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Brayden Point

Lightning Place Andrei Vasilevskiy On IR, Activate Brayden Point

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3:44 p.m.: The corresponding move for Vasilevskiy’s IR placement is an IR activation for top center Brayden Point, per Erlendsson. The snakebitten pivot had missed the last seven games due to an undisclosed injury he sustained against the Capitals on Nov. 22. He’s hoping the time off jumpstarts a reset – the four-time 40-goal scorer had managed just three tallies through 21 games while shooting at a disastrous 6.8% clip, less than half his previous career low.

10:16 a.m.: According to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, the Tampa Bay Lightning have placed netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy on the team’s injured reserve. Having recalled Brandon Halverson a few days ago, any corresponding roster move, if any, will likely involve a forward or defenseman.

Vasilveskiy has already missed two games due to an undisclosed injury, and it’s now a guarantee he’ll miss at least two more. Since his last contest came last Tuesday against the New York Islanders, the 12-year veteran will only be eligible for activation after Tampa Bay’s matchup tomorrow against the Montreal Canadiens.

Unlike some of their injuries on defense, the Lightning haven’t fared as well without their former Vezina Trophy-winning netminder. Tampa Bay lost both games last week without Vasilevskiy (as well as his most recent start against the Islanders), allowing six goals on 50 shots for an .880 SV%.

Assuming that the Lightning will want to avoid overworking Jonas Johansson in their upcoming back-to-back against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal, Vasilevskiy’s IR placement all but guarantees that Halvorsen will make his first appearance of the year. The 29-year-old netminer has managed a 9-4-0 record in 13 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season with a .901 SV%.

Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like Vasilevskiy will be out for too long. There was some speculation last week that Vasilevskiy was targeting today for his return, meaning that he may return by Thursday when the Lightning take on the Devils in New Jersey.

Lightning Recall Brandon Halverson

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The Lightning announced they’ve recalled goaltender Brandon Halverson from AHL Syracuse. They had an open roster spot after reassigning Maxim Groshev yesterday. They’ve also shifted center Brayden Point to injured reserve, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider, leaving them with an open spot even after Halverson’s addition.

Halverson’s presence indicates there’s a risk that Andrei Vasilevskiy won’t be available for tonight’s game against the Penguins. The team’s Gabby Shirley reports he’s not present at morning skate. He’s not yet carrying an injury designation. Vasilevskiy has started four out of the Bolts’ last five games and looked no worse for wear in his latest start against the Islanders on Tuesday, allowing two goals on 23 shots in a loss.

The 29-year-old Halverson is in his third season in the Tampa organization. He began at the bottom of the ladder as an ECHL signing by the Orlando Solar Bears late in the 2023 offseason before being loaned up to Syracuse and landing a deal with them a few months later. Halverson remained on a minor-league deal through last season, in which the 2014 second-round pick of the Rangers made a career-high 45 appearances with a 2.22 GAA, .915 SV%, five shutouts, and a 22-11-11 record. That delayed breakout earned him an NHL deal from the Bolts in February, essentially serving as a call-up in place of an injured Johansson. It was a two-year, two-way deal, keeping him under contract through this season.

That signing led to Halverson’s first career NHL start late last season, a 6-4 loss to Utah on March 22. It was his second-ever NHL appearance and first in over seven years. While in the Rangers organization, he entered a February 2018 game in relief of Henrik Lundqvist.

While Halverson’s brief NHL resume has seen him post an underwhelming .800 SV% and 5.11 GAA in 71 minutes of action, he’s got a career .901 mark in the AHL over seven seasons. That matches his work for Syracuse this year, along with a 2.58 GAA, two shutouts, and a 9-4-0 record in 13 games.

Point hasn’t played since Nov. 22, so his IR placement is solely for roster management purposes and doesn’t offer any meaningful update to his timeline. He’s dealing with an undisclosed injury and doesn’t yet have a date for his return to the lineup.

Lightning’s Erik Cernak Out Week-To-Week

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Lightning head coach Jon Cooper announced to reporters, including the team’s Benjamin Pierce, that defenseman Erik Černák has sustained an undisclosed injury and is out week-to-week. It’s not related to the lower-body issue that kept Černák out of a pair of games last week. Cooper also said that center Brayden Point won’t play tonight against the Flyers after leaving Saturday’s game against the Capitals with an undisclosed injury, but he’s day-to-day and shouldn’t miss more than a couple of games.

With Černák’s injury, the Bolts recalled defender Maxim Groshev from AHL Syracuse. They’ve had an open roster spot for the last few games, so no corresponding move is necessary.

