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NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Artyom Levshunov(D)|CHI
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Levshunov is expected to be a healthy scratch in Toronto on Tuesday after being late to the rink on Monday.

Strong play from Levshunov rewarded him with overtaking a role on Chicago's top powerplay unit, but he has cooled down lately and will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday. He has 14 points (1G / 13A) in 31 games this season, but has only one assist in his last seven games. Ethan Del Mastro will draw into the lineup as Levshunov's replacement.

Source:
Charlie Roumeliotis 2025-12-16T17:23:37.073Z
Artyom Levshunov
Max Jones(LW)|EDM
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Jones is expected to be a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

With Quinn Hutson making his season debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jones will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Jones made his season debut in Edmonton's previous game, recording four hits in 5:39 time-on-ice.

Source:
Tony Brar 2025-12-16T16:49:20.664Z
Max Jones
Quinn Hutson(RW)|EDM
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Hutson is expected to make his season debut vs. Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Hutson made his NHL debut with the Oilers last season and was held off the scoresheet in two games. The 23-year-old product of Boston University has excelled in his first full professional season with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL), scoring 28 points (16G / 12A) in 24 games.

Source:
Bob Stauffer 2025-12-16T16:48:10.395Z
Quinn Hutson
Connor Clifton(D)|BOS
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Clifton is expected to be a healthy scratch on Tuesday vs. Edmonton.

With Jack St. Ivany (lower body) and Brett Kulak (trade) making their Pittsburgh season debut's, Connor Clifton and Ryan Graves will head to the sidelines as healthy scratches. The 30-year-old Clifton has zero points through 14 games, but is more known for his physical contributions, as evident by his 57 hits.

Source:
Pens Inside Scoop 2025-12-16T16:22:42.303Z
Connor Clifton
Jack St. Ivany(D)|WPG
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St. Ivany is expected to draw into Pittsburgh's lineup vs. Edmonton on Tuesday.

St. Ivany was battling a lower-body injury that kept him sidelined for several months. He made his 2025-26 debut while on a conditioning loan with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) last week, scoring five points (1G / 4A) in five games. He makes his season debut with Pittsburgh on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.

Source:
Pens Inside Scoop 2025-12-16T16:21:02.393Z
Jack St. Ivany
Brett Kulak(D)|COL
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Kulak is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday vs. Edmonton.

Kulak was acquired in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers last week and will draw into Pittsburgh's lineup on Tuesday for his team debut in a meeting against his former team. An NHL veteran of over 600 games, Kulak was a regular presence this season on the Oilers' third defensive pair, averaging 17:42 time-on-ice through 31 games.

Source:
Pens Inside Scoop 2025-12-16T16:20:07.625Z
Brett Kulak
Andrei Kuzmenko(LW)|PIT
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Kuzmenko will draw back into Los Angeles' lineup in Dallas on Monday.

Kuzmenko has regularly been in and out of the lineup lately, but draws back in to replace Quinten Byfield (illness). The 29-year-old Kuzmenko was excellent with the Kings after being acquired before the trade deadline in 2024-25, scoring 17 points (5G / 12A) in 22 games, but has not been able to replicate that success in 2025-26. He played a season-low 6:58 time-on-ice in the Kings' most recent game and has just one point (1G / 0A) in his last 13.

Source:
Jared Shafran 2025-12-15T20:27:57.757Z
Andrei Kuzmenko
Mika Zibanejad(C)|NYR
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Zibanejad missed a team meeting on Monday and will be a healthy scratch vs. Anaheim.

Zibanejad has missed only two games over the last five seasons combined, but will not play on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks at the coach's decision. The 32-year-old Zibanejad is averaging 20:26 time-on-ice, recording 51 hits, 99 shots, and 25 points (11G / 14A) in 33 games this season.

Source:
Vince Mercogliano 2025-12-15T18:01:08.492Z
Mika Zibanejad
Kyle Capobianco(D)|DAL
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Capobianco will be a healthy scratch vs. Los Angeles on Monday.

