Line Change
Petry is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 3 vs. Colorado.
Daily Faceoff is a news site with no direct affiliation to the NHL, or NHLPA
NHL Scratches & Line Changes
Line Change
Bogosian will draw back into Minnesota's lineup for Game 3 vs. Colorado.
Korczak is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 3 vs. Vegas.
Dylan Coghlan will suit up for Vegas in Game Three, resulting in Korczak being a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old Korczak is averaging 12:32 time-on-ice and has one assist through eight games this postseason.
Coghlan will draw back into Vegas' lineup for Game 3 vs. Anaheim.
Kaedan Korczak will be a healthy scratch for Vegas in Game Three, allowing Coghlan to re-enter the lineup. The 28-year-old Coghlan will be making his postseason debut after only played three games with Vegas during the regular season, averaging 15:03 time-on-ice.
Line Change
Reilly is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 3 vs. Philadelphia.
Alexander Nikishin (concussion) will return to Carolina's lineup for Game Three, sending Reilly to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. In two games this postseason, the 32-year-old Reilly is averaging 12:55 time-on-ice and has two assists.
Struble is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 1 vs. Buffalo.
Arber Xhekaj will draw into Montreal's lineup for Game One against the Buffalo Sabres, sending Struble to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 24-year-old Struble is averaging 10:46 time-on-ice, recording a +3 plus/minus and 21 hits through seven games this postseason.
Line Change
Xhekaj is expected to draw back into Montreal’s lineup for Game 1 vs. Buffalo.
Jayden Struble will be a healthy scratch in Game One against the Buffalo Sabres, allowing Xhekaj to re-enter the lineup. The 21-year-old Xhekaj was the odd man out of the lineup to accommodate the return of Noah Dobson (upper body) in Game Seven against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but had been serviceable prior in the series, recording one assist and 31 hits in six games.
Gallagher is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 1 vs. Buffalo.
Joe Veleno will draw into Montreal's lineup for Game One against the Buffalo Sabres, sending Gallagher to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 34-year-old Gallagher made his 2025-26 postseason debut in Game Four against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He is averaging 6:25 time-on-ice and has one goal through three games in the playoffs.
Line Change
Veleno is expected to make his playoff debut in Game 1 vs. Buffalo.
Brendan Gallagher will be a healthy scratch in Game One against the Buffalo Sabres, allowing Veleno to enter the lineup. The 26-year-old Veleno has not played in nearly three weeks. He had five points (2G / 3A) in 61 games this season.
Kesselring will be a healthy scratch for Game 1 vs. Montreal.
Logan Stanley (illness) will return to Buffalo's lineup for Game One against the Montreal Canadiens, sending Kesselring to the sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Kesselring played his postseason debut in Buffalo's previous game and was limited to 4:25 time-on-ice.
Hathaway is a healthy scratch for Game 2 in Carolina.
Hathaway will take a seat on Monday as the Flyers opt to shuffle their lineup after suffering a 3-0 defeat in Game 1. Carl Grundstrom will dress in his place.
Line Change
Andrae will draw into the Flyers lineup for Game 2 in Carolina.
Andrae will dress on Monday as the Flyers opt to shuffle their lineup after suffering a 3-0 defeat in Game 1. Noah Juulsen will sit in his place.
Juulsen is a healthy scratch for Game 2 in Carolina.
Juulsen will take a seat on Monday as the Flyers opt to shuffle their lineup after suffering a 3-0 defeat in Game 1. Emil Andrae will dress in his place.
Grundstrom will make his Flyers' playoff debut for Game 1 in Carolina.
After a one-sided 3-0 loss in their series-opening game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers will switch things up and insert Grundstrom into the lineup. The 28-year-old Swedish forward has yet to play this postseason. He averaged 11:51 time-on-ice and had 13 points (9G / 4A) in 47 games this season.
Smith is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 1 vs. Anaheim.
Smith was a recurring healthy scratch in the final weeks of the regular season, but ended up playing all six games in the first round against the Utah Mammoth, averaging 13:00 time-on-ice and tallying two assists. That said, the 34-year-old Smith will return to the sidelines as a healthy scratch in Game One against the Anaheim Ducks to accommodate the return of William Karlsson (lower body).
Line Change
Xhekaj is expected to be a healthy scratch in Game 7.
Line Change
Hunt is expected to make his postseason debut in Game 1.
Line Change
Yurov is expected to draw into the lineup for Game 1.
With Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body) expected to miss at least the first two games of Minnesota's second-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, Yurov will enter the lineup for Game One. Yurov, a 22-year-old rookie, battled some adversity during his postseason debut in round one against the Dallas Stars, recording zero points, four penalty minutes, and a -1 plus/minus through four games.
Line Change
Reilly will play in Game 1 vs. the Flyers.
With Alexander Nikishin sidelined with a concussion, Reilly will make his 2025-26 postseason debut. In 21 career playoff games with the Bruins and Islanders, Reilly has one goal and five assists.
Hathaway is expected to draw back into the Flyers lineup for Game 1 in Carolina.
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.