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.
Bjorkstrand has been a healthy scratch for the last five games, so he will swap places with Dalton Prout, who had reached the end of his conditioning stint. Bjorkstrand has picked up 10 goals and four assists (14 points) in 20 AHL 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.
Bjorkstrand has been recalled on an emergency basis, so someone is likely out tonight. Bjorkstrand made the team out of the training camp, but failed to record a point in three games. The 21-year-old has 12 points (8G / 4A) in 19 games since being sent down.
Guentzel picked up three goals and one assist in his first five NHL games, but has been a healthy scratch for the last three games. The 22-year-old third-round pick (No.77 in 2013) returns to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL), where he has seven goals and 10 assists (17 points) in 16 games this season.
Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 38 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Columbus on Tuesday. It was a rough outing for Vasilevskiy, who didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates. Vasilevskiy will start for the second straight game and comes in with a 3-2-0 record, 1.82 GAA and .942 SV% on the road this season.
Vasilevskiy gave up five goals on 38 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Columbus on Tuesday. It was a rough outing for Vasilevskiy, who didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates. Vasilevskiy will start for the second straight game and comes in with a 3-2-0 record, 1.82 GAA and .942 SV% on the road.
Vasilevskiy allowed two goals on 31 shots in the Lightning’s win vs. the Flyers last Wednesday. Ben Bishop has had his fair-share of struggles and Vasilevskiy has won four in a row while posting a 0.75 GAA, .977 SV% and two shutouts. He’s as hot as any goalie in the NHL and should start to see more playing time.
Vasilevskiy stopped all 32 shots that he faced in the Lightning’s shutout win in Philadelphia on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has now posted back-to-back shutouts and has won three consecutive games. Tonight he will face the Flyer again—he comes in a 2-0-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .938 SV% in three starts on home ice.
Guentzel, 22, was a third round pick (77th overall) of the Penguins’ in 2013. The American born forward has collected 17 points (7G / 10A) in 16 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton so far this season and will likely make his NHL debut on Monday after Chris Kunitz was moved to IR.
