Cody Glass faces his former team for the first time since being traded to Nashville in 2021 as the Nashville Predators finish the year against the Vegas Golden Knights in an afternoon game.
After a 5-1 win over the lowest ranked team in the Pacific Division yesterday, the Nashville Predators head to Vegas to take on the top team in the Pacific, the Vegas Golden Knights. This game is ultimately about earning two points and climbing up in the Central Division standings, but Cody Glass's return to Vegas is a storyline that can't be ignored.
Glass was selected with the Golden Knights' first ever pick and the sixth overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft. After a promising start in Vegas flooded by difficult injuries, Glass was surprised to be a part of a 2021 three way trade that landed the young forward in Nashville. This will be Glass's first trip back to Vegas to face his former team. The 23 year old Glass has finally settled into the Predators lineup and is showing consistent glimpses of the brilliant playmaking ability that earned him a first round selection.
The Predators will need some of that playmaking from Glass and the offense as they face off against the sixth highest scoring team in the league right now. The Golden Knights have 123 goals on the season and average 3.24 goals per game. Reilly Smith and Mark Stone lead the team with 17 and 16 goals respectively, and Chandler Stephenson leads the team with 36 points.
Keys to the Game
Goaltending
Logan Thompson has come into his own this season for the Golden Knights after playing just 20 games before the 2022-2023 season began. The 25 year old Calgary native has earned a .916 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average. His first NHL game was against the Nashville Predators, but he is a more confident netminder after coming in to replace Robin Lehner at the end of last season.
The Predators have relied on a very hot Juuse Saros recently, and Saros has not disappointed. His play in net has kept Nashville competitive in games where Saros has faced a high volume of shots against some of the top goal scorers in the league.
Today is the second game in a back to back, so Head Coach John Hynes may decide to start back up Kevin Lankinen to give Saros a breather. Lankinen's 3-4 record belies his performance for the Predators. The 27 year old Finnish back up has earned himself a .925 save percentage, and few Preds fans would worry to see Lankinen standing in net today.
Special Teams
It should come as no surprise that the Vegas Golden Knights have the edge with regards to the power play. Nashville struggled on the man advantage this season while Vegas ranks in the top ten on the power play. Chandler Stephenson and Reilly Smith have been big contributors to the team's special teams success.
The Preds have started to generate scoring on the man advantage in their last two weeks, scoring power play goals in four of their five last games. If Vegas heads to the penalty box, Nashville could continue the special teams momentum against the Golden Knights' 18th ranked penalty kill.
Injuries
Vegas is dealing with more than their fair share of injuries as they meet the Predators this afternoon. Jonathan Marchessault is not likely to play today due to a lower body injury as is Alec Martinez (day-to-day). Zach Whitecloud, Pavel Dorofeyev, Paul Cotter, and Shea Theordore are unlikely to be in the lineup today as well. Earlier this month Jack Eichel sustained a lower body injury that has kept him off the ice in December, so Nashville will not be facing the full force of the Vegas roster.
Nashville is finally on the upswing after playing a stretch of hockey with an injury depleted defensive unit. With a mostly healthy Predators team and several big names out for Vegas, the Preds could have an advantage on the ice today.
The Predators and Golden Knights wrap up 2022 with an afternoon game today. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 pm CST on Bally Sports South. 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.
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