Point was forced to miss the Olympics after a lower-body injury took him out in early January but has returned to Tampa Bay's practice in a regular jersey on Wednesday. The 29-year-old has struggled in 2025-26 compared to previous seasons, with just 11 goals and 30 points in 37 games this season.
Tampa Bay's injuries continue to pile up after they announced Maxwell Crozier would miss approximately 10 weeks following surgery to repair a core muscle injury. The 25-year-old has been a solid contributor on Tampa Bay's back end this season, with a goal, 10 points and a +7 plus/minus in 34 games played this season.
Point has not played in over three weeks due to a lower-body injury and has been taken off of Team Canada's roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Carolina's Seth Jarvis has been announced as Point's replacement. The 29-year-old Point has had a down season, with 30 points (11G / 19A) in 37 games, but was starting to return to his elite production before his injury, scoring 19 points (8G / 11A) in his last 15 games.
Tampa Bay has been among the hottest teams in the NHL over the last two months and, even with Vasilevskiy recording an uncharacteristically low sub- .900 SV% in his last two games, has still salvaged victories. That said, the minor blip in Vasilevskiy's past two outings is overshadowed by a magnificent three-month stretch in which he has posted a dazzling 1.77 GAA and .930 SV% in 24 games (21-2-1). Tampa Bay enters the action on Thursday as -180 home favourites against a Florida Panthers team that defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 last night in a shootout.
Point has not played in over three weeks and will be sidelined for Tampa Bay's final two games before the Olympic Break, but is still hopeful to suit up for Team Canada at the tournament. The 29-year-old Point has had a down season, with 30 points (11G / 19A) in 37 games, but was starting to return to his elite production before his injury, scoring 19 points (8G / 11A) in his last 15 games.
Paul scored a goal in Tampa Bay's roller-coaster 6-5 shootout win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, but he exited the game early because of an undisclosed injury and has been ruled out for the team's final game before the Olympic Break. The 30-year-old Paul's goal on Sunday snapped a nine-game pointless skid.
Cirelli exited Sunday's game after only 6:25 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and did not return to the game. He will not play in Tampa Bay's final game before the Olympic Break and has unfortunately been ruled out of Team Canada's roster for the Olympics, being replaced by Sam Bennett. The 28-year-old Cirelli has 35 points (15G / 20A) in 49 games this season.
Douglas has not appeared in a game since December 27th, though he could see some additional playing time in the short-term with both Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul out with injuries. Douglas has zero goals and two assists in 27 games this season.
Crozier will take a seat on Tuesday as the Lightning are opting to return to dressing just six defencemen. Crozier has one goal and nine assists in 34 games this season.
Vasilevskiy will be aiming for a seventh straight victory when he gets the nod against the Sabres on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy is fresh off a remarkable 6-5 shootout win in Sunday's Stadium Series game against the Bruins, a game which saw Vasilevskiy drop the gloves with Jeremy Swayman in the middle of a 5-1 Lightning comeback. The former Vezina Trophy winner boasts an impressive 25-7-3 record on the season to go along with a .918 SV% and 2.12 GAA. Vasilevskiy and the Lightning enter action on Tuesday at -190 on the money line.
Point has not played in over three weeks and will be sidelined for Tampa Bay's final two games before the Olympic Break, but is still hopeful to suit up for Team Canada at the tournament. The 29-year-old Point has had a down season, with 30 points (11G / 19A) in 37 games, but was starting to return to his elite production before his injury, scoring 19 points (8G / 11A) in his last 15 games.
Paul scored a goal in Tampa Bay's roller-coaster 6-5 shootout win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, but he exited the game early because of an undisclosed injury and has been ruled out for the team's final two games before the Olympic Break. The 30-year-old Paul's goal on Sunday snapped a nine-game pointless skid.
Cirelli exited Sunday's game after only 6:25 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and did not return to the game. The team has ruled out Cirelli for Tampa Bay's final two games before the Olympic Break. Still, it is unclear whether that will affect his availability for the upcoming Winter Olympics. The 28-year-old Cirelli has 35 points (15G / 20A) in 49 games this season.
Sabourin scored three points (1G / 2A) in nine game with Tampa Bay earlier this season, but has spent most of the campaign in the AHL. The 33-year-old undrafted forward has eight points (6G / 2A) in 24 games with Syracuse (AHL).
Groshev was a third-round pick, 85th overall, by Tampa Bay in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut earlier this season and has one assist in two games with Tampa Bay.
Cirelli exited Sunday's game after only 6:25 time-on-ice due to an undisclosed injury and did not return to the game. The team has yet to provide an update on the longevity of Cirelli's injury, or lack thereof, and whether it may impact his availability for the upcoming Winter Olympics. The 28-year-old Cirelli has 35 points (15G / 20A) in 49 games this season.
Vasilevskiy has been excellent in recent weeks and will return to the crease on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. The 31-year-old goalie saved 23 of 24 shots in his previous outing, a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, improving his Vezina-worthy season. He has allowed two or fewer goals in nine straight games (8-0-1), posting an otherworldly 1.19 GAA and .949 SV%. Tampa Bay enters Sunday’s contest as sizable -198 home favourites against a Boston Bruins team missing two key offensive contributors in Pavel Zacha (undisclosed) and Elias Lindholm (upper body).
