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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.

Latest On Erik Cernak

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  • When Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak stepped onto the ice for practice this morning, most observers assumed he’d be fit to play in the team’s game tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. That didn’t come to fruition though, as his injury kept him from taking on the Oilers tonight, meaning he’ll miss a second game with an undisclosed ailment. Cernak has been Tampa Bay’s No. 4 defenseman in terms of ice time this season, averaging 19:05 time-on-ice per game including 2:48 on average on the penalty kill, second-highest on the team.

Lightning Place Victor Hedman On IR, Activate Nick Paul From LTIR

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The Lightning have shifted star defenseman Victor Hedman to injured reserve with the undisclosed injury that’s already kept him out for nearly two weeks, according to Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider. His roster spot is going to forward Nick Paul, who’s been activated from long-term injured reserve and will make his season debut Thursday against the Oilers. Hedman is eligible to be activated at any time but will remain sidelined for “probably a couple [of] more weeks,” head coach Jon Cooper told the beat this morning (including the team’s Benjamin Pierce).

Losing a No. 1 defenseman for any stretch of time is always worrisome, but an extended return timeline for Hedman is especially disappointing because of the Bolts’ other injury woes in their top four. Ryan McDonagh remains on IR with an undisclosed injury, while Erik Černák sat out Tuesday’s game against the Devils with a lower-body injury, although he’s expected back tonight. With all those absences, Emil Martinsen Lilleberg is the only Lightning rearguard to play in all 19 games this season.

Hedman’s current absence is also tracking to be one of the longest ones in his incredibly durable career. If he’s out for another two weeks from today, that would bring him to 12 games missed. He hasn’t missed that much time since various injuries limited him to 70 out of 82 appearances in the 2018-19 campaign. Before the injury, Hedman had been left without a goal through 15 games but had still racked up 12 assists, a figure that still leads Tampa’s blue line in scoring. He’s continued his dominance on the possession front, controlling 53.8% of shot attempts at even strength, and his pairing with J.J. Moser has outscored opponents 7-5 at 5-on-5.

His absence his perhaps most felt on Tampa’s power play, where he had half of his point production. They’re already at an underwhelming 17.7% on the year and have gone 2-for-12 in the four games Hedman’s been out. Darren Raddysh is now quarterbacking the top unit in Hedman’s place, but he’s got just two assists with the man advantage in 13 games.

While the Bolts’ defense group remains in disarray, they’ll trade that for having a fully healthy top-nine forward group for the first time this season. Only depth piece Pontus Holmberg remains on the injured list. Paul missed the first six weeks of the year and comes back a couple of weeks behind schedule after undergoing an upper-body procedure extremely late in the offseason. The versatile 6’4″ forward will make his season debut on the wing on a line with Jake Guentzel and Brayden Point, per Pierce. That unit has been downgraded to Tampa’s de facto second line because of Point’s sluggish start to the year, with only three goals and 11 points through 19 games and a -9 rating.

Lightning Reassign Scott Sabourin

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The Lightning announced Wednesday that they’ve reassigned forward Scott Sabourin to AHL Syracuse. Forwards Pontus Holmberg and Nick Paul are eligible to come off IR and LTIR, respectively, before tomorrow’s game against the Oilers, and one of them will presumably get Sabourin’s roster spot.

Sabourin, 33, has only played three games and has been rostered for 11 days since last clearing waivers, so he doesn’t need them to return to the minors today. He was summoned on multiple short-term occasions in October to serve a four-game suspension he was assessed in the preseason, meaning he didn’t make his season debut until his latest recall, which came on Nov. 12. The depth enforcer managed to rattle off a goal and an assist in his first two games – his first NHL points since April 2022 – before racking up 16 penalty minutes (three minors and a misconduct) and going pointless against the Canucks last Sunday. He was then scratched for Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Devils to make way for Dominic James’ return to the lineup, making it apparent he’d be the odd man out when Tampa needed to open its next roster spot at forward.

It was still a much better offensive showing than expected from the 6’4″, 207-lb fighter, who’s now up to a 3-7–10 scoring line in 50 career NHL appearances. While his NHL resume doesn’t offer much more than his fights, he’s had enough offensive utility in the AHL in the past to work his way into a middle-six role there. This season, Sabourin’s logged three goals and two assists for five points in 11 contests.

After spending his last two seasons in the Sharks organization, this is Sabourin’s first in Tampa after they signed him to a two-way deal with a $350,000 guarantee last summer. It’s the 14th season of Sabourin’s professional career, which began as a free agent signing by the AHL’s now-defunct Manchester Monarchs.

Lightning’s Erik Cernak Out On Tuesday

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The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without defenseman Erik Cernak in Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. Cernak joins Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and Maxwell Crozier on the list of injured Lightning defenseman.

With Cernak’s absence, Tampa Bay will now be without two of their top four defenders as they go up against a Devils squad that ranks 14th in the NHL in goals. As is usual, Cernak has been the lowest-scoring of Tampa Bay’s top-four, with only three assists in 18 games this season. He does, however, lead the Lightning in both blocked shots (40) and hits (39). No other Bolt has blocked more than 13 shots.

