrusk’s price will crater, creating a buy-low window before a cushy Atlantic trio next week. Stay locked to this space; we’ll refresh the intel every game day so you’re never caught chasing yesterday’s news.