Line Change
Dellandrea will be a healthy scratch for Wednesday's game in Florida.
Dellandrea is the odd-man out on Wednesday after suiting up in each of the Stars' last two games. He has no goals and one assist in 14 games this season.
NHL Hockey Player News
Line Change
Patrick Kane is expected to make his Red Wings' debut Thursday vs. San Jose.
Kane will make his much anticipated Red Wings' debut Thursday as Detroit takes on San Jose. The 35-year-old signed a one-year, $2,750,000 last week and is expected to lineup on Detroits top power play and second line alongside Alex DeBrincat. He will look to add to the 451 goals and 1237 points he has amassed over his incredibly impressive 1180 game NHL career.
Line Change
Evgenii Dadonov will draw back into the Stars' lineup Wednesday at Florida.
Dadonov was a healthy scratch for the Stars' previous game but will draw back into the lineup Wednesday vs. Florida. The 34-year-old veteran right-winger has struggled defensively this season despite his semi-productive counting stats, with four goals, four assists, 26 SOG, two PIMs and a -8 plus/minus in 21 games played prior to his healthy scratch.
Line Change
Evgeny Kuznetsov îs expected to draw back into the Capitals' lineup Thursday vs. Dallas.
Kuznetsov was a surprising healthy scratch last game as he went through a mental reset and is expected to draw back into the Capitals' lineup Thursday vs. Dallas. The 31-year-old has struggled on both sides of the pick this season, with his four goals, five assists, 42 SOG, 22 PIMs and -5 plus/minus in 19 games played.
Jonah Gadjovich will draw back into the Panthers' lineup Wednesday vs. Dallas.
Gadjovich was a healthy scratch for the Panthers' previous game but will draw into the lineup Wednesday vs. Dallas on the fourth line. The 25-year-old left-winger has yet to score this season but has an assist, eight SOG, 41 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus in seven games played.
Line Change
Steven Lorentz will be a healthy scratch Wednesday vs. Dallas.
Lorentz has a goal, two assists, 11 SOG, four PIMs and a -3 plus/minus in 19 game in his first season in Florida but will be a healthy scratch Wednesday vs. Dallas. The 27-year-old Kitchener native will be replaced by Jonah Gadjovich, who will enter the Panthers' fourth line.
Line Change
Tyson Barrie will rejoin the Predators' lineup Tuesday vs. Chicago.
Barrie was a healthy scratch for the Predators' previous two games and will draw back into the lineup Tuesday after also making a trade request over the weekend. The 32-year-old will take the spot of Cole Smith (illness) and will hope to upgrade his trade value and add to his 10 assists, 33 SOG, and 10 PIMs in 23 games he has so far this season.
Line Change
Wahlstrom is listed as a scratch for Tuesday's game against the Sharks.
Line Change
Peeke will draw back into the Blue Jackets' lineup on Tuesday.
Peeke will take the place of the injured Erik Gudbranson. It will be just his fifth game of the season and his first since November 11th. He has no goals and one assist on the season.
Oskar Olausson will make his season debut Tuesday vs. Anaheim.
Olausson has one NHL game under his belt, last season with the Avalanche, being held without a point in the effort, and will play his second in his season debut on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 28th overall pick of the Avalanche in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft has eight points (5G / 3A) in 20 games with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL this season.
Line Change
Martin Pospisil will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
Pospisil will be a healthy scratch, allowing Walker Duehr to draw back into the lineup. The Slovak-born Pospisil is averaging 13:09 time-on-ice and has five points (3G / 2A) in 14 games this season.
Line Change
Walker Duehr will draw back into the Flames' lineup Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
Duehr will draw back into the lineup in favour of Martin Pospisil, who will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday. Duehr has not played since November 22nd, serving as a healthy scratch for the last five games. He has four points (1G / 3A) in 14 games and is expected to play on an offensively-minded second line alongside Nazem Kadri and Connor Zary.
Line Change
Ilya Solovyov will draw back into the Flames' lineup Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
Solovyov hasn't played since consecutive games on October 26th and 29th, his only two career NHL games, but will return to the Flames lineup on Tuesday as Dennis Gilbert will be a healthy scratch. In two games, Solovyov averaged 16:35 time-on-ice, had one block, and two hits.
Line Change
Dennis Gilbert will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Minnesota.
Dennis Gilbert will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Ilya Solovyov to draw back into the lineup. In his most recent game, Gilbert played 11:31 time-on-ice, registered two hits, and suffered a -2 plus/minus rating in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks.
Louis Crevier will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Nashville.
Crevier played 15:59 in his NHL debut on Sunday and was held without a point, but had one shot on goal, one block, and two hits. Crevier was recalled last week from the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL, where he has five points (0G / 5A) in 16 games.
Line Change
Nikita Zaitsev will draw back into the Blackhawks lineup Tuesday vs. Nashville.
Louis Crevier will be a healthy scratch after making his NHL debut on Sunday, allowing Zaitsev to return to the lineup for the Blackhawks. Zaitsev is expected to play with Jarred Tinordi on the third defensive pair for the Blackhawks.
Line Change
Boris Katchouk will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Nashville.
Katchouk will be a healthy scratch, allowing Lukas Reichel to return to the lineup after his first scratch of the season on Sunday. Katchouk has four points (2G / 2A), 23 shots, and 14 hits in 17 games this season.
Lukas Reichel is expected to draw back into the Blackhawks' lineup Tuesday vs. Nashville.
Reichel was a healthy scratch in the Blackhawks' 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday but will return to the lineup to skate on a line with Ryan Donato and Mackenzie Entwistle. The 17th overall pick of the Blackhawks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft has struggled to find his footing this season, scoring only six points (2G / 4A) and registering a -17 plus/minus through 22 games.
Matt Benning will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. the New York Islanders.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic will re-enter the Sharks' lineup to play only his second game since November 14th as Benning will be a healthy scratch for the first time since November 22nd. Benning is averaging 18:29 time-on-ice this season and has two points (0G / 2A) through 14 games.
Marc-Edouard Vlasic will draw back into the Sharks' lineup Tuesday vs. the Islanders.
Matt Benning will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Vlasic to return to the lineup for only his second game since November 14th. Vlasic has zero points and -8 plus/minus in 14 games this season and is expected to play on the Sharks' second defensive pair alongside Calen Addison.
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.