Line Change
Kevin Shattenkirk will draw back into the Bruins' lineup Wednesday vs. Florida.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Nikolai Knyzhov will draw back into the Sharks' lineup on Wednesday vs. Seattle.
Knyzhov has been a healthy scratch for the Sharks' last three games but will draw back into the lineup Wednesday vs. Seattle. The 25-year-old undrafted defenseman has yet to score this season but has an assist, six SOG, six PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through nine games played.
Line Change
Jackson LaCombe will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. Montreal.
LaCombe will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Wednesday as he heads to the press box vs. Montreal for Tristan Luneau. The 22-year-old rookie has enjoyed an up-and-down 2023-24, with three assists, 15 SOG, 12 PIMs, and a -10 plus/minus in 18 games played thus far.
Jayden Struble is expected to make his NHL debut Wednesday vs. Anaheim.
Struble was Montreal's 2019 second-round pick (46th overall) and will make his NHL debut Wednesday in Anaheim. The 22-year-old defenseman had a goal, five assists, 29 PIMs, and a +4 plus/minus through 12 games with Laval (AHL) prior to his promotion to the big leagues and needed only 21 AHL games under his belt before making his NHL debut.
Line Change
Tristan Luneau will draw back into the Ducks' lineup Wednesday vs. Montreal.
Luneau was not originally set to appear in Wednesday's game vs. Montreal but due to it coming against his hometown club will draw back into the Ducks' lineup. The 19-year-old appeared in two games for the Ducks in October of this season and failed to pick up a point while collecting a SOG and a -1 plus/minus rating.
Line Change
Sammy Blais will draw back into the Blues' lineup Wednesday vs. Arizona.
Blais was a healthy scratch on Sunday but will return to the lineup on Wednesday in favour of Jakub Vrana. Blais has five points (1G / 4A) in 16 games this season and is averaging 3.75 hits per game. He is expected to play on the Blues fourth line alongside Nikita Alexandrov and Oskar Sundqvist.
Line Change
Jakub Vrana will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. Arizona.
Vrana has played 10 consecutive games for the Blues but will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Sammy Blais to draw back into the lineup. Vrana only has three points (1G / 2A) in his last 10 games but is averaging an impressive 3.0 shots on goal during that stretch.
Line Change
Milos Kelemen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. St. Louis.
Kelemen will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Jan Jenik to make his season debut for the Coyotes. Kelemen has played two games for the Coyotes this season, averaging 8:10 time-on-ice, recording two hits and zero points.
Line Change
Jan Jenik will make his season debut on Wednesday vs. St. Louis.
Jenik has spent a good portion of the season with the Coyotes but will finally make his season debut on Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues. In nine games with the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, Jenik has five points (2G / 3A), a +5 plus/minus, and nine penalty minutes. He is expected to skate on the fourth line alongside Liam O'Brien and Travis Boyd.
Line Change
Adam Ruzicka will draw back into the Flames' lineup Wednesday vs. Nashville.
Ruzicka was a healthy scratch for the Flames' previous game but will draw back into the lineup as he takes to spot of Connor Zary on Wednesday. The 24-year-old center has struggled as of late as he has gone nine games without a point but has two goals, two assists, 14 SOG, four PIMs and a -4 plus/minus in 13 games played.
Line Change
Tyson Jost will draw back into the Sabres' lineup Wednesday vs. Washington.
Jost will replace Peyton Krebs, who will be a healthy scratch for the Sabres on Wednesday. Jost did not play in the last game for the Sabres but has dressed in 13 of 18 games this season, tallying two points (1G / 1A), and 17 shots on goal while averaging 11:10 time-on-ice. He is expected to slot in on the third line between Jordan Greenway and Victor Olofsson.
Line Change
Peyton Krebs will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. Washington.
Krebs will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Tyson Jost to re-enter the lineup. Krebs played in each of the last three games for the Sabres but did not register a single shot or point in those contests. He has one point (0G / 1A) and nine shots on goal in 17 games this season.
Line Change
Boris Katchouk will draw back into the Blackhawks' lineup vs. Columbus.
Katchouk will return to the Blackhawks' lineup on Wednesday as Taylor Hall is not expected to play due to an undisclosed injury. Katchouk last played on November 16th when he scored one point (0G / 1A), one shot, and two hits in 13:06 time-on-ice.
Dante Fabbro will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. Calgary.
Fabbro has two goals, three assists, 19 SOG, six PIMs, and a +4 plus/minus in 16 games played this season but will be the odd man out of the Predators' lineup Wednesday vs. Calgary. The 25-year-old defenseman will be replaced by Ryan McDonagh (injury) in Nashville's lineup.
Luke Evangelista will draw back into the Predators' lineup Wednesday vs. Calgary.
Evangelista was a surprising healthy scratch on Monday but will return to the lineup on Wednesday and skate alongside Kiefer Sherwood and Juuso Parssinen on the Predators' second line. Evangelista has nine points (1G / 8A) in 16 games this season, averaging 15:02 time-on-ice.
Louis Belpedio will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. Columbus.
Line Change
Klim Kostin will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday vs. New Jersey.
Kostin was in the lineup for the last 10 games for the Red Wings, recording two points (1G / 1A), and will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday as the team will likely dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Patrik Laine will draw back into the Blue Jackets' lineup vs. Chicago after being a healthy scratch.
Laine was embarrassed by being a healthy scratched on Sunday by Blue Jackets' head coach Pascal Vincent, who will hope he sparked the Finnish sniper. Before his healthy scratch, Laine was held without a point in four straight games and only three points (2G / 1A) in nine contests this season. He will likely re-enter the Blue Jackets lineup playing on the wing of the second line with Dmitri Voronkov and Adam Fantilli.
Samuel Girard (personal) will be out Wednesday vs. Vancouver as he is away from the team.
Girard did not play on Monday due to personal reasons and will be away from the team again on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks. Girard has played 15 games this season, scoring only one point (0G / 1A) in his first 13 before tripling that with three points (2G / 1A) in his last two. Josh Manson entered the lineup on Monday to replace Girard.
Line Change
Milan Lucic (personal) will be entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program while he remains on indefinite leave.
Lucic was arrested Saturday morning in Boston and will be entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program while away from the team. Lucic signed a one-year, $1 million contract to return to the Bruins in the offseason and has two assists in four games so far in 2023-24. Lucic has missed nine games this season due to an ankle injury and has an indefinite return date from that injury alongside the recent news.
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.