Carlson has had a great season, but will miss an extended period of time for the second time this season. Carlson underwent a procedure on his unspecified lower-body injury and will keep him out for 3-4 weeks. He is expected to be moved to long-term IR but should be back before the playoffs.
Kucherov has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but will return to the lineup tonight in New Jersey. Kucherov has three goals and one assist in his last five games and 49 points (24G / 25A) in 58 games on the year.
McDonagh missed the last two games with a jaw injury, but will get back into the lineup tonight in St. Louis. McDonagh will replace Dylan McIlrath—he comes in with 26 points (7G / 19A) in 54 games this season.
Kucherov missed Monday’s game with a lower-body injury, but took part in today’s morning skate and is listed as a game-time decision. If Kucherov can’t play, look for Jonathan Marchessault to skate on the Lightning’s second line.
Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 41 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Jets. Vasilevskiy has gone 7-1-0 in his last eight starts despite posting a 3.04 GAA and .903 SV%—the Lightning have averaged 3.63 goals per game in front of him over that span. Vasilevskiy faces a Coyotes team that lost last night vs. the Capitals.
Vasilevskiy allowed five goals on 41 shots in the Lightning’s win over the Jets. Vasilevskiy has gone 7-1-0 in his last eight starts despite posting a 3.04 GAA and .903 SV%—the Lightning have averaged 3.63 goals per game in front of him over that span. Vasilevskiy faces a Coyotes team that lost last night vs. the Capitals.
McDonagh will travel on the Rangers’ upcoming road trip which starts on Tuesday, but he will be held out of the lineup for the first game of the trip. Monitor his status prior to Thursday’s game, if he can’t play in St. Louis then look for him to return on Saturday in Dallas.
McDonagh was playing in just his second game after missing four with a concussion. He was caught in the head by a Leo Komarov elbow and was forced to leave the game. The immediate concern is another concussion, which could keep McDonagh sidelined for an extended period of time.
Vasilevskiy allowed four goals on 28 shots in the Lightning’s loss in Ottawa on February 8th. Ben Bishop has started the last four games, but will turn to Vasilevskiy tonight vs. Winnipeg. Vasilevskiy is 8-5-0 with a 2.73 GAA and .910 SV% with the Lightning and 6-4-1 with a 1.94 GAA and .935 SV% with Syracuse (AHL).
McDonagh has missed the last four games with a concussion, but will return tonight vs. the Blackhawks. With McDonagh back, Dan Boyle is expected to sit due to the flu. McDonagh will return to his spot on the top pairing with Dan Girardi and on the second power-play.
Vasilevskiy stopped all 30 shots that he faced in the Lightning’s shutout won over the Maple Leafs on January 27th. It was Vasilevskiy’s eighth win and first shutout of the season. He gets the nod tonight in Ottawa with Ben Bishop starting on Tuesday. Vasilevskiy has gone 4-3-0 with a 2.64 GAA and .912 SV% on the road this season.
McDonagh will not play on Monday after suffering a concussion on Saturday. He suffered the injury when he was punched in the head by Flyers’ forward Wayne Simmonds. With McDonagh out, Dylan McIlrath will return to the lineup. There’s no timetable for McDonagh’s return.
Vasilevskiy stopped all four shots that he faced after replacing Ben Bishop in the Lightning’s loss in Florida on Saturday. Vasilevskiy has won his last four starts while posting a 2.71 GAA and .904 SV% and tonight he will face the Maple Leafs for the second time this season. He gave up four goals on 37 shots in a 5-4 OT win in the first meeting, but that was when Toronto could score.
