Tampa Bay Lightning News

Vasilevskiy returned to practice on Monday after missing the start of the season with a blood clot near his collar bone. He reportedly looked exceptional in practice which is why he has already been sent on a conditioning stint after just two days of practice. Vasilevskiy is expected to make his season debut with Syracuse tonight and should play another game on the stint, before returning to Tampa Bay next week.

Elliott missed Monday’s practice with an illness, but he was back at the morning skate today. Elliott was never expected to start tonight, but he will be available to backup Jake Allen.

Vasilevskiy has missed the first nine games of the season with a blood clot, but returned to practice on Monday. Vasilevskiy will take over as the Lightning’s backup goalie as soon as he is ready to go, but he will likely head to the AHL for conditioning before he fully takes over. Kristen Gudlevskis will serve as Ben Bishop’s backup until Vasilevskiy is 100 percent.

Elliott did not take part in practice on Monday because he wasn’t feeling well. The Blues have already announced that Jake Allen will start on Tuesday, so now it is a matter of if Elliott feels well enough to back Allen up tomorrow.

Elliott gave up two goals on 29 shots in the Blues win in Winnipeg last Sunday. He was given Tuesday night off, but will be back in goal tonight vs. the Islanders. Elliott has won all four of his starts this season while limiting the opposition to just two goals per game and posting a .918 SV%.

Vasilevskiy had been skating but he will start practicing next week, which is a huge step in his return from a blood clot. He was originally expected to miss 2-3 months. If he returns at the front-end of that timetable, he would be back in the second week of November.

Hedman practiced on Monday and was on the ice for today’s gameday skate, so it is not surprising that he will suit up tonight vs. Nashville. Hedman missed Saturday’s game vs. Buffalo but has four assists in five games this year.

Hedman missed Saturday’s game after suffering an apparent head injury in Thursday’s loss to Dallas. However, his availability for the morning skate and recent practices suggests he will play tonight.

Hedman missed Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury, believed to be a head injury. However, Hedman was back at practice this morning in a regular jersey and skated in his normal spot on the top-pair. It appears as if Hedman will be back in the lineup on Tuesday vs. Nashville.

Elliott allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Blues win over the Oilers on Thursday. Elliott has won all three of his starts this season while posting a 2.00 GAA and .912 SV% this season. This afternoon he will face a Jets team that has averaged 3.60 goals per game in five games this season.

Hedman suffered an injury on Friday and it will keep him out of the Lightning lineup tonight vs. Buffalo. He went through concussion protocol following the hit that injured him, so he could be dealing with concussion symptoms, but he is not expected to miss an extended period of time. With Hedman out, Slater Koekkek has been recalled and will make his season debut.

Hedman missed this afternoon’s practice after leaving Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. Hedman is not expected to be in the lineup on Saturday, but is day-to-day, so he isn’t expected to be out long.

Hedman left last night’s game with an upper-body injury. He was hit hard and underwent concussion protocol, but he isn’t expected to miss an extended period of time. Monitor his status leading up to Saturday’s contest.

Elliott made 15 saves on 18 shots in the Blues win over the Flames on Tuesday. It wasn’t a great start for Elliott, but it still resulted in the road win. Elliott will break the Blues’ goalie rotation and start two in a row, after winning his first two starts with a 2.00 GAA and .905 SV%

Elliott stopped 23 of 24 shots in the Blues season opening win against the Oilers. He was given Saturday night off, but he will be back in goal tonight in Calgary. Elliott won his only start against the Flames last season and went 13-6-2 with a 2.22 GAA and .923 SV% on the road.

Elliott will get the first start of the year for the Blues, but this should be an even split throughout the year. Elliott was sensational in the preseason, going 2-0-0 with a 0.86 GAA and .965 SV% in three games. In four years with the Blues he has never had a GAA above 2.28 while posting a strong .923 SV%. His splits are always great, but he never starts enough game to be elite.

Seabrook, 30, was drafted 14th overall in 2003 and is now signed through the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-3, 218 lbs. defensemen is on of the steadiest blueliners in the NHL. He has only missed 10 games over the last nine seasons and has averaged eight goals and 27 assists (35 points) per 82 games throughout his career.

Vasilevskiy underwent vascular surgery to remove a blood clot near his collarbone on September 3rd, but returned to the ice this afternoon. Vasilevskiy is expected to miss 2-3 months from the date of his surgery, which would put him on target to return in early-November at the earliest. Ray Emery was brought in on a professional tryout to potentially serve as Ben Bishop’s backup while Vasilevskiy is on the shelf.

Vasilevskiy appeared poised to push Ben Bishop for starts right out of the gate, but he will now miss at least the first month of the season. For fantasy owners drafting Bishop, it would be wise to invest in the 21-year-old Vasilevskiy--especially now considering his draft-day value will be much lower.