Two lines are status quo for tonight, and two are a little bit different. The line of Ivan Barbashev - Robert Thomas - Vladimir Tarasenko is staying together - it’s been one of the most consistently strong lines throughout the season. The fourth line of Klim Kostin - Dakota Joshua - James Neal looked good against the Nashville Predators and so, they remain together.
David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly, though, are suffering a temporary breakup. O’Reilly will be centering Jordan Kyrou and Pavel Buchnevich, while Tyler Bozak will be between Perron and Brandon Saad. Berube had this to say about his tweaks:
“I thought with O’Reilly and Saad coming off COVID (protocols), them together with Perron, the energy was low,” Berube said.