Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA

NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Darren Raddysh(D)|TBL
Line Change
Line Change
Raddysh is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Boston on Monday.

With J.J. Moser expect to draw into Tampa Bay's lineup for his season debut on Monday against the Boston Bruins, Raddysh will head to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 29-year-old Raddysh has had an impressive offensive start to the 2025-26 season, scoring three points (1G / 2A) in two games.

Source:
Gabby Shirley 2025-10-13T17:18:53.723Z
Darren Raddysh
Hunter Haight(C)|MIN
Line Change
Line Change
Haight will be a healthy scratch on Monday vs. Los Angeles.

Two games into his NHL career, Haight will have a seat in the press box as a healthy scratch. The 21-year-old Haight averaged 9:22 time-on-ice and has a -2 plus/minus through two games. Danila Yurov will make his NHL debut on Monday, drawing in as Haight's replacement.

Source:
Jessi Pierce 2025-10-13T16:20:27.101Z
Hunter Haight
Danila Yurov(RW)|MIN
Line Change
Line Change
Yurov will make his NHL debut on Monday vs. Los Angeles.

With Hunter Haight serving as a healthy scratch on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, Yurov will draw into the lineup for his NHL debut. The 21-year-old Yurov was Minnesota's 24th-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The talented young forward scored 25 points (13G / 12A) in the KHL last season, playing 46 games with Magnitogorsk Metallurg.

Source:
Jessi Pierce 2025-10-13T16:16:23.516Z
Danila Yurov
Kurtis MacDermid(LW)|OTT
Line Change
Line Change
MacDermid is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Nashville on Monday.

MacDermid appeared in Ottawa's first two games this season, averaging 4:30 time-on-ice and recording a five-minute major for fighting. The 31-year-old was limited to only 23 games last season, with the New Jersey Devils and returns to a familiar spot as a healthy scratch on Monday against the Nashville Predators, allowing Olle Lycksell to draw into the lineup.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2025-10-13T15:17:28.881Z
Kurtis MacDermid
Donovan Sebrango(D)|FLA
Line Change
Line Change
Sebrango is expected to be a healthy scratch vs. Nashville on Monday.

Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence will make the Senators' season debut on Monday against the Nashville Predators, resulting in Nikolas Matinpalo and Donovan Sebrango to be healthy scratches. The 23-year-old played two games in 2024-25 and has already matched that in the 2025-26 season, recording five penalty minutes and a -1 plus/minus through two games.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2025-10-13T15:43:58.775Z
Donovan Sebrango
Nikolas Matinpalo(D)|OTT
Line Change
Line Change
Matinpalo is expected to be a healthy scratch on Monday vs. Nashville.

Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence will make the Senators' season debut on Monday against the Nashville Predators, resulting in Nikolas Matinpalo and Donovan Sebrango to be healthy scratches. The 27-year-old Matinpalo has zero points and a -1 plus/minus rating through two games this season.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2025-10-13T15:43:11.599Z
Nikolas Matinpalo
Olle Lycksell(RW)|OTT
Line Change
Line Change
Lycksell will make his Ottawa debut on Monday vs. Nashville.

Kurtis MacDermid will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Nashville Predators, allowing Lycksell to suit up in a Senators sweater for the first time. The 26-year-old Lycksell played a career-high 19 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, averaging 11:53 time-on-ice and scoring five points (0G / 5A).

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2025-10-13T15:14:38.363Z
Olle Lycksell
Jordan Spence(D)|OTT
Line Change
Line Change
Spence will make his Ottawa debut on Monday vs. Nashville.

Donovan Sebrango and Nikolas Matinpalo will be healthy scratches on Ottawa's blueline on Monday against the Nashville Predators, allowing Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence to make their season debuts. The 24-year-old Spence played a career-high 79 games with the Los Angeles Kings last season, averaging 16:47 time-on-ice and scoring 28 points (4G / 24A), and will suit up in a Senators jersey on Monday for the first time.

Source:
Bruce Garrioch 2025-10-13T15:09:42.107Z
Jordan Spence
Jake Christiansen(D)|CBJ
Line Change
Line Change
Christiansen will make his season debut on Monday vs. New Jersey.

With Erik Gudbranson (upper body) sidelined indefinitely, Christiansen will draw into the Blue Jackets' lineup for his season debut on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The 26-year-old Christiansen benefited from a Gudbranson injury last season, playing a career-high 68 games and scoring eight points (1G / 7A).

Source:
Mark Scheig 2025-10-13T15:04:48.931Z
Jake Christiansen
Emil Andrae(D)|PHI
Line Change
Line Change
Andrae is expected to make his season debut vs. Florida on Monday.

Egor Zamula will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Florida Panthers, allowing Andrae to make his season debut. The 23-year-old Andrae is in his sophomore season after playing 42 games in 2024-25, scoring seven points (1G / 6A) in the process.

Source:
Jordan Hall 2025-10-13T14:59:18.620Z
Emil Andrae

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.