The Tampa Bay Lightning are featuring a different lineup from Game 1’s loss to Montreal, as Declan Carlile is filling in for the injured Charle-Edouard D’Astous, shown in lines posted by the team. D’Astous’ status is not surprising, after being injured and not returning after a hard collision, sandwiched between Josh Anderson and Jake Evans.
Entering this season with just three NHL contests under his belt, Carlile ended up playing 42 for the Bolts, recording three points and 40 penalty minutes. Tonight marks the playoff debut for the 25-year-old undrafted Michigan native, who will skate alongside Emil-Martinsen Lilleberg on the third pairing.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin left practice early this afternoon after appearing to tweak something, observed by Danny Webster of The Las Vegas Review-Journal. The 29-year-old was mostly durable this year outside of a short IR stint early in the year, playing 71 games and finishing third among Knights in ice time (22:36). Further details aren’t yet known, the team back in action tonight for Game 2. If Hanifin is unable to go, 33-year-old Ben Hutton could draw into the lineup, with just three playoff games across his whole career, all with Vegas.
- Also in Tampa Bay, 33-year-old Scott Sabourin is also making his playoff debut, replacing Conor Geekie who is scratched, after playing just 8:12 in the opening contest. It’s a nice story for the winger, undrafted and grinding away for seven years in the AHL before his debut with Ottawa in 2019. Sabourin has split duty this year between Tampa Bay and Syracuse almost evenly, and in his 26 games with the big club the veteran has five points and 89 penalty minutes. The decision to ice Sabourin tonight clearly has physicality in mind, and he’ll be hungry to make an impact in that area.
Sabourin taking a dumb penalty with just over two minutes left shows exactly why you think twice before putting a guy like him into a game like this.
He’s lucky the team bailed him out. I’m writing this before OT starts, something tells me he’s not gonna get a lot of ice time the rest of the game.
Sabourin played his first, And, Hopefully last NHL playoff game.
As Cooper says, Sabourin playing allows the team to play bigger. Yes, no doubt, if that cost him the game, he would be done. But he will play again. He will be smarter.
Got to love Dominic James, gives them some speed, jump, grit and skill. So long as he is healthy, his role will grow.
Please split up McDonough and Cernak. Those 2 are glaciers and struggle mightily getting the puck and moving it up. Hopefully Dastous comes back soon and I do not mind Crozier jumping in either.
Is there any word on Holmberg? I know he is hurt, but is he done from season or is he week to week/day to day?