Lightning’s Pontus Holmberg expected to return vs. Flames
The Tampa Bay Lightning will get a bit of relief from their current slog of injuries, as head coach Jon Cooper announced that center Pontus Holmberg is expected to return to the lineup against the Calgary Flames.
#GoBolts coach Jon Cooper said he thinks Holmberg will play tonight against Calgary, would be the only lineup change.
On McDonagh: Hope is he skates this week, but “That one’s gone longer than we thought. It’s unfortunate, but hopefully he skates on the road.”
Holmberg had been out for the past two-and-a-half weeks due to an undisclosed injury. The cause of his injury remains unknown, as no incident in his previous game, a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals on November 8th, stood out as something that could have resulted in an injury. Holmberg missed seven games due to the injury, with the Lightning going 5-2-0 in his absence.
Holmberg is expected to slot on the third line alongside Yanni Gourde and Zemgus Girgensons in his return to the lineup, who have been Holmberg’s most common linemates this season. The trio has been outscored 3-2 and has a 57.1% expected goal share in 80:48 of ice time together.
Holmberg has put up solid production in his first season with the Lightning, as he has one goal and four assists for five points in 15 games so far this year. That has him on pace to set a career high of 25 points even when accounting for the missed time due to injury, and it would also be the first time he’s hit the 20-point mark in his career.
Cooper also provided an update on Ryan McDonagh, mentioning that the defenseman hasn’t recovered from his injury as they had expected.
McDonagh has also missed the last seven games, sustaining his injury in the same game against the Capitals that Holmberg did. However, his injury was less of a surprise, as the team announced his departure during the game. The Lightning also placed McDonagh on injured reserve two weeks ago, and while that was retroactive to the game he sustained the injury, he still hasn’t needed to be activated yet.
McDonagh has produced at his usual rate so far this season, with three goals and three assists for six points in 15 games.
Cooper did not provide any updates on the Lightning’s other key injured players in Erik Cernak, Victor Hedman and Brayden Point.
The Lightning will look to add to their four-game winning streak when they host the Flames on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST. Tampa Bay is currently in first in the Atlantic Division with a 13-7-2 record.