Černák’s landing back on the injured list leaves Tampa without three of its top four defenders once again. Victor Hedman has already missed six games with an undisclosed issue and won’t be back in the lineup until Dec. 2 at the earliest. Ryan McDonagh has missed the same amount of time but could be back sooner since, unlike Hedman, he hasn’t been transferred to long-term injured reserve.

Despite the pileup, the Lightning have managed to win four times in that six-game stretch. They sit second in the Atlantic Division with a 12-7-2 record, one point back of the Red Wings with one game in hand. There are plenty of reasons for optimism, considering they managed to rebound from the 1-4-2 hole they put themselves in to start the year and have largely carried that momentum through a stretch of brutal luck. Unfortunately, their top right-shot option on the blue line in Černák won’t be a part of that run for the foreseeable future.

Černák continues to be arguably Tampa’s best pure shutdown option. After recording a career-high 21 points and a +29 rating in 76 appearances last season, he’d rattled off four assists and an even rating through 19 appearances in 2025-26. While the Bolts have been outscored 16-12 with Černák on the ice at 5-on-5 this year, on pace for the worst goal share of his career, he’s been the victim of some poor goaltending. His pairing with McDonagh has controlled 57.6% of expected goals together, per MoneyPuck. With McDonagh sidelined, Černák also elevated rookie Charle-Edouard D’Astous to a 53.8 xGF%.

Groshev, who was drafted as a winger but has since converted to defense, won’t be making his NHL debut in Černák’s absence, it appears. They were already rostering six healthy defenders, so Groshev will serve as injury insurance on the blue line, who can also step in at forward if needed. A third-round pick in 2020 out of Russia, the 6’2″ rearguard is in his third season with Syracuse but has yet to make his NHL debut. He’s managed six assists through 17 games this season and has a team-high +8 rating, leaving the Bolts intrigued by the 23-year-old’s defensive upside.

As for the weekend’s news that both Point and superstar Nikita Kucherov departed the Washington game with injuries, they’ve clearly avoided a worst-case scenario. Kucherov wasn’t carrying any injury designation at today’s practice, while Point, who’s struggled this year with just three goals and 11 points in 21 games and could’ve used a reset anyway, won’t have an extended absence.

Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point Leave With Injury

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s injury woes could be getting worse. Star forwards Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point left Saturday night’s game against the Washington Capitals with injuries. Kucherov was hurt in the second period after getting knocked around in a scrum. Point also left in the second period with an undisclosed injury, though he made a brief return before leaving again in the third. Head coach Jon Cooper said that it was too soon to make a statement on either injury, per team reporter Gabby Shirley.

Rookie Dominic James also left the game in the second period with an apparent injury, but managed to return for the third.

Kucherov scored one goal and three points in the first period, helping set Tampa up for an eventual 5-3 win. It was the 44th time he has scored multiple points in the first period, a new Lightning record above Steven Stamkos’ 43 per the NHL Public Records. He ranks second on the Lightning in scoring on the year, with 19 points in 18 games. The superstar Russian has lost no momentum in his 12th NHL season, and would leave a major hole in the lineup and on the scoresheet should he need to miss time.

Point also remains a core piece of the Lightning’s offense. He has had a down year by his standards, with 11 points and a minus-10 in 20 games, though that mark still ranks fifth on the team in scoring. The Lightning lean on Point’s ability to play both between, and off of, star scorers Kucherov and Jake Guentzel. His absence would force the team to find another adaptable second-line center. It would also bump rookie Jack Finley back into the lineup. Finley has two points and a plus-one in eight games this season. He made his NHL debut last season, after scoring 28 points in 40 AHL games.

Tampa Bay is already facing injuries to top defenders Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Despite that, Saturday night’s win earned the Bolts a three-game win streak, and a 11-3-0 record over their last 14 games.

Jack Eichel, Anže Kopitar, Brayden Point Named Lady Byng Trophy Finalists

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Now that award season is approaching, the NHL has announced the three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy: Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Anže Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings, and Brayden Point of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

As one of the more underappreciated honors, the Lady Byng Trophy is awarded to the player voted best to combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct, and ability as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Kopitar is the only one of the trio to have won the award previously.

In arguably the best season of his career from an individual perspective, Eichel led the Pacific Division champion Golden Knights in scoring with 28 goals and 94 points in 77 games. Not only did Eichel have a career year himself, but he also set a new standard for Vegas players by besting William Karlsson’s 78-point 2017-18 season, which stood as the franchise’s single-season record until now. This was largely due to his availability, missing only five games all season and only accruing eight PIMs.

