NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Hampus Lindholm(D)|BOS
Line Change
Line Change
Lindholm will make his season debut on Wednesday vs. the Blue Jackets.

Lindholm has missed the first 13 games of the season due to a contract holdout, but will be in the lineup on Wednesday. Revered as one of the best young defensemen in the NHL, Lindholm will have a huge impact on the Ducks’ blueline. Lindholm had 10 goals and 18 assists (28 points) last year and will look to build on that this season.

Source:
Dan Wood 2016-11-09T12:26:21.000Z
Hampus Lindholm
Troy Stecher(D)|EDM
Line Change
Line Change
Stecher will be in the Canucks’ lineup on Tuesday.

Stecher sat out of Monday’s game in Brooklyn, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Rangers. Stecehr will replace Philip Larsen and comes into play with one assist and a minus-3 rating in four games with the Canucks this season. The rookie defenseman will skate on the top-pair with Alex Edler and should see some power-play time as well.

Source:
Jon Abbott 2016-11-08T14:44:35.000Z
Troy Stecher
Jake Virtanen(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Virtanen will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

Virtanen was a healthy scratch on Monday and will be scratched again tonight in New York. The former sixth overall pick has collected just one assist while averaging 10:09 TOI in the first 10 games of the season. With Virtanen sitting and Jannik Hansen injured, Alex Burrows will again skate in the top-6.

Source:
Jon Abbott 2016-11-08T14:40:56.000Z
Jake Virtanen
Jimmy Hayes(RW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Hayes is expected to be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

Hayes has struggled to start 2016-17, failing to pick up a point in 10 games, which resulted in him being a healthy scratch on Saturday and that will be the case again on Monday.

Source:
Joe Haggerty 2016-11-07T12:05:17.000Z
Jimmy Hayes
Nikita Tryamkin(D)|
Line Change
Line Change
Tryamkin will make his season debut on Thursday.

Tryamkin, 22, sat for the first 10 games of the regular season, but will play tonight with Chris Tanev coming out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury. Tryamkin is a monster at 6-foot-7, 228 lbs. but doesn’t possess a lot of offensive upside. Tryamkin had one goal, one assist and 11 shots in 13 games last season.

Source:
Jon Abbott 2016-11-03T17:50:07.000Z
Nikita Tryamkin
Nick Schultz(D)|
Line Change
Line Change
Schultz will be back in the Flyers' lineup on Thursday.

Schultz served as a healthy scratch for the last two games, but will re-enter the lineup tonight with Andrew MacDonald coming out because of a lower-body injury. Schultz, who will likely skate with Shayne Gostisbehere, has three assists in seven games this season.

Source:
Sam Carchidi 2016-11-03T17:46:23.000Z
Nick Schultz
Dale Weise(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Weise will be a healthy scratch on Thursday.

Weise has just one assist in eight games this season and will sit out as a healthy scratch on Thursday with Michael Raffl re-entering the lineup. It has not been an ideal start to the season for Weise, who signed a four-year deal this offseason.

Source:
Adam Kimelman 2016-11-03T17:44:28.000Z
Dale Weise
Sean Kuraly(C)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Kuraly will make his NHL debut on Thursday.

Kuraly, 23, was a fifth round pick in 2011 and tonight will be his first career NHL game. He previously sent four years at the University of Miami (Ohio) and made the transition to the AHL this fall. In eight games with Providence, the American born winger had one assist and nine penalty minutes. He will take Matt Beleksey’s spot in the lineup on Thursday.

Source:
Jack Edwards 2016-11-03T12:11:58.000Z
Sean Kuraly
Alan Quine(C)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Quine will be in the Islanders lineup on Thursday.

Quine has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but will be back in the Islanders’ lineup on Thursday. Quine has one goal on four shots in six games this season. Quine will centre the third line with Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera on his wings.

Source:
@NYIslanders 2016-11-03T10:23:50.000Z
Alan Quine
Ryan Sproul(RD)|
Line Change
Line Change
Sproul will be a healthy scratch on Sunday.

Sproul played in five consecutive games, but will come out of the lineup tonight. Sproul, who will be replaced by Xavier Ouellet, had two assists and 11 shots while averaging 15:14 TOI in those five contests.

Source:
@DetroitRedWings 2016-10-30T15:11:08.000Z
Ryan Sproul

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.