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NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Kevin Hayes(RW)|PIT
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Hayes looks like a healthy scratch on Monday.

Hayes was one of the last players on the ice at the Rangers morning skate which suggests he will serve as a healthy scratch tonight vs. Minnesota. He was also bumped off of the power-play, which is another sign that he will not play. Ryan Malone is expected to take his spot in the lineup, with Martin St. Louis moving to his spot as the first line centre. Hayes has one goal and one assist in six games.

Source:
Pat Leonard 2014-10-27T11:38:07.000Z
Kevin Hayes
Martin St. Louis(RW)|FA
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St. Louis could move back to centre on Monday.

With Derek Stepan still sidelined with a fractured fibula, the Rangers have been searching for someone to centre their top-line all season. St. Louis started the season there but has spent that last week back on the wing. Tonight, it looks like Kevin Hayes (who was centring the top-line) will be a healthy scratch with Ryan Malone entering the lineup. This would mean that St. Louis would move back to the middle, likely between Rick Nash and Chris Kreider. However, head coach Alain Vigneault said the lineup has not been finalized. We will likely have to wait until pre-game warmups to determine the lines and scratches.

Source:
Pat Leonard 2014-10-27T11:36:03.000Z
Martin St. Louis
Nikolay Kulemin(LW)|
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Kulemin back on the Islanders second line Saturday.

A day after skating on the Islanders top-line, Kulemin was back on the second line this morning; with Cory Conacher moving back to the first line with John Tavares. Kulemin will start the game on the second line, but will move up in Conacher struggles.

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Arthur Staple 2014-10-25T11:04:24.000Z
Nikolay Kulemin
Cory Conacher(LW)|FA
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Conacher will start the game on the Islanders first line.

Nikolay Kulemin skated on the top-line in practice on Friday, but the Islanders are going to give Conacher another chance to play with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. However, Kulemin will be moved to that line if Conacher is not playing well.

Source:
Arthur Staple 2014-10-25T11:01:57.000Z
Cory Conacher
Jyrki Jokipakka(D)|
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Jyrki Jokipakka will make his NHL debut on Friday vs. New Jersey.

Jokipakka, a seventh-round pick (195th overall) in 2011, played three seasons in Finland’s top league and made his North American debut last season with the Texas Stars. He was a key piece for that Texas team that won the 2014 Calder Cup. Jokipakka was paired with Jamie Oleksiak during Friday morning’s skate, meaning that Kevin Connauton is the expected healthy scratch on the blue line.

Source:
Mark Stepneski 2014-10-24T14:53:29.000Z
Jyrki Jokipakka
Nikolay Kulemin(LW)|
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Kulemin is skating on the Islanders first line.

Kulemin is skated on the Isles top-line with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo at practice this morning. Cory Conacher had been playing there for the first seven games of the season, but it looks like Kulemin will take a turn there on Saturday. He has three assists in the first seven games, but definitely receives a fantasy boost and is worth a speculative add in standard leagues.

Source:
Brian Compton 2014-10-24T12:01:04.000Z
Nikolay Kulemin
Sam Reinhart(C)|FLA
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Reinhart will be a healthy scratch on Thursday.

After getting back into the lineup last night, Reinhart will be back in the pressbox tonight for the second time in three games. However, Reinhart will be back in the lineup on Saturday against the Sharks. With Reinhart coming out of the lineup, the Sabres will put Nikita Zadorov in the lineup and go with seven defensemen.

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Paul Hamilton 2014-10-23T18:25:26.000Z
Sam Reinhart
Mirco Mueller(LD)|FA
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Mueller will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

Despite being a healthy scratch again, head coach Todd McLellan said that Mueller is "not going anywhere." The 19-year-old defenseman has one assist in his first five NHL games, while averaging 18:36 per night. When the head coach says that you are here to stay, that has to help boost the young defenseman's confidence. Expect to see him back on the blueline real soon.

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Kevin Kurz 2014-10-23T15:05:32.000Z
Mirco Mueller
Cam Atkinson(RW)|FA
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Atkinson has been dropped to the third line.

