Lining Up

Lining Up: NHL Line Combinations and Deployment Analysis
Welcome to Lining Up, DobberHockey’s dedicated column for analyzing NHL line combinations and their fantasy impact. In fantasy hockey, talent is only half the battle—deployment is the other. This category provides expert analysis on shifting line chemistry, defensive pairings, and power-play units to help you identify which players are gaining the most valuable ice time.

Track the Chemistry That Wins Leagues
A promotion to the top line or the first power-play unit (PP1) can instantly transform a waiver-wire find into a seasonal centerpiece. Our “Lining Up” reports focus on:

Line Shuffles & Auditions: Analysis of mid-game changes and practice line rushes that signal upcoming breakout performances.

Power Play Stacks: Identifying the four-forward and five-man units that maximize scoring potential.

Even-Strength Correlation: Tracking which duos are most effective together to help you “stack” your fantasy roster.

Deployment Shifts: Monitoring offensive zone start percentages (oZS%) and ice time trends for rising stars.

Interactive Line Tools
While our columns provide the “Why,” our data tools provide the “What.” For real-time, interactive data, utilize our industry-leading Frozen Tools:

NHL Line Combination Tool: See seasonal and game-by-game line trends for every NHL team.

Last Game Lines: Get the exact lineup data from the most recent games to stay ahead of the daily news cycle.

Lucas Main pens this weekly article on the hottest, coldest and newest line combinations in the NHL over the past week. Check it out every Tuesday!

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Lining Up: Increased Production from Hall, Roslovic, and Rakell

By Peter Ryell|2022-12-13T10:45:53-05:00December 13th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. Coming up to the holidays, we will look at some players working with high or low shooting percentages and the line deployment that is driving them to hot streaks. The Player Usage Chart will also assist with dissecting some of the underlying analytics behind a line combination’s [...]

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Lining Up: Cozens Driving Buffalo’s Second Scoring Line; Konecny Scoring; Perfetti’s New Line

By Peter Ryell|2022-12-06T11:00:59-05:00December 6th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. This week we will examine a couple hot lines around the league as well as players in new and favourable situations. To help discuss the lines, we can use the Player Usage Chart found on each player’s Advanced Stats tab. This chart gives us an excellent look [...]

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Lining Up: Promising Deployment for Compher, Mercer, Steel, and More

By Peter Ryell|2022-11-29T14:15:26-05:00November 29th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome to another edition of Lining Up. This week will examine more promising deployment situations, whether it be lining up with top-tier stud at even strength or joining a lethal power-play unit. Don’t forget to check out the NHL Line Change Tracker over at Frozen Tools to see who is seeing the greatest change in [...]

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Lining Up: New Roles Using the Line Change Tracker, Including Schmaltz and Sandin

By Peter Ryell|2022-11-22T15:05:48-05:00November 22nd, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. This week will examine a few hot players in favourable situations as well as potential risers who are either returning from injury or replacing an injured player. Frozen Tools also has a new Line Change Tracker feature where you can quickly discern which players are receiving boosts [...]

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Lining Up: Prime Positioning for Tatar, Milano, Ruzicka, and Bean

By Peter Ryell|2022-11-15T12:02:29-05:00November 15th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. With injuries continuing to mount across the league and decimating particular teams, players who are widely available in most leagues now find themselves in prime positions to produce. Keep an eye on the line combinations here as they can change quickly from game to game. Let’s dive [...]

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Lining Up: Top Power-Play Roles for Dach, DeBrusk, and Caleb Jones

By Peter Ryell|2022-11-08T11:14:22-05:00November 8th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. This week will examine players who have recently been seeing increased roles on their team’s top power-play units which is an excellent opportunity for more production, particularly if your league counts power-play points. As always, be sure to keep an eye on recent line combinations for any [...]

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Lining Up: Prime Positioning for Pinto, Vilardi, Schwartz, and Mangiapane

By Peter Ryell|2022-11-01T15:24:26-04:00November 1st, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. This week will examine a couple of players who have been hot lately and as a result, have been rewarded with positions on their team’s respective top lines. As always, keep an eye on line combinations as best you can as they fluctuate frequently. Staying on top [...]

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Lining Up: New Opportunities for Kubalik, Montour, Robertson, and Others

By Peter Ryell|2022-10-25T14:13:17-04:00October 25th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. It’s early in the season but already there are controversies and injuries beginning to mount. This means plenty of players are receiving new opportunities to thrive and Lining Up will try to make some recommendations to help fantasy rosters in the week to come. Some are born [...]

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Lining Up: Waiver Options for Fantasy Rosters Including Hagel, Marchment, and Jost

By Peter Ryell|2022-10-25T14:14:17-04:00October 18th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another edition of Lining Up. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed their first full week of hockey! Although there have only been a few games played for teams, injuries and line adjustments are already making impacts that can help your fantasy roster. Keep a close eye on the line combinations as they change often. [...]

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Lining Up: Important Roles for Toffoli, Ehlers, Jarvis, and More

By Peter Ryell|2022-10-11T10:24:03-04:00October 11th, 2022|Lining Up|

Welcome back to another round of Lining Up. With the ‘soft’ season opener on Friday now passed, the ‘real’ season kicks off tonight. Since yesterday was the last day of preseason, this article will examine a few noteworthy lineups from that may be more indicative of how teams will roll out key players on opening [...]