NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Christian Thomas(RW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Thomas will make his Montreal Canadiens debut tonight vs. Tampa Bay.

Thomas' father, former NHL player Steve Thomas, is the player development coordinator for the Lightning, so it will be an interesting afternoon for Thomas who has collected five goals and nine assists (14 points) in 23 games in the AHL this season.

Source:
Cassie Campbell 2014-02-01T10:50:57.000Z
Christian Thomas
Jordan Schroeder(C)|
Line Change
Line Change
Schroeder is back with the Canucks after a conditioning stint with Utica and will play tonight vs. Edmonton.

Schroeder recorded one assist in two games with Utica this weekend. With the Canucks really thin up the middle right now, Schroeder could slot in on the top-6 tonight.

Source:
Jeff Paterson 2014-01-27T14:29:14.000Z
Jordan Schroeder
Daniel Sedin(LW)|
Line Change
Line Change
Daniel Sedin takes a demotion in linemates with Henrik out.

Sedin was bumped from the top-line in practice today. With his brother out of the lineup, Daniel found himself alongside Zac Dalpe and Zack Kassian on the second line. Henrik and Daniel should be reunited soon, but while Henrik is out, Daniel's fantasy stock takes a hit.

Source:
Elliott Pap 2014-01-25T14:30:39.000Z
Daniel Sedin
Jakob Silfverberg(LW)|ANA
Line Change
Line Change
It appears as if Silfverberg will be a healthy scratch tonight.

Head coach Bruce Boudreau continues to shuffle wingers in and out of his lineup as the Olympic break approaches. Silfverberg has produced recently, but lacks consistency. He has 15 points (6G / 9A) in 27 games this season and will likely slot back into the lineup on Saturday at Dodgers Stadium.

Source:
Curtis Zupke 2014-01-23T15:47:40.000Z
Jakob Silfverberg
Ryan Stanton(D)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
It looks like Stanton (ankle) will replace Yannick Weber in the Canucks lineup tonight.

Stanton rejoined the team at practice on Monday after being out since December 17 with an ankle injury. He was enjoying a lot of success in Vancouver after being claimed off waivers from Chicago earlier in the year. Entering play tonight he has 11 points (1G / 10A) in 36 games.

Source:
Elliott Pap 2014-01-23T14:11:45.000Z
Ryan Stanton
Kevin Klein(D)|
Line Change
Line Change
Klein will make his Rangers debut tonight alongside John Moore.

Klein was acquired by the Rangers when they traded Michael Del Zotto on Wednesday. Klein has just three points (1G / 2A) with a minus-11 rating in 47 games with the Predators. He has a career-high of 21 points in 2011-12 and is known more for his defence than his offence. Moving to New York will not improve or decrease his already very minimal fantasy value.

Source:
Steve Zipay 2014-01-23T12:33:49.000Z
Kevin Klein
Jakub Kindl(D)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Kindl appears to be healthy scratch tonight with Jonathan Ericsson returning.

Kindl has just one assist with a minus-1 rating in his last 10 games. With Kindl coming out that likely means Danny DeKeyser moves to the top power-play alongside Niklas Kronwall, while Brendan Smith slides onto the the second unit.

Source:
Ansar Khan 2014-01-22T11:14:30.000Z
Jakub Kindl
Valeri Nichushkin(RW)|COL
Line Change
Line Change
Nichushkin will be back in the Stars lineup tonight.

“Val is going back in,” Lindy Ruff said. “This was to recharge Val and get him going again. It’s hard, because we miss him when he’s out of the lineup, we miss the Val that had lots of energy and skated well. It’s hard to say an 18-year-old is a big part of our team, but he’s a big part of our team, and when he’s going well, we’re a better team.” Those are pretty complimentary words for Nichushkin, who has 22 points (9G / 13A) in 46 games. There is no word on how the Stars lines will shake out, but we guess that coach Ruff goes back to his old lines, which will see Nichushkin skating with Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn.

Source:
Mike Heika 2014-01-21T15:55:17.000Z
Valeri Nichushkin
Brandon Sutter(C)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Sutter is skate with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz.

With Brian Gibbons out for at least one week the Penguins had to move someone to Crosby's line, which we now know is Sutter. Sutter certainly gets a boost in fantasy value for the foreseeable future, he has 16 points (8G / 8A) in 47 games this season.

Source:
@penguins 2014-01-15T10:57:59.000Z
Brandon Sutter
Jordan Leopold(D)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Leopold will be a healthy scratch with Roman Polak returning to the lineup.

Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock said that Ian Cole has earned the right to stay in the lineup, so he has elected to scratch Leopold instead. Leopold has three assists and a plus-2 rating in four games since returning from a hand injury.

Source:
Lou Korac 2014-01-14T13:32:15.000Z
Jordan Leopold
Zac Dalpe(C)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Dalpe will skate on a line with Henrik and Daniel Sedin tonight.

Dalpe has averaged only 6:22 TOI in 29 games this year, but played a season-high 14:15 in Friday's game vs. St. Louis. He scored his second goal of the season in that game, he now has four points (2G / 2A) on the season. He could be an interesting, cheap option in one-day leagues, but likely doesn't have any legitimate value in standard leagues.

Source:
Dan Murphy 2014-01-13T16:15:43.000Z
Zac Dalpe
Steve Downie(RW)|FA
Line Change
Line Change
Downie out; Jay Rosehill in.

Downie will be a healthy scratch tonight vs. the Rangers, after head coach Craig Berube said that his effort level shift-to-shift needs to be higher. Downie has not recorded a point in his last 10 games and is a minus-4 over that span. Tye McGinn will move to the third line, like he did in the third period on Saturday and Rosehill will slot in on the fourth line.

Source:
Tim Panaccio 2014-01-12T12:10:21.000Z
Steve Downie
Jakob Silfverberg(LW)|ANA
Line Change
Line Change
Silfverberg in; Teemu Selanne out.

Silfverberg was a healthy scratch on Thursday, but will be in the lineup tonight vs. the Coyotes. Head coach Bruce Boudreau continues to shuffle players in and out of the lineup. Silfverberg has registered three assists and a plus-2 in his last four games and has totalled 11 points (5G / 6A) in 21 games.

Source:
Eric Stephens 2014-01-11T14:54:29.000Z
Jakob Silfverberg

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.