Zamula will be a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Zamula drew into the Blue Jackets' lineup in Buffalo on Thursday, but will come out for he lineup Saturday in Montreal. Jake Christiansen will draw back into the lineup to replace him.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Christiansen will be back in the Blue Jackets lineup on Saturday.
Christiansen was a healthy scratch in Buffalo on Thursday but will replace Egor Zamula in the lineup on Saturday. Christiansen, who has bounced in and out of the lineup all season, has just two assists in 38 games.
Line Change
Geekie will be back in the Lightning lineup on Saturday.
Geekie was scratched on Thursday as the Lighting went with 11 forwards and seven defensemen. But with Darren Raddysh injured on Saturday, Geekie will suit back up as the 12th forward. Geekie enters the game with two assists in 12 NHL games this season.
Line Change
Steeves will be a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Steeves played 10:13 TOI and was a minus-1 with one SOG on Tuesday, but will be replaced by Mikey Eyssimont in the lineup on Saturday. It will be the 12th time in 13 games that Steeves has been a healthy scratch.
Line Change
Eyssimont will draw back into the Bruins lineup on Saturday.
Eyssimont was a healthy scratch for the last two games but will replace Alex Steeves in the lineup on Saturday. Eyssimont has scored eight goals with 10 assists (18 points) in 52 games this season.
Myers is expected to be a healthy scratch on Saturday.
Myers has appeared in four straight games, but he's expected to come out of the lineup on Saturday to make room for William Villeneuve to make his NHL debut. Myers has no goals and just two assists in 39 games this season.
Villeneuve is expected to make his NHL debut on Saturday.
Villeneuve was a fourth-round pick in 2020 and is expected to make his NHL debut after 224 career games in the AHL. Villeneuve, who has 29 points (3G / 26A) in 59 AHL games this season, will replace Philippe Myers on the third pair.
Wiebe will make his NHL debut on Saturday vs. Seattle.
Wiebe signed his entry-level contract earlier Friday and was announced in the starting lineup vs. Seattle on Saturday by Head Coach Craig Conroy. The 22-year-old was key part of the North Dakota (NCAA) team that was eliminated from the Frozen Four on Thursday. He put up five goals and 29 points in 40 games with North Dakota this season.
Line Change
Vilen will make his NHL debut on Sunday vs. Ottawa.
Vilen was recalled from Utica (AHL) on Friday and will make his NHL debut on Sunday as the second half of New Jersey's back-to-back. The 23-year-old was the Devils 2025 5th round pick (129th overall) and he has spent the last three seasons in Utica, picking up four goals and 24 points in 59 games this season.
Line Change
Hagens will not make his NHL debut vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday.
Hagens has been practicing with Boston after signing his entry-level contract earlier in the week but will remain out on Saturday vs. Tampa Bay and will not make his NHL debut. The 19-year-old has had success at both the NCAA level (47 Pts in 34 GP) and AHL (4 Pts in 6 GP) this season.
Line Change
Dellandrea will draw into the Sharks lineup on Thursday.
Dellandrea will slot in alongside Pavol Regenda and Ty Dellandrea as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Adam Gaudette, Igor Chernyshov, and John Klingberg will all draw out of the lineup.
Line Change
Regenda will draw into the Sharks lineup on Thursday.
Regenda will slot in alongside Shakir Mukhamadullin and Ty Dellandrea as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Adam Gaudette, Igor Chernyshov, and John Klingberg will all draw out of the lineup.
Mukhamadullin will draw into the Sharks lineup on Thursday.
Mukhamadullin will slot in alongside Pavol Regenda and Ty Dellandrea as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Adam Gaudette, Igor Chernyshov, and John Klingberg will all draw out of the lineup.
Line Change
Klingberg is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Anaheim.
Klingberg will get the night off along with Igor Chernyshov and Adam Gaudette on Thursday as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Pavol Regenda, Ty Dellandrea, and Shakir Mukhamadullin will all draw into the lineup.
Line Change
Chernyshov is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Anaheim.
Chernyshov will get the night off along with John Klingberg and Adam Gaudette on Thursday as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Pavol Regenda, Ty Dellandrea, and Shakir Mukhamadullin will all draw into the lineup.
Line Change
Gaudette is a healthy scratch for Thursday's game in Anaheim.
Gaudette will get the night off along with Igor Chernyshov and John Klingberg on Thursday as the Sharks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Pavol Regenda, Ty Dellandrea, and Shakir Mukhamadullin will all draw into the lineup.
Line Change
Gross will draw into the Flames lineup on Thursday.
Gross will slot in for Ryan Strome, who was a surprise scratch on Thursday. Gross has appeared in two games since making his NHL debut in March and is yet to register a point.
Line Change
Strome will not play in Colorado on Thursday.
It's unclear whether Strome is dealing with an undisclosed injury or if he's simply a healthy scratch. Tyson Gross will draw into the lineup in his place.
Kotkaniemi will draw into the Hurricanes lineup on Thursday.
The Hurricanes are resting a handful of players on Thursday night, which will force Kotkaniemi back into the lineup. Kotkaniemi has two goals and seven assists in 38 games this season.
Slavin will make his Hurricanes debut on Thursday.
The Hurricanes are resting a handful of players on Thursday, giving Slavin the opportunity to make his Hurricanes debut. Slavin played 15 games in the NHL in the 2021-22 season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but has otherwise spent his entire career in the AHL. The seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has 25 points (6G / 19A) in 66 games this season with the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
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.