NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Alexandre Burrows(LW)|
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Line Change
Burrows has served his three game suspension and will play Thursday.

Burrows was suspended for his hit on Alexei Emelin on October 30th, he had to sit the last three games but will be back in the lineup tonight in San Jose. He has two goals and four assists in 10 games. Along with Nick Bonino and Chris Higgins, the Canucks second line has been providing a lot of secondary scoring to start the year.

Source:
Ben Kuzma 2014-11-06T15:37:26.000Z
Alexandre Burrows
Andrej Nestrasil(RW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Nestrasil will be back in the Red Wings lineup on Wednesday.

Nestrasil served as a healthy scratch in the Red Wings two losses on Sunday and Tuesday. He had recorded one assists and a minus-1 rating in 10 games this season. He will replace Tomas Jurco in the lineup tonight.

Source:
Bill Roose 2014-11-05T18:07:29.000Z
Andrej Nestrasil
Keith Aulie(D)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Aulie will make his Edmonton Oilers’ debut on Thursday.

Aulie, who was recalled on Monday, will replace Martin Marincin in the lineup on Thursday vs. the Bruins. Aulie had one assist in eight games with Oklahoma City (AHL) before he was recalled. He is not know for his offence, so he is not fantasy relevant.

Source:
Jack Michaels 2014-11-05T13:29:21.000Z
Keith Aulie
Thomas Vanek(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Vanek moves to the Wild’s top line with Zach Parise out.

Vanek was recently demoted to the third line, but will be moved up to the top line with Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville now that Parise is out. Vanek has one goal and seven assists in 11 games and his lack of scoring can be attributed to his lack of shots. He has just 17 shots so far this season— that is 1.55 S/PG, he averaged 3.56 last season.

Source:
Chad Graff 2014-11-05T13:26:15.000Z
Thomas Vanek
Chris VandeVelde(C)|
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Line Change
VandeVelde skated on the Flyers top line in practice on Wednesday.

With Michael Raffl unavailable this morning because of an lower-body injury, VandeVelde filled-in on the Flyers first line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. VandeVelde made the jump from the AHL to the first line in two weeks, pretty impressive.

Source:
Sam Carchidi 2014-11-05T13:18:51.000Z
Chris VandeVelde
Curtis Lazar(C)|EDM
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Line Change
The Senators will keep Curtis Lazar through the 10-game mark.

Lazar played in his ninth game last night vs. the Red Wings. If he plays anymore it will burn the first year of his entry level deal, but the Senators have been impressed with his play, so he will stick with the team and play in number-10 tomorrow vs. the Wild. He has three assists and is averaging 13:03 TOI so far this year.

Source:
@Senators 2014-11-05T12:00:22.000Z
Curtis Lazar
Eric Gelinas(D)|FA
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Line Change
Gelinas will return to the Devils lineup on Tuesday.

Gelinas was a healthy scratch in the last three games, but will be back in the lineup tonight because of an undisclosed injury to Jon Merrill. After a breakout season in 2013-14, Gelinas has recorded one goal and three assists with a minus-2 rating in eight games this season. Expect him to be paired with Adam Larsson as well as skate on the second power-play unit.

Source:
Tom Gulitti 2014-11-04T18:05:04.000Z
Eric Gelinas
Alexander Semin(RW)|
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Line Change
Semin will return to the Hurricanes lineup on Tuesday.

Semin was a healthy scratch for the last two games (they won both) but will get back into the lineup tonight vs. Columbus. Semin has struggled to start the year, but maybe being scratched will wake him out. He will start on a line with Eric Staal and Jiri Tlusty.

Source:
Chip Alexander 2014-11-04T12:33:15.000Z
Alexander Semin
Tom Wilson(RW)|WAS
Line Change
Line Change
Wilson is skating on the Capitals top line this morning.

The second year forward played a season-high 15:04 and scored one goal with one assist against Arizona on Sunday. This morning he is skating with Alex Ovehckin and Nicklas Backstrom, so it looks like he will be taking on a larger offensive role. Head coach Barry Trotz expressed his interest in having this trio together in the preseason and it has materialized.

Source:
Alex Prewitt 2014-11-04T12:06:33.000Z
Tom Wilson
Alexander Semin(RW)|
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Line Change
Semin is back on the Hurricanes top-line on Monday.

Semin served as a healthy scratch in the last two games and surprisingly enough, the Canes recorded their first two victories of the year. With that being the case, Semin will likely have the shortest of leashes heading into tomorrow's clash with the Blue Jackets. We've seen a ton of players respond well to being a healthy scratch, lets see how Semin answers.

Source:
Chip Alexander 2014-11-03T12:31:28.000Z
Alexander Semin
Carlo Colaiacovo(D)|
Line Change
Line Change
Colaiacovo will make his Flyers' debut on Tuesday.

Colaiacovo skated alongside Luke Schnn in Flyers practice this morning. In addition to working on the third pair, Colaiacovo played the point on the Flyers' second power-play unit. He provides some offensive punch to Philly's blueline, but he is a huge injury risk and likely won't provide enough offence to be considered valuable in standard fantasy leagues.

Source:
Tim Panaccio 2014-11-03T12:01:55.000Z
Carlo Colaiacovo

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.