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NHL Scratches & Line Changes

Brayden Yager(C)|WPG
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Yager is expected to make his NHL debut on Monday.

One of Winnipeg's top prospects is expected to make his NHL debut in Vegas on Monday as Brayden Yager is expected to draw in Winnipeg's lineup for his first career appearance. The 21-year-old was Pittsburgh's 2023 1st round pick (14th overall) but was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh for Rutger McGroarty in August on 2024. Yager enjoyed a solid first season with Manitoba (AHL) in 2025-26, with 10 goals, and 30 points in 68 games played.

Source:
Ken Wiebe 2026-04-13T17:54:02.334Z
Brayden Yager
Matt Kiersted(D)|MIN
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Kiersted is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

Kiersted last appeared for the Wild on January 5th but will draw back into the lineup vs. St. Louis on Monday as majority of the regular roster rests. Kiersted is in his fifth NHL season but first with the Minnesota wild and has an assist, four SOG and a -1 plus/minus in four games played.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:42:14.696Z
Matt Kiersted
Jared Spurgeon(D)|MIN
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Spurgeon is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

Spurgeon missed Minnesota's previous game due to rest-related purposes but will draw back into the lineup vs. St. Louis on Monday. The 36-year-old shutdown defensemen reached the 70+ game plateau this year for the second time in his last seven seasons and has six goals, 22 points and a +4 plus/minus through 78 games played this season.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:36:32.471Z
Jared Spurgeon
Ben Jones(C)|MIN
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Jones is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

Jones was recalled from Iowa (AHL) on Saturday and will draw back into Minnesota's lineup on Monday vs. St. Louis as the Wild sit most of their regulars due to rest. Jones has struggled to produce this season, with just two points, 25 SOG and a -10 plus/minus in 26 games played.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:32:35.106Z
Ben Jones
Nicolas Aube-Kubel(RW)|MIN
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Aube-Kubel is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

Aube-Kubel last appeared in a Wild jersey on December 18th but will draw back into the lineup on Monday vs. St.Louis as a majority of the main roster sits due to rest. Aube-Kubel is with his seventh NHL organization in eight seasons and has an assist, six PIMs and four SOG through four games with the Wild this season.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:30:56.520Z
Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Hunter Haight(C)|MIN
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Haight is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

Haight was recalled from Iowa (AHL) over the weekend and will draw back into Minnesota's lineup with a plethora of players sitting due to rest vs. St. Louis on Monday. The 22-year-old made his NHL debut this season and has appeared in seven games, picking up an assist and eight SOG despite averaging just 9:59 TOI.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:29:22.547Z
Hunter Haight
Robby Fabbri(C)|MIN
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Fabbri is expected to draw into the Wild lineup on Monday.

With Minnesota locked into their playoff position and an influx of players resting on Monday in St. Louis, Robby Fabbri will draw back into the Wild lineup. The 30-year-old forward is onto his second organization this season after being acquired off waivers from St. Louis earlier this year but has yet to pick up a point in his four appearances with Minnesota.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:27:42.814Z
Robby Fabbri
Isaac Howard(LW)|EDM
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Howard will draw into the Oilers lineup on Monday.

Howard earned another call up to the Oilers over the weekend after he put up 22-goals and 47 points in 45 games played with Bakersfield (AHL) and will return to the lineup vs. Colorado on Monday. The 22-year-old forward is expected to play in Edmonton's top-six with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jack Roslovic and will hope to add to his five points in 28 games played this season.

Source:
Tony Brar 2026-04-13T17:25:27.523Z
Isaac Howard
Jonatan Berggren(RW)|STL
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Berggren will be a healthy scratch on Monday.

With Jonathan Drouin drawing back into St. Louis' lineup after a two-game absence, Jonatan Berggren will be the odd-man out and a healthy scratch vs. Minnesota on Monday. Berggren was acquired off waivers from Detroit earlier in the season, picking up six goals and 16 points in 35 games played with St. Louis.

Source:
Jeremy Rutherford 2026-04-13T17:19:01.171Z
Jonatan Berggren
Jonathan Drouin(LW)|STL
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Drouin will draw into the Blues' lineup on Monday.

Drouin has been a healthy scratch for St. Louis' last two games but will draw back in Monday vs. Minnesota as he takes the spot of Jonatan Berggren. The 31-year-old veteran has struggled during his brief time in St. Louis after being acquired at the Trade Deadline, with just one goal, eight SOG and a -2 plus/minus in seven games played.

Source:
Jeremy Rutherford 2026-04-13T17:15:36.981Z
Jonathan Drouin
Jack Finley(C)|STL
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Finley will draw into the Blues' lineup on Monday.

Finley had been a healthy scratch for St. Louis' previous game but will draw back into the lineup on Monday vs. Minnesota. The 23-year-old forward was claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay earlier in the season but has gone 12 games without a point during his recent scoreless streak. He has two goals, five points and 23 SOG in 42 games with both St. Louis and Tampa Bay this season.

Source:
Jeremy Rutherford 2026-04-13T17:10:27.520Z
Jack Finley
Urho Vaakanainen(D)|NYR
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Vaakanainen will be a healthy scratch on Monday.

With Drew Fortescue drawing back into New York's lineup on Monday in Florida, Urho Vaakanainen will be the odd-man out and a healthy scratch. The 27-year-old stay-at-home defensemen has appeared in 80 games with the Rangers in the last two seasons, but has only managed two goals and 21 points.

Source:
Mollie Walker 2026-04-13T17:47:45.660Z
Urho Vaakanainen
Drew Fortescue(LD)|NYR
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Fortescue will draw back into the Rangers lineup on Monday.

Fortescue was a healthy scratch for New York's previous game but will draw back into the lineup for Urho Vaakanainen vs. Florida on Monday. Fortescue made his NHL debut on March 27th and has adapted well to the highest level of hockey, with two assists, four PIMs and a +5 plus/minus in seven games played.

Source:
Mollie Walker 2026-04-13T17:49:59.762Z
Drew Fortescue
Mats Zuccarello(RW)|MIN
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Zuccarello (rest) will remain out on Monday.

Zuccarello missed Minnesota's previous contest due to rest and will remain out on Monday in St. Louis. The 38-year-old has dipped into the Fountain of Youth yet again this season, with an impressive 15-goals, 54 points and 122 SOG in 59 games played while occupying Minnesota's top-six. He sits just 37 games shy of the 1000 game mark.

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:04:16.245Z
Mats Zuccarello
Brock Faber(D)|MIN
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Faber (rest) will not play on Monday.

Despite appearing in every game this season for Minnesota and reaching the 80 game mark for the 2nd time in his career, Brock Faber will be a healthy scratch vs. St. Louis on Monday. The 23-year-old Olympian has posted career highs in nearly all statistical categories this season, including goals (15), points (51), plus/minus (+18), and SOG (173).

Source:
Michael Russo 2026-04-13T17:06:45.774Z
Brock Faber

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.