Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Matthew Wood(RW)|NSH
Line Change
Line Change
Wood will make his season debut vs. Vancouver on Thursday.

Wood was with the Predators to start the season but was a healthy scratch in their first game and ultimately reassigned to the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) shortly after. The 20-year-old forward scored one point (0G / 1A) in his first six NHL games last season and will make his 2025-26 debut on Thursday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Source:
Alex Daugherty 2025-10-23T16:24:50.016Z
Matthew Wood
Sam Dickinson(D)|SJS
Line Change
Line Change
Dickinson will be a healthy scratch in New York on Thursday.

Timothy Liljegren (upper body) will return from a three-game absence on Thursday against the New York Rangers, resulting in Dickinson returning to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 19-year-old Dickinson was the 11th-overall pick by San Jose in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut this season, recording zero points and a -4 plus/minus through five games.

Source:
Max Millr 2025-10-23T16:16:38.279Z
Sam Dickinson
Timothy Liljegren(D)|WSH
Line Change
Line Change
Liljegren (lower-body) will return to San Jose's lineup in New York on Thursday.

Liljegren has not played since last Tuesday, missing three games due to a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 26-year-old Liljegren has zero points and a -2 plus/minus through three games this season. Sam Dickinson will exit the lineup to accommodate Liljegren's return.

Source:
Max Miller 2025-10-23T16:15:13.915Z
Timothy Liljegren
Logan Mailloux(D)|STL
Line Change
Line Change
Mailloux will draw back into St. Louis' lineup on Thursday vs. Utah.

Mailloux was a healthy scratch in the Blues' previous two games, replaced by Matthew Kessel, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Utah Mammoth. The 22-year-old Mailloux has zero points and a -7 plus/minus through four games this season.

Source:
Ben Pope 2025-10-23T16:00:31.723Z
Logan Mailloux
Dominic James(C)|TBL
Line Change
Line Change
James will make his NHL debut vs. Chicago on Thursday.

James has enjoyed an electric start in Syracuse (AHL) with five points in four games played and earned himself his first career promotion to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. The 23-year-old forward is a former sixth-round pick (173rd overall) and will make his NHL debut after spending the last four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA).

Source:
Erik Erlendsson 2025-10-23T15:17:35.246Z
Dominic James
Ben Meyers(C)|SEA
Line Change
Line Change
Meyers is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday in Washington.

Meyers is an undrafted forward that has played 75 career games in the NHL, recording eight points (6G / 2A). The 26-year-old Meyers spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, where he scored 51 points (23G / 28A) in 57 games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Source:
Alison L 2025-10-21T21:46:36.560Z
Ben Meyers
Troy Stecher(D)|TOR
Line Change
Line Change
Stecher is expected to be a healthy scratch in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Stecher has played four of six games for the Oilers this season, but will return to the sidelines on Tuesday as a healthy scratch against the Ottawa Senators. The 31-year-old Stecher is exiting the lineup to accommodate the season debut of Jake Walman (undisclosed).

Source:
Tony Brar 2025-10-21T17:50:11.848Z
Troy Stecher
David Tomasek(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Tomasek will draw back into Edmonton's lineup in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Tomasek was a healthy scratch in Edmonton's most recent game, but he will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators. The 29-year-old Tomasek is playing his first NHL season and has two points (0G / 2A) in five games. Kasperi Kapanen (undisclosed) will exit the lineup to accommodate Tomasek's return.

Source:
Tony Brar 2025-10-21T17:30:06.718Z
David Tomasek
Aatu Raty(C)|VAN
Line Change
Line Change
Raty is expected to draw into Vancouver's lineup in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Several injuries have popped up lately for Vancouver's forward group, allowing Raty to draw into the lineup for his season debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Raty has appeared in four of six games for the Canucks this season, tallying one point (0G / 1A).

Source:
Ben Kuzma 2025-10-21T17:11:41.982Z
Aatu Raty
Nick Blankenburg(D)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Blankenburg is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Anaheim on Tuesday.

Blankenburg made his season debut in Nashville's most recent game, recording a +1 plus/minus in 12:04 time-on-ice. The 27-year-old Blankenburg played a career-high 60 games with Nashville last season and recorded 16 points (4G / 12A).

Source:
Max Herz 2025-10-21T17:10:30.336Z
Nick Blankenburg
Brady Martin(C)|NSH
Line Change
Line Change
Martin will draw back into Nashville's lineup vs. Anaheim on Tuesday.

Martin made his NHL debut in Nashville's season-opener, playing consecutive games and recording one point (0G / 1A). The 18-year-old has, however, been a healthy scratch in four straight. He returns to the lineup on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, likely suiting up on a line alongside Fedor Svechkov and Tyson Jost.

Source:
Max Herz 2025-10-21T17:07:39.913Z
Brady Martin
Nils Aman(C)|VAN
Line Change
Line Change
Aman is expected to make his season debut on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Several injuries have popped up lately for Vancouver's forward group, allowing Aman to draw into the lineup for his season debut on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 25-year-old Aman started the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where has has three points (0G / 3A) in four games with the Abbotsford Canucks.

Source:
Ben Kuzma 2025-10-21T16:34:35.839Z
Nils Aman
Joe Labate(C)|VAN
Line Change
Line Change
Labate is expected to make his season debut in Pittaburgh on Tuesday.

Labate is a 32-year-old forward that was drafted by the Canucks in the fourth round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent most of his career in the AHL, limited to only 19 career games. He scored 21 points (8G / 13A) in 51 contests with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) last season.

Source:
Ben Kuzma 2025-10-21T16:32:58.472Z
Joe Labate
Hampus Lindholm(D)|BOS
Line Change
Line Change
Lindholm (maintenance) is expected to return to Boston's lineup vs. New Jersey on Tuesday.

Hampus Lindholm did not play on Sunday, given an extra day of maintenance after returning from an injury, but will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. Jordan Harris will exit the lineup to accommodate Lindholm's return.

Source:
Fluto Shinzawa 2025-10-21T15:50:19.899Z
Hampus Lindholm
Sonny Milano(LW)|WSH
Line Change
Line Change
Milano will be a healthy scratch vs. Seattle on Tuesday.

Milano has had spurts of impressive production at the NHL level, scoring 137 points (62G / 75A) in 317 games, but has been held of the scoresheet through four games in 2025-26. Ethen Frank will make his season debut on Tuesday, drawing in as Milano's replacement.

Source:
Tom Gulitti 2025-10-21T15:25:16.656Z
Sonny Milano
Ethen Frank(C)|WSH
Line Change
Line Change
Frank will draw back into Washington's lineup vs. Seattle on Tuesday.

Sonny Milano will exit Washington's lineup on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken, allowing Frank to draw in for his season debut. The 27-year-old Frank made his NHL debut in 2024-25, playing 24 games with the Capitals and recording 7 points (4G/3A).

Source:
Tom Gulitti 2025-10-21T15:23:57.132Z
Ethen Frank

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.