McDonagh missed the last six games with an upper-body injury but will play Thursday in Minnesota. McDonagh will be back on the second-pair next to Erik Cernak and comes in with one goal and 10 assists (11 points) in 40 games.
Sabourin has sat out of the last five games but will replace Rudolfs Balcers in the lineup on Thursday. Sabourin has one goal, two assists and 17 PIMS in 14 games this season.
Paul suffered a high ankle sprain last week and there isn't an exact timeline on his return, but head coach DJ Smith expects him to miss at least four weeks. Paul had just started to heat up, scoring three goals with one assist in his five games before getting hurt.
Vasilevskiy stopped all 23 shots that he faced in the Lightning’s shutout win in Philadelphia on Saturday. Curtis McElhinney started and lot in New Jersey on Sunday, so they’ll obviously come back to the red-hot Vasilevskiy tonight vs. the Kings. He has posted back-to-back shutouts and has won eight in a row while posting a 1.63 GAA and .946 SV%.
McDonagh has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury and will miss the Lightning's back-to-back on Saturday/Sunday. Brayden Coburn will remain in the Lightning lineup while McDonagh is out.
Paul was hurt midway through Tuesday's game in Washington and did not accompany the team to Detroit. With Paul out, Connor Brown is back in the Senators top-6 and Rudlofs Balcers will see some power-play time.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 23 shots in the Lightning's win over the Canucks on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy extended his winning streak to six games, posting a 2.17 GAA and .932 SV% in the process. Tonight he takes on a Coyotes team with their third-string netminder but also riding a four-game winning streak.
McDonagh will miss both games on the Lightning's short home-stand and is listed as "out indefinitely." Brayden Coburn is expected to remain in the lineup while McDonagh is sidelined.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 29 shots in the Lightning's 3-1 win in Carolina on Sunday. Vasilevskiy has won five consecutive games while posting a 2.20 GAA and .935 SV%. The entire team is playing great hockey right now, making Vasilevskiy a great option vs. the Canucks. They've won seven in a row but have lost seven of their last 11 road games.
McDonagh was hurt last night in Ottawa and will not be available for tonight's game in Carolina. With McDonagh out, Brayden Coburn will draw back into the Lightning lineup.
Vasilevskiy struggled in his last outing, allowing four goals on 28 shots but still left Buffalo with his 17th win of the season. It's the second time in a row he's won while along four goals and the fifth time in his last six starts that he's allowed at least three goals. He has played well against the Canadiens this year though, going 2-0-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .935 SV% and tonight they'll be without Brendan Gallagher.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 43 shots in the Lightning's win over the Canadiens on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has won six of his last eight starts while posting a 2.48 GAA and .920 SV%. The 25-year-old is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .923 SV% in his first two starts against the Sabres this season.
Guentzel injured his shoulder while falling awkwardly into the boards after scoring his 20th goal of the season and will miss at least four months. The Penguins have battled injuries all season-long and have managed to go 24-11-4 (2nd in the Metro) but this is a huge blow to their top-6.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 30 shots in the Lightning's 6-1 win over the Panthers on Monday. Vasilevskiy has won five of his last seven starts (5-1-1) while posting a 2.26 GAA and .922 SV% and gets set to face the Canadiens for the second time this season. He stopped 33 of 34 shots in a 3-1 win in Montreal in the first meeting back in mid-October.
Bjorkstrand took a cross-check against the Devils on Saturday and will miss at least one month with a mid-body injury. Bjorkstrand was red-hot before getting hurt, scoring five goals with two assists in his previous four games. Nathan Gerbe was called up from Cleveland (AHL) to replace Bjorkstrand.
Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Lightning's overtime win over the Senators on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has won four of his last five starts while posting a 2.18 GAA and .929 SV%. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning are turning things around and tonight they face a Stars team that has lost three of their last four road games while scoring just seven goals (1.75 GF/gm).