Nils Lundkvist returns to the Stars lineup on Monday against the Los Angles Kings, resulting in Capobianco being a healthy scratch. The 28-year-old Capobianco has been effective while filling in for injuries on the Stars blueline this season, averaging 12:19 time-on-ice and scoring four points (1G / 3A) in 18 games.

Source:
Brien Rea 2025-12-15T17:24:44.503Z
Kyle Capobianco
Nils Lundkvist(D)|DAL
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Lundkvist will draw back into Dallas' lineup vs. Los Angeles on Monday.

Kyle Capobianco will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, allowing Lundkvist to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Lundkvist had a poor outing his last night out, recording a -2 plus/minus, and was subsequently scratched in the following two games. He has three points (1G / 2A) in six games this season.

Source:
Brien Rea 2025-12-15T17:23:26.827Z
Nils Lundkvist
Scott Sabourin(RW)|TBL
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Sabourin is expected to draw back into Tampa Bay's lineup vs. Florida on Monday.

Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will serve as healthy scratches on Monday against the Florida Panthers, allowing Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin to re-enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Sabourin is averaging 9:15 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in six games this season.

Source:
Eduardo Encina 2025-12-15T16:52:35.010Z
Scott Sabourin
Curtis Douglas(C)|SEA
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Douglas will draw back into Tampa Bay's lineup vs. Florida on Monday.

Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will serve as healthy scratches on Monday against the Florida Panthers, allowing Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Douglas, in his first NHL season, is averaging 5:53 time-on-ice and has two assists in 24 games.

Source:
Eduardo Encina 2025-12-15T16:53:10.245Z
Curtis Douglas
Dominic James(C)|TBL
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James is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Florida on Monday.

With Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin drawing into the lineup on Monday against the Florida Panthers, Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will head to the sidelines as healthy scratches. The 23-year-old James, a first-year NHLer, is averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and has five points (2G / 3A) in 20 games this season.

Source:
Erik Erlendsson 2025-12-15T16:50:44.015Z
Dominic James
Gage Goncalves(C)|TBL
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Goncalves is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Florida on Monday.

With Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin drawing into the lineup on Monday against the Florida Panthers, Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will head to the sidelines as healthy scratches. The 24-year-old Goncalves is averaging 11:53 time-on-ice and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 29 games this season.

Source:
Erik Erlendsson 2025-12-15T16:49:55.750Z
Gage Goncalves

NHL Line Changes

NHL line changes are essential in keeping a team’s players fresh on the ice over the course of a hard-fought 60-minute matchup. With shift changes occurring rapidly throughout any given game, we are here to provide you with everything you need to know regarding line changes.

Making sure a team is efficiently making line changes can be essential to their success within a matchup, as it ensures that the players needed on the ice to gain the upper hand are ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. For NHL daily fantasy hockey players, knowing how to track line changes can be important as you look to keep tabs on the players you’ve drafted to your lineup and their production.

On The Fly

Unlike other sports where play must come to a stop in order to make a player substitution, in hockey, players can switch in-and-out of play on the fly. This helps in keeping the breakneck pace of the contest going, increasing the amount of action from whistle-to-whistle and avoiding any unnecessary stoppages.

On the fly changes are generally done when a team is in possession of the puck and are looking to make a transition play from their own end to their opponent’s side of the rink. Players must be aware of the action around them when making an on the fly substitution as a poorly timed switch could leave themselves vulnerable to an odd-man rush on the other end.

In order to make successful line changes on the fly it is up to the team coaching staff to keep players informed on when their line matchups are due to hit the ice. Generally, with both forwards and defensive pairings, line changes go from the first line trickling its way down to the fourth. Depending on the situation of the game, coaches may opt to give a particular line more playing time, increasing the amount of shifts they receive.

Play Stoppages

NHL line changes can also be made during stoppage of play, with both sides being given the chance to put fresh bodies on the ice ahead of the upcoming faceoff. Examples of a play stoppage that would allow teams to make line changes are after minor or major penalties, offsides, icing, and puck out of play calls. These line changes are often much more calculated as each coach has time to survey the other team and decide what would be the most advantageous line combination that will provide them with a competitive advantage.

