Ben Bishop was slated to start tonight but he was reportedly not right after getting nicked up by a shot in the pregame skate. Warmups was all over the place, giving no one a real idea of who was actually starting. However, it was settled prior to puck drop as Vasilevskiy took the crease.
The Lightning want to make sure that Ben Bishop is mentally and physically ready for the playoffs, so they will give Vasilevskiy at least one start every week for the rest of the season. With 20 games left, he is looking at 6-10 starts the remainder of the way, making him a strong goalie add.
Hedman left Thursday’s practice early with an undisclosed injury, but he was on the ice for today’s morning skate and said that he is good to go tonight vs. the Blackhawks. Hedman has three assists in his last four games.
Girgensons is expected to miss the majority of the remainder of the regular season, so moving him to IR is simply a formality to create an empty roster spot.
Originally head coach Ted Nolan was worried that Girgensons would miss the remainder of the season. He will miss a lengthy period of time, but the Sabres are hopeful that he will return before the end of the season.
The Lightning want Vasilevskiy playing as much as possible, so they sent him to Syracuse to start last night. He allowed four goals on 34 shots in a loss to Rochester. He is back, but there is no word whether or not he will start on Friday.
The Lightning are off until Friday and Syracuse plays tonight, so expect Vasilevskiy to go down and play tonight before returning to Tampa Bay for Friday’s game against the Blackhawks.
Girgensons took a James Wisniewski slap-shot off of his right foot and was forced to leave the ice and did not return. It did not appear that Girgensons was able to put any weight on the foot, which is obviously not a good sign. Coach Ted Nolan is concerned that Girgensons injury could end his season, but he will await the official word from the Sabres medical staff.
Vasilevskiy allowed three goals on 28 shots in the Lightning’s 3-2 loss in Los Angeles on Monday. Vasilevskiy is 1-1-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .918 SV% in three starts and two relief appearances in February. Tonight he faces an Avalanche team who have won three of their last four while scoring 3.50 goals per game.
Vasilevskiy stopped all nine shots that he faced after taking over for Ben Bishop last Thursday. Since being recalled he is 1-0-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .926 SV% in two starts and two relief appearances. Tonight, he will face a Kings team, who was struggling, but has managed to rattle off four straight wins.
Vasilevskiy stopped all nine shots that he faced after taking over for Ben Bishop last Thursday. Since being recalled he is 1-0-1 with a 2.30 GAA and .926 SV% in two starts and two relief appearances. Tonight it looks like he will face a Kings team, who was struggling, but has managed to rattle off four straight wins.
Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 20 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Kings on Friday. Since being recalled he has stopped 52 of 56 shots (.929 SV%). He draws a very difficult matchup against the NHL’s top team—Vasilevskiy has gone 3-1-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .941 SV% on the road.
Vasilevskiy allowed one goal on 20 shots after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss to the Kings last night. He has been great in six NHL appearances, going 4-1-0 with a 1.96 GAA and .934 SV% this season. It will be tough to expect big things out of him today with the Ducks in town.
Vasilevskiy went 3-1-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .937 SV% in four games during his recall in late December. He impressed in that short stint, which forced the Lightning to put the struggling Evgeni Nabokov on waivers. Vasilevskiy will get his first NHL start since December 31st, but has a tough matchup with the NHL’s second highest scoring team on the schedule.
Vasilevskiy, 20, has gone 14-5-5 with a 2.38 GAA and .919 SV% with Syracuse this season. He was excellent in his brief stint with the Lightning earlier in the year, going 3-1-0 with a 1.76 GAA and .937 SV%. The Lightning placed Evgeni Nabokov on waivers to make room for the young net minder.
Hedman was listed as a game-time decision, but he will be back in the Lightning lineup vs. the Avalanche. He will be paired with Andrej Sustr.
Hedman took part in the Lightning's morning skate and was listed as a game-time decision. His presence on the ice for warmups is a good sign that he will indeed be back in the lineup tonight vs. Colorado.
Hedman skated for the second straight day and said he feels good and expects to play tonight vs. the Avalanche after missing the last two games. Hedman has 20 points (5G / 15A) in 26 games this season.
Hedman was a full participant in practice on Friday and he is in the morning skate today. He was listed as questionable for today, but his availability this morning, is a good sign that he could return to the lineup tonight.
Hedman has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but he participation in practice this morning suggests that he could make a return to the lineup tomorrow vs. the Avalanche. Monitor his status leading up to 7 PM ET puck-drop.
