Line Change
Morelli will draw into the Golden Knights' lineup on Monday.
Morelli will fill in for William Karlsson, who was a late scratch due to personal reasons. Morelli has three goals and one assist in nine games this season.
NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Meyers is expected to be a healthy scratch in Anaheim on Monday.
Shane Wright will draw back into Seattle's lineup on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks, resulting in Meyers being a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Meyers has been limited to only three games this season, averaging 7:56 time-on-ice.
Line Change
Wright is expected to draw back into Seattle's lineup in Anaheim on Monday.
Ben Meyers will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Anaheim Ducks, allowing Wright to re-enter the lineup. The 20-year-old Wright is averaging 12:25 time-on-ice and only has two points (1G / 1A) in 18 games this season.
Line Change
Thrun will draw back into San Jose's lineup vs. Los Angeles on Monday.
Thrun has missed the last two games but will draw back into the lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 23-year-old Thrun has been a regular in the lineup this season, averaging 16:44 time-on-ice and scoring six points (0G / 6A) in 20 games.
Line Change
Joseph is expected to be a healthy scratch in New York on Monday.
Zack Bolduc will draw back into the Blues' lineup on Monday, resulting in Joseph being a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Joseph has a -4 plus/minus and four points (2G / 2A) while averaging 12:15 time-on-ice in 15 games this season.
Line Change
Bolduc will draw back into St. Louis' lineup in New York on Monday.
Mathieu Joseph will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Bolduc to re-enter the lineup. The 21-year-old Bolduc is averaging 11:26 time-on-ice and has five points (0G / 5A) in 16 games this season.
Line Change
Kylington is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday vs. Tampa Bay.
Calvin de Haan will return from a three-game absence, resulting in Kylington being a healthy scratch. Kylington played the last three games for Colorado, including scoring his first two points of the season (1G / 1A) in their most recent game, a 7-4 win over the Florida Panthers.
Line Change
de Haan is expected to draw back into Colorado's lineup on Monday vs. Tampa Bay.
Kylington will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, allowing de Haan to return from a three-game absence. The 33-year-old de Haan had been a regular in the lineup this season, averaging 16:07 time-on-ice through 15 games.
Line Change
Rempe is expected to draw into the Rangers' lineup vs. New York on Monday.
Rempe has only played three games with the Rangers this season but will re-enter the lineup after being recalled from Hartford (AHL) on Monday, replacing Jonny Brodzinski. The 22-year-old has three points (2G / 1A) in 10 games with Hartford.
Line Change
Brodzinski is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. St. Louis on Monday.
Matt Rempe will return to the lineup on Monday, resulting in Brodzinski being a healthy scratch. Brodzinski played the last four games for the Rangers, tallying one point (0G / 1A).
Line Change
Veleno will draw back into the Red Wings' lineup on Monday vs. New York.
With Patrick Kane (undisclosed) day-to-day, Veleno will re-enter the Red Wings lineup. The 24-year-old Veleno is averaging a career-low 11:37 time-on-ice and only has two points (1G / 1A) through 17 games this season.
Line Change
Boqvist is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Washington on Monday.
Nate Schmidt will draw back into the Panthers lineup on Monday against the Washington Capitals, resulting in Boqvist returning to a familiar spot as a healthy scratch. Boqvist has only played once in the previous 11 games.
Line Change
Schmidt is expected to draw back into Florida's lineup vs. Washington on Monday.
Adam Boqvist will be a healthy scratch on Monday, allowing Schmidt to re-enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Schmidt is averaging a career-low 14:27 time-on-ice but already has seven points (3G / 4A) in 19 games this season, half of his 14-point output (2G / 12A) in 63 games with the Winnipeg Jets last season.
Line Change
Nosek is expected to draw back into Florida's lineup vs. Washington on Monday.
Jonah Gadjovich is battling an undisclosed ailment and will not play on Monday against the Washington Capitals, allowing Nosek to re-enter the lineup. Nosek has three points (1G / 2A) in nine games this season, half of his six-point output (2G / 4A) in 36 games with the New Jersey Devils last season.
Line Change
Berard is expected to make his NHL debut vs. St. Louis on Monday.
With Chris Kreider (upper body) sidelined Berard will make his NHL debut on Monday against the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year-old Berard has 13 points (7G / 6A) in 16 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack this season. He is expected to skate on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle.
Line Change
Foote is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Nashville on Monday.
Shane Bowers will draw into the lineup for his second game of the season, resulting in Foote being a healthy scratch. Foote made his season debut over the weekend, playing 9:44 time-on-ice and recording a -1 plus/minus.
Line Change
Bowers will draw back into New Jersey's lineup vs. Nashville on Monday.
Bowers was the 27th overall pick of the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old forward has only played 10 career NHL games, including one this season with the Devils. He has three points (0G / 3A) in 13 games with the Utica Comets (AHL) this season. He will replaced Nolan Foote in the lineup on Monday.
Line Change
Bortuzzo will be a healthy scratch on Sunday.
Kolyachonok will draw into the Utah lineup on Sunday.
Aube-Kubel will be a healthy scratch in San Jose on Saturday.
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.