Despite scoring three goals with two assists in the first five games of the season, Atkinson was replaced by Scott Hartnell on the top line on Wednesday. Atkinson was skating on a line with Alexander Wennberg and Matt Calvert and is expected to start there against the Sharks on Thursday.

Source:
Aaron Portzline 2014-10-23T09:46:01.000Z
Cam Atkinson
Scott Hartnell(LW)|FA
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Hartnell bumped to the Blue Jackets top-line.

Hartnell skated on the first line with Ryan Johansen and Nick Foligno on Wednesday. Hartnell has picked up four assists in five games and it looks like he will replace Cam Atkinson on the top line in Thursday's meeting with the Sharks. Johansen has been on fire (3G / 4A) to start the season, so Hartnellis in a good opportunity.

Source:
Aaron Portzline 2014-10-23T11:33:55.000Z
Scott Hartnell
Sam Reinhart(C)|FLA
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Reinhart will be back in the Sabres lineup on Wednesday.

Brian Flynn stayed on for extra work at the Sabres morning skate which means that Reinhart will get back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Saturday. He will centre the fourth line which means he will probably see less than 10 minutes of ice-time for the third straight game.

Source:
Paul Hamilton 2014-10-22T15:22:12.000Z
Sam Reinhart
Mark Fistric(D)|FA
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Fistric will make his season debut on Wednesday.

Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau had said recently that he wanted to get Fistric into the lineup soon; and it will happen tonight as he replaces Clayton Stoner. Fistric has a career-high of 10 points ('09-'10) so he is not a fantasy option.

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Eric Stephens 2014-10-22T13:16:09.000Z
Mark Fistric
Ryan Murphy(RD)|FA
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Murphy will play the wing on the Hurricanes fourth line and the point on the power-play.

With a multitude of injuries in Carolina right now, they have to put Murphy on the win until they get healthy. Murphy has one assist while playing 21:09 per night in three games so far.

Source:
Michael Smith 2014-10-21T13:36:10.000Z
Ryan Murphy
Jiri Sekac(LW)|
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Sekac will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday vs. Detroit.

Sekac will be replaced by Dale Weise tonight. Sekac played a season-low 8:19 on Saturday and will sit tonight after scoring one goal with a minus-4 rating in the first six games of his NHL career.

Source:
Renaud Lavoie 2014-10-21T13:14:46.000Z
Jiri Sekac
Riley Sheahan(C)|FA
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Sheahan has been bumped up to the Red Wings' top power-play unit.

Sheahan had been playing on the Red Wings second power-play unit, but he will switch spots with Darren Helm as the net-front presence on the Wings top-unit. Sheahan has just one assist through five games, but this move should help him pick up some power-play points in the short-term.

Source:
Bill Roose 2014-10-21T12:07:06.000Z
Riley Sheahan
Tomas Hertl(C)|VGK
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Hertl has been dropped to the Sharks' third line.

The Sharks have shaken up all of their forwards lines ahead of tonight's game in Boston. One of the moves has Hertl going to the third line to play with James Sheppard and Andrew Desjardins, which is obviously a huge downgrade from Joe Thornton. Hertl has two goals and a plus-4 rating through six games.

Source:
David Pollak 2014-10-21T12:05:23.000Z
Tomas Hertl
Corey Crawford(G)|FA
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Crawford, who is expected to start tonight is not at the Blackhawks morning skate.

The Blackahwks announced on Monday that Crawford was starting on Tuesday, but his absence from the morning skate makes us wonder if something may have happened to him. We will get a full update after the morning skate.

Source:
Chris Kuc 2014-10-21T11:43:49.000Z
Corey Crawford
Seth Griffith(C)|FA
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Griffith is back on the Bruins top-line.

Griffith was recalled on Monday after spending the weekend in Providence (AHL) and will play on the top-line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic tonight vs. San Jose. He has no points, a minus-2 rating and four shots in three games with the Bruins this season.

Source:
Steve Conroy 2014-10-21T10:44:56.000Z
Seth Griffith

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.