Line Change
Schultz slated to make his Blue Jackets debut on Thursday.
Schultz was acquired for a fifth-round pick on Wednesday and will make his debut tonight alongside Dalton Prout on Columbus' third-pair.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Vanek will make his Habs debut on Thursday vs. Phoenix.
There is no word on the Canadiens' line combinations, but it is believed that Vanek will skate on a line with Tomas Plekanec and Alex Galchenyuk. Reportedly, Montreal is the only team to have put in an offer for Vanek on Wednesday. The price in which they acquired him was substantially lower than expected, but a weak market for Vanek would explain that.
Line Change
Larsen will return to the Oilers blueline Thursday.
Tonight will be just Larsen's second game with the Oilers since December 19. The Oilers traded Nick Schultz to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, the deal freed up a spot on the back-end for Larsen to be recalled. He has averaged 20:37 TOI with a goal and five assists in 17 games. He will likely find himself in on the top-pair with Justin Schultz.
Line Change
Richardson out; Shawn Matthias in.
The Canucks traded Roberto Luongo and acquired Matthias, a big, strong third line centre which will diminish Richardson's role going forward.
Line Change
Matthias in; Brad Richardson out.
Matthias was acquired in the Roberto Luongo trade but at this time appears to be no better than a third-line centre. Matthias has a history of being great in the month of March. In March, 2013 he had 11 goals and two assists (13 points) in 16 games, and already has three goals and two assists (five points) in two games in March. He is expected to centre the third line with David Booth and Tom Sestito likely on his wings.
Line Change
Meszaros will not play on Thursday.
Meszaros was acquired from the Flyers for a third-round pick on Wednesday, but his Bruins' debut will have to wait. The Bruins will stick with the six defensemen that they used on Tuesday.
Line Change
Gaborik is skating on the top-line with Anze Kopitar and Justin WIlliams.
Gaborik was acquired on Wednesday in the hope that he will spark the Kings offensively. Putting him on a line with Kopitar certainly increases his fantasy value, but hopefully for his fantasy owners, he can be defensively responsible enough to stay in coach Sutter's good graces.
Line Change
Callahan will start his Lightning career on a line with Filippula and Kucherov.
Callahan was traded to the Lightning on Wednesday in a captain for captain trade that saw Martin St. Louis go the other way. There was speculation that Callahan could play on Steven Stamkos' wing, but as of right now that is not the case. He will make his Lightning debut tonight vs. the Sabres.
Line Change
Gaborik is expected to make his Kings debut on Thursday in Winnipeg.
Following being traded by the Blue Jackets to the Kings, Gaborik jumped on a play to meet his new teammates in Winnipeg. Gaborik is a speedy winger who has battled injuries throughout the season, but is an elite NHL goal-scorer when healthy. He has just 18 goals and 23 assists (41 points) in 69 games dating back to last season, but in 2011-12 he had 41 goals (76 points) in 82 games with the Rangers. He will step into the Kings' top-6 and help their 27th ranked offence. The Kings have no problem playing defence, but Gabo should see time on Anze Kopitar's line, a duo that should be pretty dynamic.
Line Change
St. Louis has arrived in New York and will play tonight vs. the Maple Leafs.
St. Louis was dealt this morning for Ryan Callahan and a pair of draft picks. He will step into the lineup tonight and is expected to skate on a line with his former teammate Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. St. Louis led the NHL in points with 60 last season and walks into the Rangers dressing room with 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points, which is tied for eighth in the league.
Line Change
Penner will make his Capitals debut Wednesday.
Penner skated on a line with Marcus Johansson and Troy Brouwer in his first practice Penner had 13 goals and 19 assists with a plus-22 in Anaheim. If he is not playing with Alex Ovechkin, he takes a fantasy value hit by leaving the LW alongside Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry.
Line Change
Hemsky will be in the lineup tonight in Calgary.
After being acquired from the Oilers this morning, Hemsky will hurry to Calgary and play tonight after playing against his new team last night. Hemsky is expected to skate on the Senators top-line with Jason Spezza and fellow Czech native Milan Michalek.
MacDonald will make his Flyers debut on Wednesday.
MacDonald who was acquired from the Islanders on Tuesday, will start his Flyers career with Luke Schenn as his D-partner. MacDonald will also play on the Flyers second power-play unit on the point with former Isles teammate Mark Streit. MacDonald had four goals and 20 assists in 63 games on Long Island.
Line Change
Vanek will not dress tonight in Winnipeg.
Vanek is almost a guarantee to be traded before the deadline, so being scratched suggests there is a deal in place or at least close. It could also be the Islanders playing it safe and protecting an asset. Regardless, get him out of your lineup.
Saad will play in Hossa's spot on the Blackhawks top-line.
With Hossa out 2-3 weeks, the Hawks will start by giving Saad the chance to play with Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews. Saad has 18 goals and 23 assists (41 points) and a plus-27 rating already, but a spot on the top-line could help inflate those numbers even further.
Line Change
Pirri could make his Panthers debut on Tuesday.
The Panthers, who acquired Pirri on Sunday, are expected to move some veterans out of town by Wednesday's trade deadline, so Pirri will likely become a permanent fixture in their top-6/9 for the remainder of the season.
Line Change
Benoit will serve as a healthy scratch Sunday.
With Erik Johnson returning from a two-game suspension, someone has to take a seat on the Avalanche blueline. Benoit has one goal and two assists with a plus-3 rating in his last 10 games.
Line Change
Halak will not play on Monday.
We may never get the chance to see Halak in a Sabres uniform. There are talks that Halak will be traded again after just being acquired in the Ryan Miller trade on Friday. If Halak is not playing, look for Jhonas Enroth to get the start in goal.
Line Change
Ott will make his Blues debut on Sunday.
Ott will start his career with the St. Louis Blues on the second line with Derek Roy and T.J Oshie. Ott has nine goals, 11 assists (20 points) and a minus-26 rating that is sure to go up on a much better squad.
Line Change
Kostka will make his Lightning debut Saturday.
Kostka was claimed off of waivers from Chicago last Sunday, but was a scratch on Thursday. He has two goals and one assist in nine games with the Blackhawks this season. He will dress as the Lightning's seventh defenseman today.
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.