Line Change
Carcone will draw into Utah's lineup on Tuesday.
Carcone will slot in for Alex Kerfoot, who was a late scratch due to an illness. Carcone has six goals and 12 assists in 52 games this season.
NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Ostman will serve as the Kraken's backup netminder on Tuesday.
Philipp Grubauer is out with an illness on Tuesday, so Ostman will take his spot on the Kraken bench. Joey Daccord will start for the second time in as many nights.
Line Change
Boqvist (rest) is expected to be out vs. Toronto on Tuesday.
The Panthers have liberally been resting players approaching the playoffs and Boqvist will be the next player to exit the lineup on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 26-year-old Boqvist has been solid in a secondary role for the Panthers this season, scoring 23 points (12G / 11A) in 74 games this season.
Nieto will draw into Pittsburgh's lineup on Tuesday vs. Chicago.
Blake Lizotte (lower body) will not play on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks, allowing Nieto to re-enter the lineup for Pittsburgh. Nieto has spent a portion of his 2024-25 campaign in the AHL, scoring seven points (3G / 4A) in 15 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 32-year-old has 206 points (87G / 119A) in 704 career NHL games.
Line Change
Reinhart (rest) will rejoin Florida's lineup vs. Toronto on Tuesday.
Reinhart did not play on Sunday for maintenance reasons, but he will draw back into the lineup on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 29-year-old Reinhart is averaging 20:38 time-on-ice, recording 78 points (37G / 41A) in 76 games this season. He had 94 points (57G / 37A) in 82 games last season.
Forsling (rest) wiil draw back into Florida's lineup on Tuesday vs. Toronto.
Forsling did not play on Sunday for maintenance reasons, but will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 28-year-old Forsling is averaging 23:00 time-on-ice, recording 27 points (10G / 17A) and a team-leading +31 plus/minus rating.
Line Change
Johnson is expected to be a healthy scratch on Tuesday vs. Ottawa.
Jake Christian will draw back into the Columbus lineup on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, sending Johnson to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 38-year-old Johnson has one point (0G / 1A) and a -6 plus/minus in his last four games.
Christiansen will draw back into Columbus' lineup on Tuesday vs. Ottawa.
Jack Johnson will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, allowing Christiansen to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Christiansen has only played one game since March 13th. He is averaging 12:41 time-on-ice and has eight points (1G / 7A) in 66 games this season.
Chinakhov is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Ottawa on Tuesday.
Zach Aston-Reese will draw back into Columbus' lineup on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, sending Chinakhov to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Chinakhov is averaging 15:43 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 30 games this season. However, he has only one pint (0G / 1A) in nine games since return from an injury at the beginning of March.
Aston-Reese is expected to draw back into Columbus' lineup on Tuesday vs. Ottawa.
Yegor Chinakhov will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators, allowing Aston-Reese to re-enter the lineup. The 30-year-old Aston-Reese is averaging 13:32 time-on-ice and has 16 points (5G / 11A) in 74 games this season.
Line Change
Kartye will draw into the Kraken lineup on Monday.
Kartye will slot in for Jani Nyman, who was reassigned to Coachella Valley (AHL) on Monday. Kartye will skate with John Hayden and Michael Eyssimont on the Kraken's fourth line.
Line Change
Fleury will draw into the Kraken lineup on Monday.
Fleury will slot in for Ryker Evans, who is out with an illness. He'll skate with Josh Mahura on the Kraken's third pair.
Burroughs will draw into the Kings lineup on Monday.
Burroughs will slot back into the lineup as both Drew Doughty (maintenance) and Joel Edmundson (upper-body) are unavailable on Monday. Burroughs will skate with Jacob Moverare on the Kings third pair.
Moverare will draw into the Kings lineup on Monday.
Moverare will slot back into the lineup as both Drew Doughty (maintenance) and Joel Edmundson (upper-body) are unavailable on Monday. Moverare will skate with Kyle Burroughs on the Kings third pair.
Line Change
Jones will draw into the Rangers lineup on Monday.
Jones will slot in for K'Andre Miller, who is out with an illness. Jones has one goal and ten assists in 42 games this season.
Kovalenko will draw back into San Jose's lineup on Monday vs. Calgary.
Line Change
Harkins will be a healthy scratch on Monday vs. Edmonton.
Brett Leason will draw back into Anaheim's lineup on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, sending Harkins to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old Harkins is averaging 10:56 time-on-ice, recording six points (2G / 4A) and a -13 plus/minus rating in 58 games this season.
Line Change
Leason will draw back into Anaheim's lineup on Monday vs. Edmonton.
Jensen Harkins will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Edmonton Oilers, allowing Leason to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Leason is averaging 13:06 time-on-ice and has 17 points (5G / 12A) in 60 games this season.
Line Change
Berard is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Tampa Bay on Monday.
With Matt Rempe (upper body) returning to the lineup, Berard will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 22-year-old Berard is averaging 10:33 time-on-ice and has eight pints (4G / 4A) in 32 games this season.
Lekkerimaki will be a healthy scratch on Sunday.
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.