Line Change
Johnston is listed as a scratch for Thursday's game against the Capitals.
NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Labanc listed as a healthy scratch on Thursday.
Line Change
Samuel Laberge will make his NHL debut Thursday.
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Sam Gagner is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Winnipeg.
Gagner scored in the Oilers' win last game over Vegas but only played 7:23 TOI and will now be a healthy scratch as Zach Hyman (illness) returns to the lineup. The 34-year-old centre is in his 17th NHL season and has three goals, an assist, 20 SOG and two PIMs in nine games so far this season.
Line Change
Mark Friedman will draw back into the Canucks' lineup Thursday vs. Washington.
Line Change
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby is expected to be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. Edmonton.
Jonsson-Fjallby is expected to come out of the Jets' lineup on Thursday in anticipation of Gabriel Viladri's return. In six games this season, Jonsson-Fjallby registered zero points and one shot on goal while averaging 7:36 time-on-ice.
Line Change
Milos Kelemen will be a healthy scratch Thursday in Boston.
Kelemen played four of the last five games for the Coyotes but will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Juuso Valimaki to return to the lineup. The Slovak-born Keleman averaged 7:15 time-on-ice, registering four hits, two shots, and zero points in four games.
Line Change
Grant Hutton will be a healthy scratch Thursday in Carolina.
After playing two straight games, his first this season, Hutton will be a healthy scratch, replaced by Samuel Bolduc. Hutton saw limited action in his first two games, averaging 8:46 time-on-ice, playing predominantly on the third defensive pair with Mike Reilly.
Line Change
Samuel Bolduc will draw back into the Islanders' lineup Thursday vs. Carolina.
Grant Hutton will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Bolduc to re-enter the Islanders' lineup for their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Bolduc has been used conservatively this season, averaging only 9:55 time-on-ice through 11 games. He has zero points, six blocks, and seven hits this season.
Line Change
Bobby McMann will draw back into the Maple Leafs' lineup Thursday vs. Seattle.
Ryan Reaves will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing McMann to draw back into the Maple Leafs lineup for his fourth game. McMann has two points (0G / 2A), averaging 9:00 time-on-ice, while primarily seeing bottom-six minutes skating alongside David Kampf and Noah Gregor.
Line Change
Ryan Reaves will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. Seattle.
Reaves has been in and out of the lineup lately, playing only two of the last six games for the Maple Leafs, and will return to the press box on Thursday as a healthy scratch in their contest against the Seattle Kraken. Reaves has one point (1G / 0A), 32 hits, and a -10 plus/minus through 16 games and will be replaced in the lineup by Bobby McMann.
Line Change
Marc Staal will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. New Jersey.
Staal has played four consecutive games since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 14 games but will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, replaced by Egor Zamula. The 36-year-old veteran has had trouble finding his footing in this injury-riddled season and is averaging a career-low 14:39 time-on-ice, with zero points through eight games.
Line Change
Egor Zamula will draw back into the Flyers' lineup Thursday vs. New Jersey.
After being scratched for the last two games, Zamula will return to the lineup in favour of Marc Staal. Through 17 games this season, Zamula is averaging 15:24 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) and a stellar +10 plus/minus rating.
Line Change
Petry is listed as a scratch for Wednesday's game in New York.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel will draw back into the Capitals' lineup Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Aube-Kubel will return to the Capitals' lineup on Wednesday as Hendrix Lapierre will sit in the press box as a healthy scratch. Aube-Kubel has three points (1G / 2A) in six games this season but has been held off the scoresheet in his last four games. He has played almost exclusively this season on the fourth line with Nic Dowd and Beck Malenstyn.
Hendrix Lapierre will be a healthy scratch Wednesday vs. Los Angeles.
Lapierre will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Nicolas Aube-Kubel to re-enter the Capitals' lineup. Lapierre has three points (1G / 2A) in seven games this season, all of which came in the same game.
Line Change
Jordan Greenway (personal) will draw back into the Sabres' lineup Thursday vs. St. Louis.
Greenway has missed the last two games for the Sabres tending to a personal matter but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. Through 19 games this season, Greenway has six points (2G / 4A), 19 penalty minutes, and 28 hits while averaging a career-high 17:08 time-on-ice. He has spent the majority of the season partnered with centerman Casey Mittelstadt.
Michael Pezzetta will be a healthy scratch Tuesday vs. Columbus.
Pezzetta has played five consecutive games for the Canadiens but will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Joel Armia to draw back into the lineup. Through 17 games this season, Pezzetta is averaging 7:48 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A).
Line Change
Joel Armia will draw back into the Canadiens' lineup Wednesday vs. Columbus.
Armia has not played since November 9th, a span of eight games, but will draw back into the lineup for the Canadiens on Wednesday in favour of Michael Pezzetta, who will be a healthy scratch. In six games this season, Armia has one point (1G / 0A) and eight shots while averaging 12:38 time-on-ice.
Line Change
Luneau will draw back into the Ducks' lineup on Tuesday.
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.