Johansson will somewhat surprisingly make his third start of the season when the Lightning travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on Thursday. It's the first appearance for Johansson since he surrendered five goals on 32 shots in a 7-4 loss to the Jets on November 3rd. He draws a decent matchup on Thursday with Lightning entering action as -160 road favourites.
Paul exited Tampa's last game after played on 10:38 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old Paul, averaging 16:24 time-on-ice, is pacing for a career-best season, with 13 points (5G / 8A) in 17 games.
Tampa Bay has outscored their opposition 8-1 during a two-game winning streak and will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for a fifth straight game. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has an impressive 2.15 GAA and .920 SV% in 14 games this season (8-5-1), including saving 52 of 53 shots faced (.981 SV%) over his last two outings. Tampa Bay enters the action on Tuesday as -148 road favorites against a Pittsburgh Penguins club that has lost four of their last five (1-3-1).
Tampa Bay has outscored their opposition 8-1 during a two-game winning streak and will likely turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for a fifth straight game. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has an impressive 2.15 GAA and .920 SV% in 14 games this season (8-5-1), including saving 52 of 53 shots faced (.981 SV%) over his last two outings. Tampa Bay enters the action on Tuesday as -148 road favorites against a Pittsburgh Penguins club that has lost four of their last five (1-3-1).
Point has not played since November 3rd, missing four straight. He has practiced regularly with the team the past several days and will return to the ice on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Before his injury, Point was enjoying another productive campaign, scoring 13 points (8G / 5A) through 12 games.
Goncalves has been recalled from the Syracuse Crunch (AHL), a surprising development given that that Brayden Point (lower body) is expected to return to the lineup. In four games with Tampa Bay this season, Goncalves is averaging 11:44 time-on-ice and has zero points.
Point has not played since November 3rd, missing three straight. He will miss a fourth consecutive game on Saturday but appears to be nearing a return, participating in drills at practice on Friday. Before his injury, Point was enjoying another productive campaign, scoring 13 points (8G / 5A) through 12 games.
Cernak was injured in Tampa Bay's previous game, but five days of rest between contests have given him enough time to recover and, likely, return to the lineup on Thursday. The 27-year-old Cernak is averaging 18:43 time-on-ice, has four points (0G / 4A), 19 blocks, and 21 hits in 14 games this season.
Tampa Bay is riding a season-worst four-game losing skid and will attempt to snap it on Thursday with Vasilevskiy between the pipes. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has been serviceable this season, albeit with an unspectacular 6-5-1 record, posting a 2.43 GAA and .910 SV%. That said, Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as slight -108 home underdogs against the league's best team, the Winnipeg Jets.
Cam Atkinson will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Raddysh to draw into the lineup, indicating that Tampa Bay will likely go with a 11-forward, seven-defensemen formation. The 28-year-old Raddysh is averaging 16:46 time-on-ice and has one assist in seven games this season.
Goncalves made his season debut with Tampa Bay last week, scoring zero points in two games. The 23-year-old Goncalves has played four NHL games in his career but spent most of his young career in the AHL, including scoring 58 points (13G / 45A) in 69 games with Syracuse last season.
Cernak left Thursday's game after blocking a shot and did not return to the game. Cernak missed practice on Saturday but the Lightning still did not have an update on his status. Lucky for Cernak, the Lightning don't play again until next Thursday, so he has plenty of time to recover.
Bjorkstrand was a healthy scratch in the Seattle's previous game, replaced by John Hayden, but will re-enter the lineup on Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 29-year-old Bjorkstrand was a Western Conference All-Star last season, scoring 59 points (20G / 39A) in 82 games. This season, Bjorkstrand has only five points (3G / 2A) in 13 games and has been held off the scoresheet in seven of the last eight.
Tampa Bay, amid a three-game losing skid, will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has had an up-and-down start to the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 2.59 GAA and .903 SV% in 11 games (6-5-0). That said, Tampa Bay has a favorable matchup on Thursday, entering the action as -193 home favorites against a Philadelphia club with a -15 goal differential through 13 games (4-8-1).
Point played just 3:47 before leaving Sunday's loss in Winnipeg with a lower-body injury, and will miss a second straight game on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Before his injury, Point was enjoying another productive campaign, scoring 13 points (8G / 5A) through 12 games. Mitchell Chaffee has been the main beneficiary, jumping into Point's usual spot on the top powerplay unit.
Tampa Bay, amid a three-game losing skid, will likely turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has had an up-and-down start to the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 2.59 GAA and .903 SV% in 11 games (6-5-0). That said, Tampa Bay has a favorable matchup on Thursday, entering the action as -193 home favorites against a Philadelphia club with a -15 goal differential through 13 games (4-8-1).
Vasilevskiy had the night off in Tampa Bay's previous game, a 7-4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but will return to the crease on Tuesday as he attempts to help his team end a two-game losing skid. The 30-year-old Vasilevskiy has been serviceable, albeit unspectacular, to start the 2024-25 campaign, posting a 2.54 GAA and .906 SV% through 10 games 6-4-0. Tampa Bay enters Tuesday's contest as -175 road favorites against a St. Louis Blues club averaging 2.6 goals per game.
