Line Change
Klas Dahlbeck will make his NHL debut on Saturday night.
There is no word on who Dahlbeck will be in for, but we will find out during pre-game warmups.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Vanek skated on the Wild’s top line on Saturday.
Vanek had been stuck on the third line with Kyle Brodziak and Nino Niederreiter, but this afternoon he moved to the top line with Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise. It has not been a great return home for Vanek, who has just 14 points (2G / 12A) in 25 games. A move to the top-line should hopefully get him going.
Line Change
Sven Andrighetto will make his NHL debut on Saturday.
Andrighetto, 21, was recalled by the Canadiens on Friday. He was the Habs third-round pick (86th overall) in 2013. The 5-foot-9 forward has registered 18 points (9G / 9A) in 21 games with Hamilton (AHL) this season. He will replace Lars Eller, who is out with an upper-body injury.
Line Change
Morrow in; Bartkowski out.
Bartkowski has been a healthy scratch for the last two games, but he will get back into the lineup tonight vs. Arizona. Morrow has one goal in 14 games this season.
Line Change
Griffith in; Pastrnak out.
Griffith has been a healthy scratch for the last three games, but he will get back into the lineup today vs. the Coyotes. Griffith has five goals and two assists in 19 games this season. Pastrnak has one assist in five games.
Line Change
Kuznetsov will draw back into the lineup on Saturday.
Kuznetsov was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but he will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Devils. He will be in for Andre Burakovsky—Barry Trotz indicated he might platoon the two young forwards for awhile.
Line Change
Downie will play on the Penguins top line on Saturday.
Downie took line rushes with Sidney Crosby and Nick Spaling during pre-game warmups this afternoon. The Penguins have been banged up at forward, so Downie, who has just 10 points (3G / 7A) in 25 games, will skate with Crosby vs. the Senators.
Line Change
Rychel will skate on the Blue Jackets top line on Saturday.
Rychel was skating with Ryan Johansen and Jack Skille at the Blue Jackets' morning skate. The 20-year-old has registered three assists in his first three NHL games, despite averaging only 10:47 TOI.
Line Change
Hemsky is expected to be a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Hemsky stayed on late at the morning skate, which suggests that he will not play tonight vs. the Canadiens. Curtis McKenzie will enter the lineup for Hemsky.
Line Change
Bourque expected to play on the Ducks top line on Friday.
Bourque skated on the top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in the Ducks’ morning skate and it looks like he and Matt Beleskey will swap spots tonight vs. the Wild. Bourque has one assist, a minus-2 rating and 11 shots in six games with the Ducks. A spot on the Ducks top-line might make him a cheap one-day option in a quiet night across the NHL.
Line Change
Dahlbeck could make his NHL debut on Saturday vs. Nashville.
Dahlbeck, 23, was the 79th overall pick in 2011. After spending three years in Sweden, he is now in his third full year in North America. He has totalled 12 goals and 29 assists (41 points) in 97 AHL games through last year and 22 games this season. No word on who would come out of the lineup to make room for Dahlbeck.
Line Change
Megna skated on the Penguins top line in practice on Friday.
With Patric Hornqvist not on the ice this morning after suffering an injury last night, Megna filled his spot on the Penguins top line with Sidney Crosby and Nick Spaling. Pittsburgh is without Crosby's two usual linemates in Chris Kunitz and now Hornqvist so they will need someone to step up and fill those shoes. For now it looks like it will be Megna, who now has some sneaky value in one-day leagues.
Line Change
Kuznetsov will serve as a healthy scratch on Thursday.
Kuznetsov took line rushes on the Capitals second line in practice this morning, but will serve as healthy scratch while Michael Latta moves into the lineup on the fourth line and Alexander Burakovsky to the second line. Kuznetsov has just eight points (2G / 6A) in what has been a disappointing 23 games.
Line Change
Byfuglien moves back to defence after Jets lose three blue liners.
Tobias Enstrom will miss the rest of December, Zach Bogosian will miss 4-6 weeks and Grant Clitsome is out for two weeks, so that means Big Buff goes back to the blue line. He has 11 points (5G / 6A) in 26 games as a forward this season, so his numbers are already underwhelming so a move to the backend likely isn’t going to help his cause.
Line Change
Lindbohm will play for the Blues on Thursday.
Lindbohm was recalled this morning and will be in the lineup in Nashville. There is no word on who is coming out, but our guess is that it will be Chris Butler. Lindbohm has eight points (4G / 4A) in 20 games with Chicago (AHL).
Line Change
Reinhart will dress tonight vs. the Senators.
Reinhart was recalled on Wednesday and with the Isles missing Travis Hamonic, Lubomir Visnovsky and Johnny Boychuk, he will get into the lineup tonight. Reinhart failed to record a point with a minus-1 rating and two PIMS in three games earlier this season.
Line Change
Lecavalier will serve as a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
Lecavalier was a healthy scratch on Tuesday for the first time in his NHL career and despite the Flyers losing 2-1, they will sit the veteran yet again.
Line Change
Holden will play forward on Thursday.
Holden’s move to forward is part necessity and part punishment. Holden has struggled this season, evidenced by his team-worst minus-16 rating. He will skate on the Avs’ fourth line with Cody McLeod and Michael Sgarbossa, while Karl Stollery will take his spot on the blue line.
Line Change
Pitlick will play with Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on Wednesday.
Pitlick was a plus-1 and had one shot in 9:57 TOI in his season debut on Monday. In 14 games in Oklahoma City (AHL), Pitlickhad three goals and six assists. He could have some value in daily fantasy leagues, but the way things are going for the Oilers right now, I wouldn’t have too much faith.
Line Change
Gomez will make his season debut on Tuesday.
Gomez had two goals and 10 assists (12 points) in 46 games with the Panthers last season. His last four seasons have been a struggle, but he returns to the team who he started his NHL career with. He is expected to centre the top-line with Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr.
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.