Bench Configuration

It may seem like a confusing and unorganized area of the game, but in hockey there is a fair amount of strategy put into the bench configuration within a matchup. With both benches positioned in the neutral zone, making sure that players can quickly hop the boards and get into the game is key to making successful line changes. Benches are generally set so that players entering into the game on the fly are in the best possible position on the ice to fulfill their role.

Generally, a bench in hockey will have the forwards positioned closest to the attacking zone, whereas the defenceman will be situated closest to their defensive zone. This separates the forward lines and defence pairings from on another on each end of the bench so that groups can easily stay together. From here the rested forwards ready to enter into the game will be placed in the centre of the bench, positioned near the coaches so they can easily receive instruction before hitting the ice. This is also advantageous as players coming off the ice for a line change will often enter from the opposite side they came onto the ice from, preventing any unnecessary traffic or confusion when making a change. While each team may have their own preferences on how to configure their bench, these are the most common ways they are run.

Line Change Rules

Understanding the rules of NHL line changes in hockey is an understated part of the game and when used correctly can swing the tide of a matchup in your favour. Without in-depth understanding of line changes in hockey, this can cause costly mistakes that can result in minor penalties, lengthy shifts, or mismatches off a faceoff.

Last Line Change

The last line change rule exists so that the home team is able to make an adjustment to whatever lineup the visiting team decides to roll out after a stoppage in play. This rule was designed to make NHL line changes efficient, as well as provide both sides with the chance to strategically place their players based on the lines sent out by their opponents.

For example, after the whistle, the home team’s coach can elect to make a line change to the personnel on the ice. After that, the visiting coach will send out any new players into the game off of a line change. Thanks to the last line change rule, the home team coach is now granted the opportunity to make one last line change before play resumes to counter whatever line changes were made by the opposing team.

For daily fantasy sports bettors this is where having ample knowledge of each NHL team can come in handy. You can envision how each team may look to gain a competitive advantage over their opponent during a possession, drafting players who are set up for success within a matchup.

Penalties & Infractions

While NHL line changes are meant to be an efficient and simple way to keep the game being played at a fast-pace with minimal interruptions, there is still room for serious error during these substitutions. It’s not uncommon to see teams assessed for a penalty due to a botched line change, resulting in a power play opportunity for the opposing team.

A common penalty called as a result of a poorly executed line change is “too many men on the ice”. This penalty results when the offending team has six or more skaters (including the goaltender) on the ice at any given time and comes in physical contact with the puck. While players entering in the game during a shift change are eligible to hop the boards and get in on the action once their teammate is within five feet of the bench, they must time this correctly or they could be hit with a premature substitution infraction. When a bench minor penalty such as too many men on the ice is assessed, it is up to the team’s head coach to decide who serves the penalty based on the players currently on the ice at the time of the penalty.

Another line change infraction to be aware of is in the case of an icing call. Icing is called when a team plays a puck from their own side of the red centre line across the red goal line in their opponents end. When icing is called, a faceoff will be taken from the end of the team that committed the infraction. During an icing call the team that was called for icing is not able to make any line changes, meaning they are forced to keep all players who were on the ice at the time of the infraction in the contest. Their opponents however are allowed to make any line change they desire, making this an incredibly beneficial call if they can strategize correctly.

How Line Changes Impact Fantasy Hockey

NHL line changes can come fast and suddenly so it can be challenging to keep track of certain players over the course of a matchup. This can make it difficult for avid fantasy hockey managers and sports bettors to know when the players they’ve wagered on are on the ice. Some broadcasts now incorporate various display mechanics that allow for you to see who is on the ice at any given time, making shift change tracking much simpler than ever before. Be sure to stay up-to-date on the jersey numbers of any players on your fantasy roster or that you bet on as a failsafe so that you can find them quickly while watching the action unfold.

Knowing how long a typical shift for a player entering into a matchup is can be an advantageous piece of knowledge for fantasy managers and bettors alike. The longer a player’s shift lasts, the higher their chances of registering a point or other statistical milestone which can help you in winning your fantasy matchups and/or bets placed on a game.