NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Brandon Saad(LW)|VGK
Line Change
Line Change
Saad will return to the Blackhawks lineup on Wednesday.

Saad served as a healthy scratch in Sunday's win over the Blues. Head coach Joel Quenneville called the scratch a "coach's decision". Saad has just one assist in his last nine games, so the Hawks were likely giving him the night off to recharge so he is ready to go come playoff time.

Source:
Mark Lazerus 2014-04-07T09:48:39.000Z
Brandon Saad
Evander Kane(LW)|VAN
Line Change
Line Change
Kane may be a healthy scratch on Saturday.

Kane was one of the last players off of the ice at the Jets' morning skate which suggests that he will be a healthy scratch tonight vs. the Maple Leafs. Kane has two goals and five assists in his last 10 games. This could be fallout from the assault accusations that were slapped on him during the week.

Source:
Ken Wiebe 2014-04-05T13:37:05.000Z
Evander Kane
Dany Heatley(LW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Heatley will be back in the Wild lineup on Thursday.

Heatley was a healthy scratch in the last two games, but will be back tonight with Nino Niederreiter out with an upper-body injury. Heatley is far from his #50in07 performance having recorded just 12 goals and 15 assists (27 points) in 74 games this season. Expect him to skate on the Wild's fourth line.

Source:
Chad Graff 2014-04-03T13:40:43.000Z
Dany Heatley
Bryce Van Brabant(D)|
Line Change
Line Change
Van Brabant will make his NHL debut Tuesday vs. the Maple Leafs.

First of all, what a hockey name this kid has... Bryce Van Brabant... Wow, excellent. Van Brabant, 22, is a 6-foot-3, 205 lbs. forward who recently signed with the Flames after finishing up his season with Quinnipiac University. This season he totaled 15 goals and seven assists (22 points) in 40 games with Quinnipiac. He will make his NHL debut on a line with Lance Bouma and Kevin Westgarth.

Source:
@NHLFlames 2014-04-01T14:34:31.000Z
Bryce Van Brabant
Derek Morris(D)|INA
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Line Change
Morris could return Tuesday, has been a healthy scratch for the last three games.

Morris was a minus-5 in his last two games, and rode the pine behind some younger defenesmen because of it. There is no official word whether or not he will be back in the lineup tonight, but head coach Dave Tippett said he is "an option" tonight.

Source:
Sarah McLellan 2018-07-18T17:53:17.445Z
Jonathan Racine(D)|
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Line Change
Racine will make his NHL debut on Tuesday.

Racine was the Panthers third round pick (87th overall) in 2011. He has six assists, a plus-9 rating and 85 penalty minutes in 48 games with San Antonio (AHL) this season. He is not known for his offence, but is a big-physical and defensively sound D-man. He will slide in for Ed Jovanovski who takes a seat during the back-to-back.

Source:
Harvey Fialkov 2014-04-01T13:17:39.000Z
Jonathan Racine
R.J. Umberger(LW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Umberger out; Corey Tropp in.

Umberger has had a tough go of it recently. He was a healthy scratch for two games last week and then saw his minutes drop in each of the last three games, to the point where he is back to a healthy scratch.

Source:
Rob Mixer 2014-03-29T17:16:25.000Z
R.J. Umberger
Teemu Selanne(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Selanne (rest) will not play Saturday.

As he has done all season, Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau will scratch Selanne in tonight's second game of a back-to-back set. The Ducks have a quick turnaround and will play again on Monday, so three games in four days, definitely warrants some rest for the veteran winger.

Source:
Eric Stephens 2014-03-29T16:03:50.000Z
Teemu Selanne
Dany Heatley(LW)|
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Line Change
Heatley will be a healthy scratch on Saturday.

Heatley will serve as a healthy scratch tonight for what is believed to be the first time in his career. Heatley has not scored a goal in his last 14 games, he has just two assists and a minus-8 rating over that same span. Stephane Veilleux will slide into the lineup for Heater.

Source:
Michael Russo 2014-03-29T13:51:07.000Z
Dany Heatley
Matt Carey(LW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Carey will make his NHL debut Friday.

Carey who recently signed with the Blackhawks after played 38 games with St. Lawrence University of the ECAC. He had 18 goals and 19 assists (37 points) this season and will make his NHL debut on a line with Peter Regin and Brandon Saad.

Source:
Mark Lazerus 2014-03-28T19:14:35.000Z
Matt Carey
Teuvo Teravainen(C)|CHI
Line Change
Line Change
Teravainen will be a healthy scratch on Friday.

Teravainen will slide out of the lineup in the second game of a back-to-back which means Peter Regin will dress. #TeuvoMania has averaged 12:44 TOI with no shots, no penalty minutes and no points in his first two NHL games. He is not showing up on the stat sheet yet, but the Blackhawks are pleased with the young Finns playmaking ability and are simply giving him the night off.

Source:
Chris Kuc 2014-03-28T17:45:15.000Z
Teuvo Teravainen
Olli Maatta(D)|UTA
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Line Change
Maatta will be a healthy scratch Friday.

Maatta being scratched is likely not a performance based decision, but simply getting a young defenseman some rest. He has played in 78 games this season (including the Olympics) which is a ton for a first year D-man, especially one playing over 20 minutes on most nights.

Source:
Josh Yohe 2014-03-28T17:31:32.000Z
Olli Maatta
Anton Belov(D)|INA
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Line Change
Belov IN; Mark Fraser OUT.

Belov has not played since February 27th. He missed a few weeks with an oblique injury but was declared healthy for last Saturday, but served as a healthy scratch in the last two games. He has six points (1G / 5A) with a minus-14 rating and 32 penalty minutes in 48 games this season.

Source:
Jack Michaels 2018-07-18T17:53:11.957Z
Vincent Lecavalier(C)|FA
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Line Change
Lecavalier has been moved to the Flyers' fourth line ahead of Friday's game vs. Toronto.

Lecavalier has struggled in five-on-five situations at times this year. He has 15 goals and 15 assists (30 points), seven of those goals and 11 of the 30 points have come on the power-play. Lecavalier has one goal and three assists in his last 10 games, which looks like it is going to force head coach Craig Berube to drop him between Adam Hall and Zac Rinaldo.

Source:
Bill Meltzer 2014-03-28T10:58:21.000Z
Vincent Lecavalier
Mike Ribeiro(C)|
Line Change
Line Change
Ribeiro likely a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

Ribeiro was scratched on Tuesday and it looks like he will be scratched once again tonight in Jersey. This speaks volumes as to what the Coyotes think of Ribeiro's recent play. They are clinging to the final playoff spot in the West, yet are benching the veteran play-maker.

Source:
Dan Rosen 2014-03-27T12:54:42.000Z
Mike Ribeiro

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.