Head coach John Hynes changes the top two lines for Nashville ahead of tonight's game against the St. Louis Blues.
The Nashville Predators are desperate to end the five game losing streak, and head coach John Hynes has made a bold change when it comes to the top six forwards going into tonight's game against central division rival St. Louis Blues. Hynes will be moving Cody Glass into the Predators' top six.
In a frustrating early season, center Cody Glass has been a bright spot for the Nashville Predators. Although statistically he has only recorded one goal and one assist in six games, Glass is a player who has created on ice chances offensively while playing a defensively responsible game. Glass is averaging 11:35 minutes of ice time playing with the fourth line, but will spend considerably more time on ice tonight as he plays with Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter.
Granlund, who usually centers the top line between Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg, will slot in as a winger on the second line. Granlund and Niederreiter played five seasons together in Minnesota. Granlund spent much of that time playing a top six role with forwards Jason Pominville and Zach Parise while Niederreiter earned success on the third line for the Wild a majority of his time with the team. The residual familiarity between Granlund and Niederreiter makes this a new line combination with intriguing potential.
Ryan Johansen will play on the top line with Forsberg and Duchene tonight. This is a trio that saw success when they played together periodically last season, and Johansen and Forsberg have a long relationship playing together back when the two played with Viktor Arvidsson on Nashville's "JoFA" line before Arvidsson headed to the L.A. Kings.
Glass has worked hard to earn this opportunity for top six minutes in the offseason and preseason. The 23 year old center spent much of last season in Milwaukee playing AHL minutes and finished the season there with an impressive 62 points in 66 games. Tonight's decision by John Hynes gives Glass more ice time he has earned with his play and may be a kick start for the Predators offensively.
The Predators host the Blues tonight at Bridgestone Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm CST, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
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