Sergachev was banged up in Thursday's preseason game and has yet to practice since, but head coach Jon Cooper expects him to play good-to-go on Tuesday. Sergachev had seven goals and 31 assists (38 points) in 78 games a season ago.
The Lightning are set to play four games in six days this week but lost both goalies, Sergachev and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare to COVID-19 on Sunday and both Anthony Cirelli and Andrej Sustr on Monday. With Sergachev out, Darren Raddysh is expected to make his NHL debut on Tuesday.
Sergachev has served his two-game suspension and will return to the Lightning lineup vs. the Panthers. Sergachev will replace Erik Cernak, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Sergachev has scored two goals with four assists (six points) in 10 games this season.
As originally expected, it is Sergachev’s turn to sit in the Lightning’s defence rotation. Sergachev will likely draw back into the lineup in New York on Wednesday.
Sergachev was a healthy scratch for the last two games but based on the morning skate he should re-enter the lineup on Tuesday and play with Anton Stralman. He might be back on the second power-play unit as well as it looks like Victor Hedman will also be back in the lineup and take his spot back on the top unit.
The Canadiens made Sergachev the No.9 overall pick last summer and gave him four games at the NHL level before sending him back to the Windsor Spitfires. In Windsor, Sergachev scored 10 goals with 33 assists (43 points) in 50 regular season games and had four points (1G / 3A) in four games to help the Spitfires win the Memorial Cup. Since Sergachev doesn’t have to be protected and Drouin did, this deal gives the Lightning an extra protection slot heading into next weeks expansion draft.
Sergachev was the ninth overall pick this past summer and he made the team out of training camp. He was a healthy scratch most of the time and failed to record a point in the three games he did play in. Sergachev returns to Windsor, who will host this year’s Memorial Cup—he had 57 points (17G / 40A) in 67 games with the Spitfires last year.
Sergachev made his NHL debut on Thursday, blocking two shots in 11:48 of ice time. With Jeff Petry (knee) expected to return to the lineup on Saturday, it looks like it will be the rookie Sergachev who will sit. If he can’t work his way back into the lineup, look for the Canadiens to send him back to the Windsor Spitfires (OHL).
