Santini, 21, made his NHL debut last season and will make his season debut tonight vs. the Bruins. The 2013 second round pick (42nd overall) has no points in 15 games with Albany this season. Expect him to skate on the right side of Jon Merrill.
Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Lightning’s win over Montreal last night. Because he wasn’t overly busy and Ben Bishop is out, Vasilevskiy will go again tonight vs. the Maple Leafs. The 22-year-old has gone 6-1-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .922 SV% at Amalie Arena this season, but the Maple Leafs come in on a three-game winning streak.
Point suffered an upper-body injury in Wednesday’s win over the Canadiens and will miss at least one month. This is a tough break for Point, who is having a strong rookie season. With Point out, Yanni Gourde was recalled from Syracuse (AHL) and is expected to draw into the lineup on Thursday.
Point was reportedly hurt in Wednesday’s game vs. the Canadiens and is questionable for tonight’s game. The Lightning recalled Yanni Gourde this morning, which suggest that Point will not play tonight.
Gourde, 25, appeared in two games with the Lightning last season, but this is his first call-up of 2016-17. Gourde has 10 goals and 16 assists (26 points) in 29 games with Syracuse. He could make his season debut tonight with Vladislav Namestnikov and Brayden Point both leaving last night’s game with injuries.
Kucherov has missed the last six games with a lower-body injury, but returned to practice on Tuesday, was on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate and is expected to play vs. the Canadiens. Kucherov is arguably the Lightning’s most important player, so his return is key. Kucherov returns with 30 points (13G / 17A) in 28 games this season.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 24 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Washington last Friday. Despite a tough outing, the Lightning will go back to Vasilevskiy tonight vs. the Canadiens. Overall he is 2-3-0 with a 3.62 GAA and .878 SV% in December, but has gone 5-1-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .928 SV% on home-ice this season.
Kucherov has missed the last five games with a lower-body injury, but he said he will return to the lineup vs. Montreal on Tuesday. Kucherov has 30 points (13G / 17A) in 28 games this season.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 23 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s win over the Red Wings on Tuesday. With Bishop out 3-4 weeks, Vasilevskiy will take over as their No.1, starting with tonight vs. the Blues. The 22-year-old has gone 4-1-1 with a 2.27 GAA and .929 SV% on home ice this season, but was pulled in his first start vs. the Blues.
Kucherov will miss his fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury. The Lightning are extremely banged up and with Kucherov out, Jonathan Drouin will play on the right side of Tyler Johnson.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 37 shots in the Lightning’s loss to the Penguins last Saturday. Ben Bishop got the win on Wednesday, but Vasilevskiy will get the Canucks tonight. Vasilevskiy has struggled as of late, but the matchup is a strong one—he is 3-2-0 with a 2.45 GAA and .924 SV% on the road this season.
McDonagh was a late scratch on Tuesday, but will return to the lineup tonight in Dallas. McDonagh has an assist in three straight games and 17 points (1G / 16A) in 30 games this season. Expect Adam Clendening to sit.
Kucherov has been dealing with an injury since Tuesday and it forced him to leave the morning skate early, but there's still a chance that Kucherov could play tonight. He is listed as a game-time decision, so monitor his status when the Lightning hit the ice for warmups.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 10 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Vasilevskiy hasn’t been great in his last two starts either, allowing a combined nine goals on 54 shots (.833 SV%). Tonight he’ll take on a Penguins team that is on an absolute tear—they’ve won four in a row and outscored their opponent 24-11.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 10 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Canucks on Thursday. Vasilevskiy hasn’t been great in his last two starts either, allowing a combined nine goals on 54 shots (.833 SV%). Tonight he’ll take on a Penguins team that is on an absolute tear—they’ve won four in a row and outscored their opponent 24-11.
