NHL Hockey Player News

Michael Del Zotto(LD)|OTT
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Del Zotto in; Justin Falk out.

Del Zotto was a healthy scratch for the last three games but will rejoin the lineup tonight. The 23-year-old former 20th overall pick (2008) has had a disappointing start to the season after scoring 41 points in 2011-12 and was on pace for 36 over an 82 game season last year. He has been the talk of potential trades, but for now he is still a Ranger and will look to stay in the lineup with a strong game tonight.

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Andrew Gross 2013-11-21T12:53:13.000Z
Michael Del Zotto
Kevan Miller(RD)|FA
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Miller looks to be in line to make his NHL debut tonight vs. St. Louis.

With Dennis Seidenberg (lower-body) not skating this morning, it appears as if Miller will be in the lineup tonight after being an emergency call-up from Providence (AHL) on Wednesday. Miller is in his fourth season with the Providence Bruins, he has one goal and two assists in 12 games.

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@NHLBruins 2013-11-21T11:01:39.000Z
Kevan Miller
Jason Zucker(LW)|BUF
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Zucker will play with Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund.

Zucker was recalled this morning and will get in the lineup for his second game of the season. Zucker is a fan favorite in Minnesota, so Wild fans should be excited to see him skate on the second line. The move forces, Nino Niederreiter down to the third line and Justin Fontaine to the fourth. Torrey Mitchell who appeared to be injured last night will be scratched.

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Michael Russo 2013-11-20T17:39:20.000Z
Jason Zucker
Jack Skille(RW)|
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Skille, who was recalled from Springfield (AHL) on Sunday and will dress tonight.

Brandon Dubinsky (foot) is out tonight, so Skille will get the call. Skille has has appeared in one game for the Blue Jackets this season. In six games with Springfield he tallied two goals and a single assist. He is not fantasy relevant, having scored just 20 goals and 49 points in 179 career NHL games.

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Aaron Portzline 2013-11-20T13:56:39.000Z
Jack Skille
Pavel Datsyuk(C)|
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Mike Babcock indicated Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg likely will be split up tomorrow.

The Red Wings have lost seven straight games (five in OT or SO), in that span they have scored 16 goals. Datsyuk scored five of those goals and assisted on two. Datsyuk and Zetterberg have scored a large majority of the Wings goals this season. Datsyuk has 11 while Z has 10 which is 21 of Detroit's 54 goals (38.8%). Splitting them up is an attempt to spark their impotent offence.

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Ansar Khan 2013-11-20T13:47:32.000Z
Pavel Datsyuk
Patrick Wiercioch(D)|
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Patrick Wiercioch in; Eric Gryba out.

Wiercioch has been a healthy scratch in the last three games, but returns tonight against the Wild. He had his coming-out party in the shortened season, posting five goals and 19 points in 42 games. The 23-year-old is on a crowded blueline in Ottawa and has six assists in 14 games.

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Bruce Garrioch 2013-11-20T12:13:11.000Z
Patrick Wiercioch
Nazem Kadri(C)|CAL
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Set to return from his suspension tomorrow, Kadri is skating with Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk.

The Maple Leafs have had a patchwork roster with Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Dave Bolland out, but Kadri's return will stabilize their top-6. The Leafs went 2-1-0 without Kadri. He has five goals and 14 points in 18 games and a spot on the first line should only help him produce even more.

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David Alter 2013-11-20T11:20:53.000Z
Nazem Kadri
Dmitri Korobov()|
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Dmitry Korobov will make his NHL debut tonight and take the place Andrej Sustr.

Korobov, 24, spent last season in the AHL after playing three seasons in the KHL. He has three goals and 25 assists (28 points) in 78 games with Syracuse (AHL). He has six of those assists in 13 games this season.

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Erik Erlendsson 2013-11-19T16:07:02.000Z
Dmitri Korobov
David Booth(LW)|
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Booth will be a healthy scratch tonight.

Booth will sit while Dale Wiese reenters the lineup after missing the last 10 games with a leg injury. Booth failed to record a point in either of his first two games since returning from a lower-body injury.

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Jeff Paterson 2013-11-19T14:22:36.000Z
David Booth
Beau Bennett(RW)|FA
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Bennett has been moved to the top-line with Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz in Penguins practice.

Bennett has not registered a point in four games since returning from a lower-body injury. He has two assists in nine total games this season. Skating with Crosby and Kunitz should help Bennett get things going offensively.

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Josh Yohe 2013-11-18T11:54:54.000Z
Beau Bennett
Matt Dumba(D)|DAL
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Dumba in; Nate Prosser out.

Dumba was scratched in six of the past seven games. Prosser has played well, but the Wild needs to give a 19-year-old a chance to play or it’ll need to eventually make the decision if it needs to return him to Red Deer despite already hitting that 10-game mark to trigger the first of his three-year deal.

Source:
Michael Russo 2013-11-17T14:58:05.000Z
Matt Dumba
Alexandre Burrows(LW)|
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Burrows playing with the Sedin twins at Canucks' practice.

Head coach John Tortorella split up the twins and Ryan Kesler at practice this morning and moved Burrows up to the top line. This is likely an effort to get Burrows going offensively - he has three assists in nine games. Kesler was also a minus-4 in the last three games so Torts is shaking thing up. This should help Burrows going forward.

Source:
Jeff Paterson 2013-11-16T15:20:25.000Z
Alexandre Burrows

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.