Tampa Bay's blueline has been decimated with injuries this season, but good news is on the horizon with McDonagh's return seemingly imminent. The 36-year-old McDonagh has not played in six weeks. He has six points (3G / 3A) in 15 games this season.
On Monday, Tampa Bay Head Coach Jon Cooper announced that Vasilevskiy is aiming to return before Christmas. However, with Vasilevskiy activated from Injured Reserve and Brandon Halverson reassigned to Syracuse (AHL), his return appears imminent. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy has not played since December 2nd, but his team has treaded water without him, going 2-4-1 in seven games. Before his injury, Vasilevskiy was having a season worthy of Vezina consideration, posting a 2.31 GAA and .916 SV% in 19 games (11-6-2).
Sabourin, a career journeyman, has draw into seven games for Tampa Bay this season as a result of team injuries. The 33-year-old forward is averaging 9:17 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) this season.
Halverson has been with the Tampa Bay the past two weeks, but his reassignment to Syracuse (AHL) is an indication that Andrei Vasilevskiy could be nearing a return from injury. The 29-year-old Halverson has only played two NHL games in his career. He has a 2.58 GAA and .901 SV% in 13 games (9-4-0) with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) this season.
Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will serve as healthy scratches on Monday against the Florida Panthers, allowing Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin to re-enter the lineup. The 33-year-old Sabourin is averaging 9:15 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in six games this season.
Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will serve as healthy scratches on Monday against the Florida Panthers, allowing Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin to re-enter the lineup. The 25-year-old Douglas, in his first NHL season, is averaging 5:53 time-on-ice and has two assists in 24 games.
Vaslievskiy was originally expected to return early this season, but his timeline has seemingly been pushed back slightly. The 31-year-old Vasilevskiy has not played since December 2nd, but his team has managed to tread water without him, going 2-3-1 in six games. Before his injury, Vasilevskiy was having a season worthy of Vezina consideration, posting a 2.31 GAA and .916 SV% in 19 games (11-6-2).
Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) was back at practice on Monday, seemingly nearing a return from injury, but Johansson will continue his reign of the Lightning crease during his absence. The 30-year-old Johansson has been reliable while starting six straight (2-3-1), posting a solid 2.25 GAA and .916 SV%. He has a 2.59 GAA and .904 SV% in 14 appearances (7-5-1) and is playing well above his career-average 3.30 GAA and .890 SV% from 80 games (32-26-12) heading into the season. Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as -132 home favorites against a Florida Panthers team coming off a dominant 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars.
With Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin drawing into the lineup on Monday against the Florida Panthers, Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will head to the sidelines as healthy scratches. The 23-year-old James, a first-year NHLer, is averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and has five points (2G / 3A) in 20 games this season.
With Curtis Douglas and Scott Sabourin drawing into the lineup on Monday against the Florida Panthers, Gage Goncalves and Dominic James will head to the sidelines as healthy scratches. The 24-year-old Goncalves is averaging 11:53 time-on-ice and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 29 games this season.
Lileberg was limited to 13:30 time-on-ice in Tampa Bay's 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday, and has been placed on Injured Reserve. The 24-year-old defenseman will be sidelined for, at minimum, one week before he is eligible to return. He has six points (2G / 4A) in 32 games this season.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (undisclosed) was back at practice on Monday, seemingly nearing a return from injury, but Johansson will continue his reign of the Lightning crease during his absence. The 30-year-old Johansson has been reliable while starting six straight (2-3-1), posting a solid 2.25 GAA and .916 SV%. He has a 2.59 GAA and .904 SV% in 14 appearances (7-5-1) and is playing well above his career-average 3.30 GAA and .890 SV% from 80 games (32-26-12) heading into the season. Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as -132 home favorites against a Florida Panthers team coming off a dominant 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars.
Tampa Bay has gone 2-3-0 in five games without Vasilevskiy and will be eager for the All Star netminder to return to the crease. Before his injury, the 31-year-old Vasilevskiy was putting together a season worth of Vezina Trophy consideration, posting a 2.31 GAA and .916 SV% in 19 games (11-6-2).
Finley did not play in Tampa Bay's most recent game and has been assigned to the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). The 23-year-old Finley has two points (1G / 1A) in 11 games this season.
Hedman has already missed 13 games due to injuries this season, and will be sidelined for the next several weeks. He recently returned from a one month absence and played three games before resurfacing on Injured Reserve. The 34-year-old Norris Trophy winner has clearly not been at his best this season, as evidenced by his low shot totals: averaging only 1.4 shots per game, a full shot less than the 2.4 he averaged over the previous decade. He has 12 points (0G / 12A) in 18 games this season.
