Cernak has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on Sunday, missing two games, but should be ready to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 28-year-old Slovak defenseman is averaging 17:57 time-on-ice, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 77 blocks, and 81 hits in 43 games this season.
Santini drew into Tampa Bay's lineup earlier this week, but with Darren Raddysh (personal) returning to the lineup, he will head back to the AHL. The 31-year-old Santini has played 10 games with Tampa Bay this season, averaging 11:20 time-on-ice and scoring one assist.
Mitchell was acquired as part of an AHL trade and will report to the Syracuse Crunch. Mitchell appeared in 45 games for Grand Rapids (AHL) this season, tallying four goals and 16 assists.
Sabourin will re-enter the Lightning lineup on Thursday, slotting in for Connor Geekie. Sabourin has one goal and three assists in 17 games this season.
Geekie will take a seat on Thursday in favour of Scott Sabourin. Geekie has zero goals and two assists in 11 games this season.
The Lightning will turn to Vasilevskiy between the pipes for the 44th time this season when they host the Red Wings on Thursday. Vasilevskiy was tagged with a rare defeat in his last start, surrendering four goals on 31 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The Vezina Trophy favourite still boasts an impressive 29-11-3 record to go along with a .912 SV% on the season. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning enter action on Thursday at -225 on the money line.
Raddysh did not play in Tampa Bay's previous game, but he should return to action on Thursday, resuming his role on the team's top powerplay unit against the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-year-old Raddysh had three assists in his most recent game, Sunday's rollercoaster 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, giving him 16 points (5G / 11A in his last 13 games.
Vasilevskiy has battled some adversity lately, but he was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie has only two wins in five games since the Olympic break (2-3-0), both against the struggling Maple Leafs, and has a dreadful 5.17 GAA and .813 SV% in outings against other teams (0-3-0). Still, Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as significant -235 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has lost four of seven games since the Olympic break (3-1-3).
Raddysh is tending to a personal matter and will not play on Tuesday, but will likely target a return on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 30-year-old Raddysh had three assists in Sunday's rollercoaster 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, giving him 16 points (5G / 11A in his last 13 games.
Goncalves has not played since suffering a lower-body injury on February 28th, but will return to the lineup on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 25-year-old Goncalves has been effective in mostly a middle-six role this season, averaging 12:11 time-on-ice and scoring 20 points (7G / 13A) in 54 games.
Vasilevskiy has battled some adversity lately, but he was excellent in his most recent outing, saving 27 of 29 shots (.931 SV%) in a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 31-year-old goalie has only two wins in five games since the Olympic break (2-3-0), both against the struggling Maple Leafs, and has a dreadful 5.17 GAA and .813 SV% in outings against other teams (0-3-0). Still, Tampa Bay enters Monday's contest as significant -235 home favourites against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has lost four of seven games since the Olympic break (3-1-3).
Cernak exited Sunday's rollercoaster 8-7 loss to the Buffalo Sabres after only 6:47 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury and will remain sidelined on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 28-year-old Slovak defenseman is averaging 17:57 time-on-ice, recording seven points (1G / 6A), 77 blocks, and 81 hits in 43 games this season.
Perry has had numerous deep postseason runs in recent years, and Tampa Bay hopes he can continue that recent trend. The 40-year-old Perry has remained effective in his 21st NHL season, scoring 28 points (11G/ 17A) in 50 games with Los Angeles.