As mentioned earlier, Kopitar is the only member of the trio who has previously won the Lady Byng Trophy, receiving the award in the 2015-16 and 2022-23 seasons. He outperformed his Pacific Division rival, Eichel, by only taking two minor penalties compared to Eichel’s four. Surpassing Dustin Brown as the longest-serving captain in Kings history this season, Kopitar helped Los Angeles reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive year.

Point became a finalist for the second time in three years, and for good reason. Point bested a point-per-game average for a third consecutive season and centered one of the most efficient top lines in the game. Beating Kopitar and Eichel, Point only had one minor penalty this year (and finished with seven PIMs).

Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Edvinsson, Rasmussen, Matthews, Point

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The Buffalo Sabres received unfortunate news on the injury front earlier today after an MRI confirmed the severity of Jordan Greenway’s current injury. It had already been announced that Greenway wouldn’t play in the team’s loss on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers but Paul Hamilton is reporting he’s expected to miss the next few weeks.

Greenway has played in 16 of a potential 18 games for the Sabres this season but has significant injury concerns dating back to last season. In his first full season with the organization in the 2023-24 campaign, Greenway missed 15 games due to injury while scoring 10 goals and 28 points in the other 67 contests.

It’s not all negative on the injury front in Buffalo as Hamilton also reported that Tage Thompson has become a realistic possibility to play on Wednesday. Thompson hasn’t played since November 11th due to a lower-body injury making Wednesday his first day of eligibility from the injured reserve. He’s been electric for the Sabres this season scoring 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games when healthy.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The Detroit Red Wings should have a few returning players tonight as defenseman Simon Edvinsson and forward Michael Rasmussen are expected to return (X Link). Edvinsson missed the team’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night due to a lower-body injury from a blocked shot against the Anaheim Ducks. Rasmussen joined Edvinsson in the press box on Saturday with an upper-body injury. A decision on both player’s game-time status should be confirmed shortly after warm-ups.
  • According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is expected to miss his seventh straight game on Wednesday. Alter interestingly adds that Matthews hasn’t been skating the past couple of days but the organization assures he hasn’t taken a step back in his recovery. Toronto has earned a 5-1-0 record since Matthews exited the lineup on November 3rd.
  • Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times couldn’t get any confirmation on Brayden Point’s status tomorrow night for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s next game. Encina shares that Point is ’trending in the right direction’ but is still in danger of missing a fifth straight game for the Lightning.

Atlantic Notes: Thompson, Luukkonen, Bennett, Point

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Neither Sabres starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen nor star center Tage Thompson will play versus the Blues on Thursday, head coach Lindy Ruff told Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. They remain day-to-day with undisclosed and lower-body injuries, respectively.

Both players left Buffalo’s last game, a 7-5 loss to the Canadiens on Monday, and did not return. Ruff said that Luukkonen wasn’t completely healthy going into the game after being banged up in practice over the weekend, and he was pulled after allowing four goals on 18 shots. Thompson left after scoring a goal and logging eight shifts, although it’s unclear on what play he sustained the injury.

Devon Levi will make his fifth start of the season tonight with Luukkonen on the shelf, Lysowski reports. James Reimer will back him up after being re-claimed off waivers from the Ducks yesterday.

Luukkonen, 25, has largely kept up the momentum from last season’s breakout campaign. He’s been quite solid with a 6-4-1 record, .903 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 1.0 GSAA in 12 appearances.

Thompson, 27, is back in full force after a disappointing showing in 2023-24. The 6’6″ center is tied for the league lead in even-strength goals with 10 and has 11 goals and 18 points in 16 games overall, currently on pace to eclipse the point-per-game mark for the second time in his career.

More from the Atlantic Division:

  • Panthers center Sam Bennett has improved enough to be a game-time decision for tonight’s clash with the Devils, Colby Guy of The Palm Beach Post reports. The 28-year-old missed Tuesday’s 4-1 home loss to New Jersey with an upper-body injury. The pending unrestricted free agent has nine goals and 15 points in 15 games this season and is on pace for career-highs offensively across the board.
  • Lightning star Brayden Point will not play tonight at home versus the Jets, Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun reports. It’ll be his third straight game missed with the lower-body injury he sustained back on Nov. 3 in Tampa’s other appearance of the season against Winnipeg. His 38.1% shooting rate still leads the league and gives him eight goals through 12 games. Anthony Cirelli will continue serving as the Bolts’ top-line center in Point’s absence between Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov.

Lightning Recall Gage Goncalves

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The Lightning announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled forward Gage Goncalves from AHL Syracuse. It’s the second recall of the month for the 23-year-old after he made his season debut in a pair of games last week.

His recall indicates that star center Brayden Point, who sustained a lower-body injury in a loss to the Jets on Nov. 3 and is still listed as day-to-day, may not be available when Tampa takes on Winnipeg again on Thursday night. Point was expected to slot back into the lineup tomorrow with the Bolts having a week-long break in their schedule, and he practiced in his usual top-line role as recently as Sunday, per Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida.

