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NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Colin Blackwell(C)|DAL
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Line Change
Blackwell is expected to be a healthy scratch in Vegas on Thursday.

Adam Erne will draw back into the Stars' lineup on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, resulting in Blackwell being a healthy scratch. The 32-year-old Blackwell has seven points (2G / 5A) in 46 games this season.

Source:
Mike Heika 2026-01-29T19:34:13.381Z
Colin Blackwell
Adam Erne(LW)|DAL
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Line Change
Erne will draw back into Dallas' lineup in Vegas on Thursday.

Colin Blackwell will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Erne to re-enter the lineup against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 30-year-old Erne has not played in two weeks. He has four points (3G / 1A) in 20 games this season.

Source:
Mike Heika 2026-01-29T19:33:19.228Z
Adam Erne
Brett Berard(LW)|NYR
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Line Change
Berard is expected to draw back into New York's lineup vs. the Islanders on Thursday.

Jonny Brodzinski will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Berard to enter the lineup against the Islanders. Berard went scoreless in 12 games with the Rangers earlier this season, but has spent most of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL. The 23-year-old forward has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 30 games with Hartford (AHL) this season.

Source:
Peter Baugh 2026-01-29T17:24:53.218Z
Brett Berard
Colton Dach(C)|EDM
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Line Change
Dach will draw back into Chicago's lineup vs. Pittsburgh on Thursday.

Landon Slaggert will be a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, allowing Dach to re-enter the lineup. The 23-year-old Dach has not played in a full week. He has nine points (3G / 6A) in 49 games this season.

Source:
Ben Pope 2026-01-29T16:17:49.285Z
Colton Dach
Maxim Tsyplakov(RW)|NJD
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Line Change
Tsyplakov is expected to make his Devils' debut on Thursday vs. Nashville.

Tsyplakov showed flashes of promise as a 26-year-old rookie a season ago when he tallied 10 goals and 25 assists in 77 games, but had gone ice-cold this year and was ultimately deemed to be expendable by Isles General Manger Mathieu Darche. Tsyplakov has just a single goal and no assists in 27 games this season, routinely bouncing in and out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. He'll get a fresh start in New Jersey where presumably he'll compete for playing time in their bottom-six.

Source:
Amanda Stein 2026-01-29T16:05:47.912Z
Maxim Tsyplakov
Artemi Panarin(LW)|LAK
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Line Change
Panarin will not play on Long Island on Wednesday due to roster-related reasons and is not expected to suit up prior to the Olympic roster freeze on February 4th.

Panarin has long been rumoured to be one of the biggest trade chips on the market ahead of this season's trade deadline, and this latest report suggests a deal could happen sooner rather than later. Panarin is on the final year of a seven-year contract with an AAV of $11.6M that includes a full no movement clause, so no trade can be made without his approval. Regardless, it's an unfortunate development for fantasy owners as, barring a trade within the next week, we won't see Panarin back on the ice until late February at the earliest.

Source:
Elliotte Friedman 2026-01-28T23:25:02.186Z
Artemi Panarin
Xavier Bourgault(C)|OTT
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Line Change
Bourgault will draw back into Ottawa's lineup vs. Colorado on Wednesday.

Bourgault was a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut earlier this season, playing one game with Ottawa. The 23-year-old forward has 37 points (14G / 23A) in 43 games with Belleville (AHL) this season.

Source:
TSN 1200 2026-01-28T18:04:20.458Z
Xavier Bourgault
Carson Soucy(D)|NYI
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Line Change
Soucy is expected to make his Islanders' debut on Wednesday vs. the Rangers.

Soucy appeared in 62 games over the last two seasons during his brief tenure with the Rangers, tallying four goals and 11 assists while playing just under 17 minutes a night. Soucy now joins a crowded Islanders blue-line that already includes the likes of Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech, Tony DeAngelo, and Ryan Pulock, though Pulock is currently sidelined with an upper-body injury.

Source:
Stefen Rosner 2026-01-28T18:00:19.978Z
Carson Soucy
Maxim Shabanov(RW)|NYI
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Line Change
Shabanov is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday vs. the Rangers.

With Simon Holmstrom returning from an illness, Shabanov will be the odd-man out of the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Shabanov has 15 points (4G / 11A) in 38 games in his first NHL season, but has been held off the scoresheet in eight consecutive games.

Source:
Stefen Rosner 2026-01-28T17:59:38.168Z
Maxim Shabanov

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.