Tampa Bay Lightning News

Vasilevskiy stopped 17 of 19 shots in the Lightning's win in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He was given the night off on Thursday, so he'll be well-rested for tonight's matchup vs. the Stars. Vasilevskiy has been outstanding his last four outings, going 3-0-1 with a 0.97 GAA, .961 SV% and one shutout.

Raddysh was a surprise scratch on Thursday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. Cam Atkinson will play in his place as the Lightning opt to go for a more traditional lineup of 12 forwards and six defencemen.

Atkinson will make his first appearance since November 7th when the Lightning travel to Columbus on Thursday. He is yet to score a goal this season and has just one assist in 11 games.

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).

With Brayden Point's return from a lower-body injury, Tampa Bay will revert to the traditional 12-forward, six-defenseman formation, resulting in Perbix being a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Perbix is averaging 14:34 time-on-ice and has four points (1G / 3A) in 13 games this season.

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.

Defenseman Darren Raddysh will draw into the Tampa Bay Lineup on Thursday, replacing Atkinson, an indication that they will likely go with an 11-forward, seven-defenseman formation. The 35-year-old Atkinson, a 41-goal scorer in the 2018-19 season, has one point (0G / 1A) and a -7 plus/minus in his first season with Tampa Bay.

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.