Line Change
Petrovic will be a healthy scratch for Friday's game against the Blues.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Sasson will be a healthy scratch vs. New Jersey on Friday.
Sasson has been a regular in the lineup this season, already playing a career-high 47 games, but he will be a healthy scratch on Friday against the New Jersey Devils. He has 12 points (10G / 2A) and is averaging 11:25 time-on-ice this season.
Line Change
Brodzinski is expected to be a healthy scratch in San Jose on Friday.
New York will switch things up on Friday as Anton Blidh takes Jonny Brodzinski's spot in the Rangers' lineup vs. San Jose. Brodzinski has appeared in 36 games this season and has four goals, nine points and 37 SOG despite only averaging 11:09 TOI in a bottom-six role this season.
Line Change
Blidh is expected to draw back into New York's lineup on Friday in San Jose.
Blidh has been a healthy scratch for New York's previous six games but will draw back into the lineup for Jonny Brodzinski on Friday in San Jose for his third appearance of the season. The 30-year-old Blidh has not picked up a point since his days with Boston in 2021-22, despite appearing in 16 games between Colorado and New York combined over the years.
Line Change
Walker will be a healthy scratch in Dallas on Friday.
Despite picking up 34 hits in his previous eight games played, Nathan Walker will be the odd man out of the lineup with Mathieu Joseph returning from an elbow injury on Friday. The 31-year-old will hope to return to the lineup soon as he continues to chase his career high in points from last season (16) with his 11 points in 32 games this year.
Line Change
Dach is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Tampa Bay on Friday.
With Frank Nazar returning from injury on Friday, Colton Dach finds himself the odd man out of Chicago's lineup vs. Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old has hit everything that moves this season, ranking seventh in the NHL with 172 hits and also has picked up career highs in goals (3), points (9) and PIMs (45) across 49 games played.
Brustewicz is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Washington on Friday.
For the first time in four games, Hunter Brzustewicz finds himself a healthy scratch vs. Washington as Brayden Pachal rejoins Calgary's lineup. Brzustewicz is in his rookie season and has only one assist, 16 SOG and a -2 plus/minus through 16 games played this season.
Line Change
Pachal will draw back into Calgary's lineup vs. Washington on Friday.
Pachal has been a healthy scratch for Calgary's last four games but will draw back into their lineup for Hunter Brzustewicz on Friday vs. Washington. Pachal is in his third season with the Flames and is unfortunately on pace to post his lowest point totals since joining the team with three assists and 35 PIMs in 24 games played.
Line Change
Melanson will draw back into Seattle's lineup vs. Anaheim on Friday.
Andersson (visa issues) is expected to make his Vegas debut on Friday vs. Toronto.
Hamonic will draw into the Red Wings lineup on Thursday.
Hamonic was a surprise addition on Thursday, slotting in for the injured Simon Edvinsson (lower-body). Hamonic will skate with Axel Sandin-Pellikka on Detroit's third pair.
Jiricek will draw into the Wild lineup on Thursday.
Jiricek will slot right back into the lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game in Montreal. David Spacek will sit in his place.
Line Change
Spacek is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against the Red Wings.
Spacek will be the odd-man out on the Wild blue-line when they host the Red Wings on Thursday. David Jiricek will play in his place.
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Regula is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game against the Penguins.
Regula will be the odd-man out on the Oilers' blue-line on Thursday. His absence makes room for the return of Leon Draisaitl (personal), as the Oilers opt to return to a more traditional lineup structure with 12 forwards and only six defencemen.
Line Change
Draisaitl (personal) will return to the Oilers lineup on Thursday.
Draisaitl is a welcomed but surprise addition to the Oilers lineup on Thursday. The Oilers originally stated that he was likely to rejoin the team later this week, though there was no specific mention of a return on Thursday prior to the start of warmups. The 30-year-old Draisaitl has been on a tear for the past few weeks, with 36 points (10G / 26A) in his last 21 games.
Line Change
Kunin will draw into the Panthers lineup on Thursday.
Kunin will slot right back into the lineup after sitting out Monday's game against the Sharks. Jesper Boqvist will sit in his place.
Line Change
Boqvist is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Winnipeg.
Boqvist will take a seat on Thursday as Luke Kunin draws into the lineup. Boqvist has three goals and four assists in 48 games this season.
Line Change
Halliday will draw back into Ottawa's lineup vs. Nashville on Thursday.
Halliday made his NHL debut earlier this season, recording six points (0G / 6A) in 18 games, but has split time with Belleville (AHL). The 23-year-old Halliday was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He will draw into the lineup for an injured David Perron (sports hernia).
Line Change
Metsa will be a healthy scratch in Montreal on Thursday.
Michael Kesselring (ankle) will return from a two-game absence, resulting in Metsa being a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. The 27-yeer-old Metsa has two points (1G / 1A) in 20 games this season.
Aston-Reese will be a healthy scratch vs. Dallas on Thursday.
After playing two consecutive games for the Blue Jackets, Aston-Reese will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Aston-Reese has five points (1G / 4A) in 26 games this season.
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.