Perry skated for the second straight morning skate on Tuesday and will be checked by doctors on Thursday. If he is cleared, Perry could make his Stars debut vs. the Flames on Thursday or vs. the Capitals on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Lightning’s 5-2 win over the Panthers on Thursday. It was just another day at the office for the 25-year-old net minder, who was tied for sixth in the NHL in SV% (.925) last season. Vasilevskiy is 5-1-0 against the Panthers over his last six starts, so roll him out with confidence tonight.
Point missed the season opener as he recovers from offseason hip surgery and head coach Jon Cooper ruled him out for both games this weekend. Point is expected to be back soon, so monitor his status as the Lightning head into their game in Toronto next Thursday.
Sabourin was a great story on opening night. After 308 career AHL games and three ECHL, Sabourin made it to the NHL and scored one goal on three shots in 8:27 TOI. Sabourin was missing from Friday’s practise because he was “sore” but head coach DJ Smith said it’s “likely” that he plays on Saturday.
Vasilevskiy will begin his Vezina Trophy defence with an opening start vs. the Panthers. Vasilevskiy is the favourite to lead the NHL in wins this season, after doing so each of the last two seasons. In those two years, Vasilevskiy posted a 2.52 GAA and .922 SV%. He stopped 42 of 43 shots in a 2-1 shootout win in the opener vs. Florida last season.
Hedman was listed as day-to-day on Monday but was always trending towards playing in the season opener. Hedman is coming off of 54 points (12G / 42A) last season and will skate with Kevin Shattenkirk at 5v5 and anchor the top power-play unit.
Hedman missed Monday’s practice as “maintenance” but head coach Jon Cooper believes his star defenseman will be able to play in the season opener. Hedman is coming off of a 54-point (12G / 42A) season, where he only skated in 70 games.
Perry suffered a broken foot in mid-September and will miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season. Perry’s play has slipped in recent years and he is not expected to be anything more than a third-liner once he returns to the Dallas lineup.
Point was not expected to be ready for the season opener, but he was a full participant in Monday’s practice and centred the top-line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. This doesn’t necessarily mean Point will be ready for Thursday, but the possibility of him playing is looking more and more likely.
Sabourin has bounced around the AHL over his career, never appearing in an NHL game. The 27-year-old winger had just four goals and four assists (eight points) in 43 games with the Stockton Heat (AHL) last year.
Pelletier was picked with the No.26 overall pick in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft after scoring 39 goals with 50 assists (89 points) with the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL). He was assigned to Moncton earlier today.
Point underwent hip surgery in the offseason and is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2019-20 season. Lightning GM Julien BriseBois said he expects his second-line centre to return in late-October.
Point is coming off of a breakout campaign, having scored 41 goals with 51 assists (92 points) in 79 games. Point can expect some regression in 2020, after shooting 21.5 percent last year but ranks tied for eighth in goals (73) and tied for 22nd in points (158) over the last two seasons.
Perry’s first training camp with the Stars will be delayed after suffering a broken foot on Wednesday. Perry will be re-evaluated in two weeks but will likely miss at least one month, which would put his status for opening night in jeopardy.
Vasilevskiy had an excellent 2019 regular season, leading the NHL in wins (39), fourth in shutouts (6), sixth in SV% (.925) and ninth in GAA (2.40). Despite having a forgettable postseason, Vasilevskiy earned a much-deserved raise, becoming the third highest-paid netminder in the NHL. He should absolutely be one of the first goalies drafted this fall (if not the first).
Santini, who is a former second-round pick (2013), is a big (6-foot-2, 205 lbs) defensive-defenseman. The 24-year-old has just 21 points (5G / 16A) in 114 career NHL games but should be more than capable of eating up 15 minutes per night on the Predators third pairing.
