Josh Anderson will make his NHL debut on Friday.
Anderson has recorded 11 points (4G / 7A) in 37 games in his first season with Springfield (AHL). This morning he skated on a line with Mark Letestu and Sean Collins.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Drew Shore will make his Flames debut on Thursday vs. Arizona.
Shore, 23, was the 44th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He was recently acquired from the Florida Panthers and will play his first game with the Flames tonight in Arizona. He has eight goals and 12 assists (20 points) in 67 career NHL games. He will centre the third line with Lance Bouma and Joe Colborne on his wings.
Line Change
Samuelsson will make his Coyotes debut on Thursday vs. Calgary.
Samuelsson, 23, was a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2009. He is a solid defensive defeseman with little to offer in terms of offence or fantasy value. He had one goal and six assists in 38 AHL game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Portland prior to being recalled. He will be paired with Zybnek Michalek.
Line Change
Beleskey is expected to be a healthy scratch tonight vs. Toronto.
This comes as a bit of a surprise considering Beleskey is leading the team in goals with 17, but his playing time has been diminishing as of late, so head coach Bruce Boudreau must want him to correct something. Tim Jackman will play with Beleskey out.
Line Change
Miller was promoted to the Rangers second line on Wednesday.
With Derek Stepan sidelined with an upper-body injury, Miller skated between Chris Kreider and Martin St. Louis in Wednesday’s practice. Miller played well while Derick Brassard was out, so the move back into the top-6 should spark Miller’s production. He has four assists in his last five games.
Line Change
Colaiacovo will return to the Flyers lineup on Wednesday.
Colaiacovo has not played since November 19th, but will be back in the lineup tomorrow because the Flyers will be without Braydon Coburn and Nicklas Grossmann. Colaiacovo will be paired with Luke Schenn.
Line Change
Carter will skate on the Kings’ top line on Monday.
Carter, who usually plays on ‘That 70’s line’ with Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson, moved to the top-line on Monday with both Toffoli (mono) and Person (broken leg) out indefinitely. Carter is skating with Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik, a line that should have no trouble generating offence.
Line Change
Vrbata back on the top-line with Daniel and Henrik.
Vrbata played on the second line last week, but was back with the Sedin twins at practice this morning. Vrbata’s first season with the Canucks has been going well; he has 29 points (16G / 13A) in 37 games so far.
Line Change
Galchenyuk was demoted to the Habs’ third line on Monday.
Galchenyuk spent the better part of the last month on the Canadiens top-line, but was on the third line with Brandon Prust and P.A Parenteau in practice on Monday morning. He has four goals and five assists (nine points) in his last 10 games.
Line Change
Plekanec promoted to the Canadiens’ top-line on Monday.
Plekanec replaced Alex Galchenyuk on the Canadiens’ top-line in Monday’s practice. Plekanec has two goals and two assists in his last eight games and 26 points (11G / 15A) in 41 games this season. He receives a nice boost in fantasy value while he is playing alongside Max Pacioretty.
Line Change
Bellemore in; Liles out.
Bellemore served as a healthy scratch on Thursday after J.M Liles return to the lineup, but Bellemore will get back in tonight vs. the Blues.
Line Change
Lazar will play on Saturday vs. Arizona.
Lazar will play in his first game since returning from the World Juniors. It will be his first NHL games since December 17th. He has one goal and six assists in 27 games this season.
Line Change
Kunitz was moved to the Penguins top-line on Saturday.
In advance of tonight’s game in Montreal, the Penguins moved Kunitz back onto the top-line with Sidney Crosby and David Perron. Kunitz has 12 goals and 13 assists (25 points) in 32 games this season.
MacDonald on the Flyers’ top-pair on Friday.
MacDonald served as a healthy scratch on Thursday, but with Nicklas Grossmann out with an upper-body injury, MacDonald was paired with Mark Streit in practice on Friday. Expect him to skate there tomorrow if Grossmann is out.
Line Change
Miikka Salomaki will make his NHL debut on Thursday.
Salomaki, 21, was a second round pick (52nd overall) of the Predators in 2011. The young forward had 50 points (20G / 30A) and 83 PIMS in 75 games in his first year in North America. In his second year with Milwaukee he has five goals and 11 assists (16 points) in 29 games. He will make his NHL debut on the Predators third line with fellow Finland native Olli Jokinen and Swede Calle Jarnkrok.
Line Change
Schenn in; MacDonald out.
Schenn has served as a healthy scratch in three of the last four games, but he will be back in tonight for Andrew MacDonald. He will be paired with Michael Del Zotto. Schenn has one goal, two assists and a minus-8 rating in 30 games.
Line Change
Smith-Pelly in; Jackman out.
Smith-Pelly served as a healthy scratch on Sunday, but will be back in the lineup tonight vs. the Rangers. Smith-Pelly has four goals and 11 assists (15 points) in 36 games this season.
Line Change
Pastrnak will not play on Wednesday; will play Thursday vs. New Jersey.
Pastrnak, who was recalled after the World Juniors on Tuesday, will not play tonight vs. Pittsburgh. He will however, be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Devils.
Line Change
Lazar will meet the Senators in Philadelphia, but is not expected to play tonight.
Lazar, who was on a loan with Team Canada, dominated the World Juniors, posting five goals and four assists (9 points) in seven games en route to a Gold Medal. He returns to the Sens where he has one goal and six assists in 27 games.
Line Change
Bennett moved to the Penguins second line on Tuesday.
Bennett, who has three assists in three games since returning to the Penguins lineup, was moved up to the second line on Tuesday. He skated with Evgeni Malkin and Nick Spaling today and should start the game there on Wednesday.
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.