Cernak suffered a lower-body injury in Arizona on Saturday but head coach Jon Cooper said he could play as soon as Tuesday. Monitor his status during the morning skate but the Lightning can't afford to have him miss a pivotal game while they're already without Ryan McDonagh and Jan Rutta.
Cernak was suspended for two games for his elbow to the head on Rasmus Dahlin but is expected to be back in the lineup vs. the Hurricanes on Saturday night. Cernak, who plays in more of a shutdown role with Ryan McDonagh, has one goal and no assists in 20 games this season.
Dahlin was forced to leave the game with a concussion and Cernak's two-game suspension means he won't play Wednesday vs. the Blues or Friday in Washington. Cernak, who will likely be replaced by Jan Rutta tomorrow, is eligible to return Saturday vs. the Hurricanes.
Cernak was a late-scratch in New Jersey on Wednesday and is listed as a game-time decision for Friday's game vs. the Islanders. Cernak doesn't provide a lot of offence (1G / 0A) but has solid peripheral stats (3.2 hits/gm and 1.7 blocks/gm).
Cernak missed the last two games with a lower-body injury but is set to play Saturday vs. the Canadiens. Cernak has settled right in with the Lightning, picking up nine points (2G / 7A) and a plus-14 rating in 34 games.
Cernak will sit out for a second straight game and remains listed as day-to-day. The rookie defenseman is having a nice campaign, scoring two goals with seven assists, a plus-14 rating and 56 shots in 34 games. The Lightning obviously trust his game a lot, as he’s played over 20 minutes in each of the last five games and averages 18:33 TOI/gm for the season.
Cernak was a second round pick (No.43 overall in 2015) and nearly made the Lightning out of training camp. Cernak has picked up seven points (2G / 5A) in nine games with Syracuse (AHL) before being called up on Tuesday morning.
Cernak has seven points (2G / 5A) in nine games with the Crunch this season. The 21-year-old defenseman has been called up because Anton Stralman is out with an upper-body injury.
Cernak, 19, was a second round pick (No. 43 overall) in 2015 and has scored three goals with 14 assists (17 points) in 41 games with the Erie Otters (OHL) this season.
