diff --git a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/GraphNG/__snapshots__/utils.test.ts.snap b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/GraphNG/__snapshots__/utils.test.ts.snap
index 776002afd64..d9798fac5a2 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/GraphNG/__snapshots__/utils.test.ts.snap
+++ b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/GraphNG/__snapshots__/utils.test.ts.snap
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Object {
         "width": 1,
       },
       "labelFont": "12px \\"Roboto\\", \\"Helvetica\\", \\"Arial\\", sans-serif",
-      "scale": "time",
+      "scale": "x",
       "show": true,
       "side": 2,
       "size": [Function],
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Object {
         [Function],
       ],
       "scales": Array [
-        "time",
+        "x",
         "__fixed",
       ],
     },
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ Object {
       "range": [Function],
       "time": undefined,
     },
-    "time": Object {
+    "x": Object {
       "auto": false,
       "dir": 1,
       "ori": 0,
diff --git a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/utils.ts b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/utils.ts
index 0a51d8f7675..f8d5ddcfbcb 100644
--- a/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/grafana-ui/src/components/TimeSeries/utils.ts
@@ -48,11 +48,12 @@ export const preparePlotConfigBuilder: PrepConfig = ({ frame, theme, timeZone, g
 
   let seriesIndex = 0;
 
-  let xScaleKey = '_x';
+  const xScaleKey = 'x';
+  let xScaleUnit = '_x';
   let yScaleKey = '';
 
   if (xField.type === FieldType.time) {
-    xScaleKey = 'time';
+    xScaleUnit = 'time';
     builder.addScale({
       scaleKey: xScaleKey,
       orientation: ScaleOrientation.Horizontal,
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ export const preparePlotConfigBuilder: PrepConfig = ({ frame, theme, timeZone, g
   } else {
     // Not time!
     if (xField.config.unit) {
-      xScaleKey = xField.config.unit;
+      xScaleUnit = xField.config.unit;
     }
 
     builder.addScale({
@@ -231,12 +232,12 @@ export const preparePlotConfigBuilder: PrepConfig = ({ frame, theme, timeZone, g
           pub: (type: string, src: uPlot, x: number, y: number, w: number, h: number, dataIdx: number) => {
             payload.columnIndex = dataIdx;
             if (x < 0 && y < 0) {
-              payload.point[xScaleKey] = null;
+              payload.point[xScaleUnit] = null;
               payload.point[yScaleKey] = null;
               eventBus.publish(new DataHoverClearEvent(payload));
             } else {
               // convert the points
-              payload.point[xScaleKey] = src.posToVal(x, xScaleKey);
+              payload.point[xScaleUnit] = src.posToVal(x, xScaleKey);
               payload.point[yScaleKey] = src.posToVal(y, yScaleKey);
               eventBus.publish(hoverEvent);
               hoverEvent.payload.down = undefined;