Line Change
Samuel Fagemo is expected to make his season debut Saturday vs. San Jose.
NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Justin Barron will make his season debut Saturday vs. Washington.
Line Change
Steel will return to the Stars lineup for Thursday's game against the Canucks.
Steel draws back into the lineup in place of Ty Dellandrea after being a healthy scratch for Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Golden Knights. Steel signed with the Stars in the off-season following a 10-goal, 18-assist campaign across 68 games with the Wild last season. He's played just one game so far this season and is yet to register a point as a Star.
Line Change
Dellandrea will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Anaheim.
Dellandrea will sit in favour of Sam Steel tonight after playing in each of the Stars' first two games. The 23-year-old scored nine goals and added 18 assists in 82 games with the Stars last season. Through two games in 2023-24 he's registered no goals and one assist with an ATOI of 12:29.
Line Change
Zamula will be a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against the Oilers.
Zamula will sit for the second time this season despite an impressive offensive output through his first two games. He has registered a goal and an assist to go along with four shots on goal despite the fact that he's been limited to an ATOI of 14:40. Emil Andrae will draw into the lineup in his place.
Line Change
Andrae will draw into the lineup against the Oilers on Thursday.
The 54th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Andrae will make his second start of the season and his career on Thursday against the Oilers. He was quiet in his debut, registering just one blocked shot and one hit in 16 minutes of ice time in Saturday's 5-2 loss to the Senators.
Juulsen is expected to be a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Tampa Bay.
Juulsen had appeared in the Canucks first three games of the season prior to being scratched on Thursday. Ice-time will likely be harder to come by for Juulsen moving forward following Tuesday's addition of fellow blue-liner Mark Friedman from the Penguins. Juulsen has one assist on the season while playing less than 13 minutes a game.
Line Change
Friedman is on the ice for warmups and is expected to make his Canucks debut on Thursday.
Friedman will make his Vancouver Canucks debut on Thursday after being acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday with Ty Glover in a trade for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek. The 27-year-old Friedman has 65 NHL games under his belt, all with the Penguins, where he amassed 12 points (4G / 8A) along with 102 hits and 59 blocked shots. Akito Hirose was sent to Abbotsford (AHL) to make room for Friedman on the Canucks roster.
Tyler Bertuzzi (undisclosed) will be a game-time decision Thursday but will take the warm up.
Bertuzzi missed practice Tuesday for maintenance and will be a game-time decision Thursday vs. Florida even though he is expected to partake in warmups. The 28-year-old left-winger has a goal, nine SOG, 10 PIMs and a +3 plus/minus through three games this season. Bertuzzi was signed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal in the offseason and has been attached to the hip of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on Toronto's top line.
Line Change
Nikita Alexandrov will make his season debut Thursday vs. Arizona.
Alexandrov has yet to dress in any of the Blues first two games but Is set to make his season debut Thursday vs. Arizona. The 23-year-old forward appeared in 28 games in 2022-23, picking up three goals, four assists, 28 SOG and eight PIMs. He is set to line up on the Blues' fourth line alongside Oskar Sundqvist and Jake Neighbours.
Line Change
Tristan Luneau is expected to make his NHL debut Thursday vs. Dallas.
Luneau was Anaheim's 2022 second-round pick (53rd overall) and is set to make his NHL debut Thursday vs. Dallas as he replaces Jamie Drysdale in the Ducks' lineup. The 19-year-old defensemen was not originally returned to Gatineau (QMJHL) as expected to start this season, where he had 20 goals, 63 assists, 31 PIMs and a +49 plus/minus through 65 games in 2022-23.
Line Change
Jacob Peterson will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. Boston.
Peterson has failed to pick up any counting stats while averaging 13:45 TOI through two games in 2023-24 but will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. Boston. The 24-year-old will be replaced by Kevin Labanc in the Sharks lineup.
Line Change
Kevin Labanc was originally informed he was placed on waivers but will instead make his season debut Thursday.
Labanc's camp was informed earlier in the day that he would be placed on waivers but have changed their minds and will now be putting him in the Sharks' lineup for his season debut. He had 15 goals, 18 assists, 129 SOG, 36 PIMs and a -17 plus/minus through 72 games in 2022-23 but has yet to see NHL action this season through San Jose's first three games. He will make his season debut Thursday as the Sharks take on Boston and is expected to play on San Jose's second line alongside Thomas Bordeleau and Filip Zadina.
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2023-10-19T17:03:56.496Z
Michael McCarron is set to make his season debut Thursday vs. the New York Rangers.
McCarron has yet to appear in any of the Predators' first four games but will make his season debut Thursday vs. the New York Rangers. The 28-year-old towering forward had two goals, two assists, 24 PIMs, 39 SOG and a -3 plus/minus in 2022-23. McCarron will replace Philip Tomasino on Nashville's fourth line alongside Yakov Trenin and Colton Sissons.
Line Change
Philip Tomasino will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. the New York Rangers.
Tomasino has an assist, two SOG, two PIMs and a -1 plus/minus through four games to start 2023-24 but will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. the New York Rangers. Michael McCarron will replace Tomasino on the Predators' fourth line alongside Yakov Trenin and Colton Sissons.
Line Change
Mark Friedman will be a game-time decision due to club player processing issues.
Line Change
Logan Stanley is set to make his season debut Thursday vs. Vegas.
Line Change
Nate Schmidt will be a healthy scratch Thursday vs. Vegas.
Line Change
Sammy Walker is set to make his season debut vs. Los Angeles.
Walker was yet to pick up a point in two games with Iowa (AHL) and is a -4 plus/minus after being recalled to Minnesota Wednesday with the news that Alex Goligoski will be heading to the LTIR and will make his season debut Thursday vs. Los Angeles. Walker returns to the Wild lineup, where he had a goal, an assist, eight SOG and a -1 plus/minus in nine games played in his rookie season in 2022-23.
Line Change
Emil Andrae will draw back into the Flyers' lineup Thursday vs. Edmonton.
Andrea was a healthy scratch for the Flyers' previous game but will draw back into the lineup Thursday vs. Edmonton. The 21-year-old defensemen has only played in one game so far in 2023-24, playing 23 shifts for 16:27 TOI and a -1 plus/minus. He replaces Egor Zamula in the Flyers' third defensive unit.
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.