
Tampa Bay Lightning News

After 17 seasons and one Stanley Cup victory, John Carlson is no longer a member of the Washington Capitals after he was acquired by Anaheim for conditional 2026 or 2027 1st round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick late Thursday. The 36-year-old appeared in 1143 games with the Capitals, picking up 166 goals and 771 points while posting an impressive a +117 plus/minus. He should step right in to a top line and power play role with the Ducks and will make an excellent mentor of budding star Jackson LaCombe. He will not play on Friday and is hopeful to make his debut on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues.

After 17 seasons and one Stanley Cup victory, John Carlson is no longer a member of the Washington Capitals after he was acquired by Anaheim for conditional 2026 or 2027 1st round pick and a 2027 3rd round pick late Thursday. The 36-year-old appeared in 1143 games with the Capitals, picking up 166 goals and 771 points while posting an impressive a +117 plus/minus. He should step right in to a top line and power play role with the Ducks and will make an excellent mentor of budding star Jackson LaCombe.

The Lightning will hand Vasilevskiy his 41st start of the season when they travel to Winnipeg on Thursday. Vasilevskiy was on a nine-game winning streak before losing to the Sabres on Saturday, and somewhat shockingly followed that up with a second consecutive defeat in Minnesota on Tuesday. Luckily for the Lightning and for fantasy owners alike, the former Vezina Trophy winner is in a great spot to get back in the win column on Thursday, as Tampa Bay enters action at -190 on the money line.

Carlson suffered a lower-body injury in Washington's final game before the Olympic break on February 6th. He has missed four straight games, but returned to practice on Thursday and could be an option on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The 36-year-old Carlson has seen significantly less powerplay deployment this season, taking a backseat to Jakob Chychrun, but has remained productive, with an impressive 46 points (10G / 36A) through 55 games.

James exited Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres late due to a leg injury and has not played since. He underwent successful surgery to address his injury and will effectively be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season. The 23-year-old James is averaging 12:14 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games this season.

Goncalves was limited to 8:17 time-on-ice in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, exiting the game with an undisclosed injury and has not played since. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and has 20 points (7G / 13A) in 54 games this season.

Harkins will take a seat on Wednesday along with Drew Helleson as the Ducks opt to get some fresh legs into the lineup for the tail-end of their back-to-back. Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano will draw into the lineup in their place.

Lilleberg will slot in on Tuesday as the Lightning opt to dress an extra defenceman. Curtis Douglas will sit in his place.

Vasilevskiy has become one of the league's runaway favourites for the Vezina Trophy this season, but he is coming off a forgettable performance, allowing five goals on 14 shots (.643 SV%) in a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the talented 31-year-old goalie, where he posted an impeccable 1.63 GAA and .938 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Tuesday as a -135 road favourite against a Minnesota Wild team that has been outscored 8-3 in its last two games (0-2-0).

Vasilevskiy has become one of the league's runaway favourites for the Vezina Trophy this season, but he is coming off a forgettable performance, allowing five goals on 14 shots (.643 SV%) in a 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the talented 31-year-old goalie, where he posted an impeccable 1.63 GAA and .938 SV%. Tampa Bay enters the action on Tuesday as a -135 road favourite against a Minnesota Wild team that has been outscored 8-3 in its last two games (0-2-0).

Carlson suffered a lower-body injury in Washington's final game before the Olympic break on February 6th. He will miss a fourth straight game on Tuesday, but could be an option on Saturday against the Boston Bruins. The 36-year-old Carlson has seen significantly less powerplay deployment this season, taking a backseat to Jakob Chychrun, but has remained productive, with an impressive 46 points (10G / 36A) through 55 games.

James exited Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres late due to a leg injury, and will miss at least the next two games before he is eligible to be activated from Injured Reserve. The 23-year-old James is averaging 12:14 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games this season.

Geekie made his NHL debut with Tampa Bay last season and scored 14 points (8G / 6A) in 52 games. That said, the 21-year-old forward, the 11th-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, has spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he has excelled with 51 points (14G / 37A) in 47 games with the Syracuse Crunch.

Carlson suffered a lower-body injury in Washington's final game before the Olympic break on February 6th. He has missed three straight games, but could return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Utah Mammoth. The 36-year-old Carlson has seen significantly less powerplay deployment this season, taking a backseat to Jakob Chychrun, but has remained productive, with an impressive 46 points (10G / 36A) through 55 games.

James exited Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres late due to a leg injury, and is expected to miss Tampa's next two games. The 23-year-old James is averaging 12:14 time-on-ice and has 15 points (7G / 8A) in 43 games this season.

Goncalves was limited to 8:17 time-on-ice in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, exiting the game with an undisclosed injury and is now expected to miss at least the next two games and beyond. The 25-year-old forward is averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and has 20 points (7G / 13A) in 54 games this season.