The Lightning have only been carrying an extra forward on the roster this season when necessary to bank as much cap space as possible ahead of the trade deadline. Point remains on the active roster and not on injured reserve, but they still have an open roster spot after Goncalves’ recall. If Point can’t play, Goncalves will make his third straight appearance for the Bolts tomorrow.

Goncalves, the latter of the team’s two second-round selections in the 2020 draft, has one shot on goal, two hits and averaged 10:12 of ice time over his pair of appearances last week. The British Columbia native has also made five appearances for Syracuse, tying for the team lead with six assists and leading the club with 1.20 points per game.

Goncalves is no longer waiver-exempt, so every game he plays and every day he spends on the active roster shaves precious time off his temporary exemption after clearing waivers at the beginning of the regular season. His previous recall lasted four days, so he can appear in eight more games or stay on the roster for 26 more days, whichever comes first, before he needs waivers again to return to Syracuse.

The 6’1″, 183-lb center will be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration eligibility. He signed a one-year, two-way extension in June to avoid hitting restricted free agency last summer as his entry-level contract was set to expire.

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Point, Gadjovich

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Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews didn’t practice or skate with the team today and is questionable to play this weekend. He’s been battling an upper-body injury for much of the week and didn’t play in the team’s most recent matchup against the Boston Bruins a few days ago.

Jonas Siegel of The Athletic provided a quote about Matthews’ availability earlier from head coach Craig Berube saying, “That’s to be determined still. It’s hard for me to answer that question knowing what I know right now with him today.” The Maple Leafs have back-to-back matchups against Original Six rivals this weekend in the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.

Although Toronto is objectively better with Matthews in the lineup it appears the team is taking a more measured approach to his recovery. The American superstar has five goals and 11 points through 13 games to start the campaign and the Maple Leafs are looking to be safer than sorry with their leader.

Other Atlantic notes:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning are again without their first-line center Brayden Point this evening as they face off against the Philadelphia Flyers. Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reported earlier that Point is still out with a lower-body injury although he did resume skating this morning. It will be the second straight missed game for Point after starting the season with eight goals and 13 points in 12 contests.
  • Heading southeast to Sunrise, Florida, Colby Guy of the Associated Press confirmed there are no lineup changes for the Florida Panthers tonight meaning forward Jonah Gadjovich won’t return to the ice. Gadjovich hasn’t played since October 17th due to a back injury. The physical bottom-six presence should pick up where he left off before the injury as he’s collected a whopping 26 hits in only six games in the current campaign.

Lightning Recall Gage Goncalves, Brayden Point Out Day-To-Day

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12:42 p.m.: Goncalves will make his season debut tonight while Point has been officially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, head coach Jon Cooper told reporters, including Lou Korac of NHL.com.

10:24 a.m.: The Lightning are bringing up center Gage Goncalves from AHL Syracuse, Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times reports. No corresponding transaction is needed with ample cap space and a pair of open roster spots, but his addition to the roster could indicate that Tampa Bay will be without center Brayden Point tonight against the Blues. Point left Sunday’s loss to the Jets in the first period with a lower-body injury.

Goncalves, 23, was a second-round pick of the Lightning in 2020 out of the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. The 6’0″, 181-lb pivot made his NHL debut last season, skating in a pair of wins for the Bolts against the Devils and Ducks in mid-January. He didn’t record a point but managed to log 6 PIMs and two hits while averaging just a shade under 10 minutes per game.

The Canadian-Portuguese national is now in his fourth season playing pro within the Lightning organization. He’s spent nearly all of that time with Syracuse, where he has 43 goals and 106 assists for 149 points in 216 career appearances. After an injury held him out for the first few games of Syracuse’s season, he’s recorded four assists through his first four games with the minor-league club to start 2024-25.

Last season was a banner one for the British Columbia native. He recorded career highs with 45 assists and 58 points in 69 games, earning himself a spot on the North Division’s roster for the AHL All-Star Game. Following the season, Goncalves signed a one-year, two-way extension ($775K/$100K) to keep him from reaching restricted free agency. He’ll have the opportunity to become an RFA next summer, this time with arbitration rights.

With no other extra forwards on hand, it’s highly likely that Goncalves would slide into the lineup and make his season debut against St. Louis if Point can’t play. Point would be a humongous loss for a Tampa team looking to reverse a two-game losing streak, currently tied for third on the team in scoring with 13 points (8 G, 5 A) in 12 games. His five power-play goals and 38.1% shooting percentage both lead the league.

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