Line Change
Stempniak appears to be a healthy scratch tonight.
Stempniak has failed to record a point and is a minus-5 in his last five games. Stempniak is an ugly minus-17 in 26 games and will likely sake a seat tonight against the Bruins.
NHL Hockey Player News
Line Change
Sheahan who was recently recalled from Grand Rapids will play tonight against the Ducks.
Sheahan has six goals and eight assists in 23 games with Grand Rapids this season. He will skate on a line with veterans Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson.
Line Change
Colton Sceviour, who was called up from the AHL earlier in the week and has been a healthy scratch the past two games, is expected to play Saturday against the Jets.
Sceviour is the top goal scorer in the AHL with 18 in 26 games and he is tied for fourth in the AHL with 6 power play goals. Sceviour practiced on one of the power play units Friday.
Line Change
Ryan Strome will make his NHL debut tonight.
Strome was recalled earlier in the week but has not got into the lineup. He was the fifth overall pick in 2011 and has tore up the AHL this season. Strome scored 174 points in 111 games in his final two seasons in the OHL and had nine goals and 33 points in 23 games with Bridgeport this season. The Islanders offence is in need of a jump-start, so they are hoping Strome can bring the spark that they need. It appears he will start tonight's game centring the third line with Brock Nelson and Cal Clutterbuck on his wings.
Line Change
Strome will not play tonight.
Strome who was officially recalled on Wednesday will not play tonight because the Islanders want him to practice with the team before he makes his NHL debut. Look for him to play on Saturday vs. the Canadiens.
Line Change
Regin will re-enter the lineup for Pierre-Marc Bouchard who was placed on waivers earlier on Monday.
Regin served as a healthy scratch in Saturday's loss to the Kings. The former Senator has averaged 12:11 TOI in 28 games this season while registering only one goal and three assists with a minus-4 rating. He is not fantasy relevant in any format. He will skate with Michael Grabner and Cal Clutterbuck to start tonight's game.
Line Change
Based on the morning skate, Conacher will return to the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Conacher was a healthy scratch after recording just one assist in his last 10 games. After being acquired from Tampa Bay for goaltender Ben Bishop, Conacher has just four goals and six assists (10 points) in 41 games with Ottawa. Before he was traded he had 24 points in 35 games with the Lightning. He was expected to compete for a top-6 job at the start of the season, but that has not developed. He will likely skate on the fourth line with Mika Zibanejad and Matt Kassian, while Mike Hoffman takes a seat.
Line Change
Petry in; Corey Potter out.
Petry will get back into the lineup tonight after being a healthy scratch for Thursday's game vs. the Avalanche. Head coach Dallas Eakins said he wanted to "reset" Petry who had struggled in recent games. Petry has two goals and four assists to go along with a minus-10 rating in 29 games this year. He will be paired with Martin Marincin.
Line Change
Wey will make his NHL debut tonight.
Wey was the 115th overall pick in 2009 and started the season in the ECHL. After moving to the AHL he posted a goal and two assists in seven games. The Capitals like that Wey is a right handed shot on a blueline filled with lefties. He will start with Dmitry Orlov as his D-partner tonight.
Line Change
Joensuu will be a healthy scratch tonight.
Luke Gazdic will enter the lineup for Joensuu who is a "banged up" according to head coach Dallas Eakins.
Line Change
Anton Belov will be a healthy scratch tonight.
"[The rookie] has been thrust into maybe a bigger role than he should be." head coach Dallas Eakins says. "Time to give him a rest for a game." Belov has not recorded a point in his last seven games. The rookie defenseman has averaged 19:32 TOI while recording four assists and a minus-6 rating in 27 games this season.
Line Change
Petry will be a healthy scratch tonight as coach Dallas Eakins wants to "reset" the player.
Petry has two goals, four assists and a minus-10 rating in 29 games this season. He was a minus-2 in 17:28 in Monday's loss to the Coyotes. The Oilers are making a lot of changes tonight, Corey Potter and Phillp Larsen will draw in on D.
Line Change
Jordie Benn is skating as an extra so he appears to be a healthy scratch tonight.
With Benn drawing out, Jaime Oleksiak would slide back in. Benn has one assist and is a minus-2 in his last eight games.
Line Change
Weiss moves to the Red Wings top-line.
With Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg both out, Weiss will shift from the 4th line centre to the 1st line RW. He will skate with Johan Franzen and Gustav Nyquist and start on the wing. The Red Wings offseason signing has be a huge disappointment so far posting just two goals and one assist with a minus-4 rating in 22 games. He gets a shot with two talented players tonight, so maybe this is the opportunity he needs to get his season turned around.
Line Change
Kulikov will be a healthy scratch tonight; Mike Mottau in.
The 2009 14th overall pick has struggled offensively this season posting one goal and two assists with a minus-9 rating in 27 games. Panthers head coach Peter Horachek says Kulikov "needs to be accountable". Kuli is disappointed does not think he was playing bad enough to be kicked out of lineup.
Line Change
Kadri will not play tonight because of personal issue.
Kadri is only expected to miss tonight's game but should be back in the lineup on Thursday.
Line Change
John Albert will make his NHL debut tonight for the Jets.
Not to be mistaken for the UFC fighter, Albert has spent the last two seasons and 23 games this season with the St. John's IceCaps. In 111 games he has recorded 15 goals and 25 assists (40 points). Albert describes himself as a two-way forward who works hard in the dirty areas of the ice. He is not a fantasy relevant player but the Ohio State product will provide some energy and forward depth in limited minutes with the Jets.
Line Change
Stars coach Lindy Ruff said he'll skate both Jamie Oleksiak and Kevin Connauton in warm-ups, and then decide who plays vs. Edmonton.
Oleksiak, 20, was the 14th overall pick in 2011 and appeared in 16 games with the Stars last season. He posted two assists and a minus-5 rating in his first NHL go-around. He is a monster at 6-foot-7, 241 lbs. but is a tremendous athlete and brings size and physicality to the Stars blueline.
Stars coach Lindy Ruff said he'll skate both Jamie Oleksiak and Kevin Connauton in warm-ups, and then decide who plays vs. Edmonton.
Connauton, 23, made his NHL debut with the Stars this season, he played 16:05 with a plus-2 rating. If he draws in tonight it would be just his second NHL game after playing 221 games in the AHL since 2010. In that span he had 33 goals and 55 assists (88 points).
Line Change
Kassian will be a healthy scratch today.
Kassian took a bad penalty that led to a Rangers power-play goal in yesterday's 5-2 loss. He has just one goal and a minus-5 rating in his last eight games, obviously coach Tortorella wants to see more discipline and production out of this edgy forward. Zac Dalpe will dress in his place.
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.