Grundstrom will draw out of the Flyers lineup on Tuesday.
Grundstrom will take a seat on Tuesday in favour of Garnet Hathaway. Grundstrom has appeared in 37 games for the Flyers this season, logging eight goals and four assists.
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NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Hathaway will draw into the Flyers lineup on Tuesday.
Hathaway will slot in for Tuesday's game in Anaheim, as Carl Grundstrom will draw out of the Flyers lineup. Hathaway has one goal and one assist in 54 games this season.
Robinson will draw back into Carolina's lineup vs. Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Nicolas Deslauriers will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Robinson to re-enter the lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 30-year-old Robinson has 16 points (11G / 5A) in 53 games this season.
Deslauriers will be a healthy scratch vs. Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Eric Robinson will draw back into Carolina's lineup on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, resulting in Deslauriers being a healthy scratch. The 35-year-old Deslauriers made his Hurricanes debut in yesterday's 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had zero points and a fight in 12:31 time-on-ice.
Line Change
Bastian will draw back into Dallas' linuep in Colorado on Wednesday.
Arttu Hyry will head to the press box as a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Bastian to re-enter the lineup against the Colorado Avalanche. The 28-year-old Bastian has been productive lately in a fourth-line role, scoring three goals in his last six games.
Line Change
Hyry will be a healthy scratch vs. Colorado on Wednesday.
Nathan Bastian will re-enter the Stars' lineup on Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche, sending Hyry back to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Hyry is averaging 11:33 time-on-ice and has one assist in eight games this season.
Line Change
Sundqvist will be a healthy scratch in Calgary on Wednesday.
Otto Stenberg will draw back into the Blues' lineup on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, sending Sundqvist to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Sundqvist is averaging 13:03 time-on-ice, recording 15 points (4G / 11A) in 49 games. He has a -17 plus/minus rating, worst amongst all active forwards on the Blues this season.
Berggren will be a healthy scratch in Calgary on Wednesday.
Jonathan Drouin will draw back into the Blues' lineup on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, sending Berggren to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Berggren continues to show glimpses of offensive talent but seemingly struggles to gain the trust of the coaching staff, regularly being a healthy scratch, whether currently under Blues' Head Coach Jim Montgomery, or under Detroit Red Wings' Head Coach Todd McLellan earlier this season. Berggren has seven points (2G / 5A) in his last eight games.
Line Change
Holl will be a healthy scratch in Calgary on Wednesday.
Tyler Tucker will re-enter the Blues' lineup on Wednesday against the Calgary Flames, returning Holl to the press box as a healthy scratch. The 34-year-old Holl had spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL until he was acquired by the Blues at the trade deadline. He has since played three games for St. Louis, averaging 14:53 time-on-ice and tallying one assist.
Line Change
Tucker will draw back into St. Louis' lineup in Calgary on Wednesday.
Justin Holl will be a healthy scratch on for St. Louis on Wednesday, allowing Tucker to re-enter the lineup. The 26-year-old Tucker is averaging 14:17 time-on-ice and has 13 points (3G / 10A) through 60 games this season.
Line Change
Drouin will draw back into St. Louis' lineup in Calgary on Wednesday.
Jonatan Berggren will be a healthy scratch on Wednesday, allowing Drouin to make his return against the Calgary Flames. The 30-year-old Drouin has only played two games with St. Louis thus far, scoring one goal, as he continues to get acclimated after being traded two weeks ago.
Line Change
Stenberg will draw back into St. Louis' lineup in Calgary on Wednesday.
Oskar Sundqvist will be a healthy scratch for the Blues on Wednesday, allowing Stenberg to re-enter the lineup against the Calgary Flames. The 20-year-old Stenberg is averaging 13:51 time-on-ice, scoring eight points (1G / 7A) through 21 games in his first NHL season.
Line Change
Hutson will make his NHL debut on Wednesday vs. Ottawa.
Hutson was a second-round pick of the Washington Capitals in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft and signed an entry-level, three-year contract with the team over the weekend after completing his collegiate career. The talented 19-year-old defenseman scored an impressive 80 points (24G / 56A) in 74 games combined over two seasons with Boston University. With the recent departure of long-time Capitals defenseman John Carlson, Hutson could find himself with immediate powerplay deployment upon his NHL debut on Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators.
Line Change
Melanson will draw into the Kraken lineup on Tuesday.
Melanson will draw in for Eeli Tolvanen, who is out with an undisclosed injury. Melanson has two goals and three assists in 29 games this season.
Line Change
Schenn is a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game in Vegas.
Schenn will take a seat on Tuesday as Mattias Samuelsson returns from an undisclosed injury. Schenn has appeared in two games for the Sabres since being acquired from the Jets, registering zero points, two blocked shots, and five hits.
Line Change
Kozak will draw into the Sabres lineup on Tuesday.
Kozak will slot in for Alex Tuch, who is out with an illness. Kozak has appeared in 39 games this season, tallying two goals and two assists.
Benoit is a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game against the Islanders.
Benoit will be the odd-man out on Toronto's blue-line as Oliver Ekman-Larsson returns after missing Sunday's game due to the birth of his child. Benoit has appeared in 50 games this season, logging zero goals and four assists.
Line Change
Peeke will draw into the Bruins lineup on Tuesday.
Peeke will slot back into Boston's lineup on Tuesday as the Bruins opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Henri Jokiharju will sit in his place.
Line Change
Eyssimont will draw into the Bruins lineup on Tuesday.
Eyssimont will slot back into Boston's lineup on Tuesday as the Bruins opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Alexander Steeves will sit in his place.
Line Change
Jokiharju is a healthy scratch for Tuesday's game in Montreal.
Jokiharju will take a seat on Tuesday as the Bruins opt to get some fresh legs into their lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Andrew Peeke will dress in his place.
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.