Cernak’s impact may come away from the scoresheet, but his absence will nonetheless leave a major hole for Tampa Bay to fill. Declan Carlile will step back into the lineup for the first time this season in place of Cernak. He will operate behind rookie Charle-Édouard D’Astous, who himself will grow into a top-four role.

Carlile leads the Syracuse Crunch’s blue-line in scoring with 10 points in 15 games this season. He scored one goal in four NHL games over the last two seasons. D’Astous has posted five points in his first 11 NHL games, making him Tampa’s highest-scoring, healthy defender. The Lightning will need to lean on both rookies, with major holes at even-strength and on special teams.

Tampa Bay Lightning Make Multiple Roster Moves

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There are hardly any teams currently dealing with as many injuries as the Tampa Bay Lightning. Needing additional depth for their contest tonight against the New Jersey Devils, the Lightning announced they’ve recalled defenseman Declan Carlile and Steven Santini from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch.

Additionally, Tampa Bay has swapped two players around its injured reserve, albeit an expected one. Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reports that Tampa Bay has activated forward Dominic James from the injured reserve and placed defenseman Maxwell Crozier on it. 

After all the movement on the active roster, it leaves Tampa Bay with 13 forwards and eight defensemen available for tonight’s contest. It’s expected that one of Carlile or Santini will suit up tonight, though there’s no guarantee either defenseman will participate.

If Carlile plays, it’ll be his fifth career performance in the NHL. The former undrafted collegiate free agent is in his fifth season with the Lightning organization and has primarily played for the Crunch since the 2021-22 season.

For the first few years of his career, Carlile had been expected to put up between 20 and 30 points in the AHL with a relatively high +/-. However, this season, his offensive game has taken a significant jump, scoring two goals and 10 points in 15 games. He’s the highest-scoring defenseman on the team by a four-point margin and the fifth-highest scorer overall.

Meanwhile, Santini has far more NHL experience from his playing days, although it has been limited in recent years. Since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, Santini has appeared in 10 NHL games. Before then, from 2016 to 2019, Santini had suited up in 113 regular-season contests for the New Jersey Devils. He’s spent the last two years in the Lightning organization, scoring six goals and 21 points in 71 games.

Lightning Reassign Boris Katchouk

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The Lightning announced they’ve reassigned winger Boris Katchouk to AHL Syracuse. They now have two open roster spots, leaving the option for multiple IR activations ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Devils.

Katchouk was recalled last Wednesday in the wake of injuries to depth forwards Pontus Holmberg and Dominic James. It marked the 27-year-old’s first time on an NHL roster since April 2024. The second-round pick of the Lightning in 2016 spent last year on a minor-league contract with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after being non-tendered by the Senators the previous offseason.

The Ontario native returned to the Bolts for his second stint in Tampa over the summer on a two-way deal and cleared waivers during training camp. After the 6’2″ grinder had 21 goals and 49 points in 67 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last year, he got off to a similarly strong start in Syracuse with four goals and nine points through his first 12 games.

With Holmberg, James, and Anthony Cirelli all unavailable for each of the Bolts’ last three games (in addition to the LTIR-bound Nick Paul), Katchouk was never scratched and played each game of his call-up. He didn’t make much of an impact, though. He was held without a point and managed just one shot attempt despite averaging over 12 minutes of ice time per game. Tampa’s injuries forced him to slot in down the middle instead of on the wing, though, a potential explanation for why he looked so overmatched offensively. He went 36.8% in the dot on 19 attempts and recorded five hits.

Katchouk’s recall burned three games and five days off his temporary waiver exemption. After passing through them unscathed in October, Katchouk can remain on the Lightning’s roster for 25 more days or play seven more games until he needs them again to head back to Syracuse.

Lightning Reassign Jakob Pelletier

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Nov. 16: The Lightning announced they’d reassigned Pelletier back to Syracuse ahead of today’s game against the Canucks. He was replaced in the lineup by Brandon Hagel, whose absence due to an upper-body injury lasted just one game. Pelletier logged just 6:12 of ice time in his Lightning debut, managing three shot attempts, one block, and one hit.

Nov. 15: The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Jakob Pelletier from their AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch.

Today’s move marks Pelletier as the third forward recalled from Syracuse over the last two days. Yesterday, the Lightning recalled forwards Boris Katchouk and Scott Sabourin.

Out of the three newly-recalled Lightning forwards, it’s Pelletier who has had the most successful season so far. The 24-year-old leads the Crunch in scoring with 14 points in 13 games. He’s proven to be a quality AHL scorer, hovering at around a point-per-game scoring rate since he made his professional debut in 2021-22 with the Stockton Heat, who have since been relocated.

The 2019 first-round pick hasn’t been able to translate that AHL success to the NHL level so far, though. In 86 career NHL games, Pelletier has 29 points. It was Pelletier’s inability to earn consistent, productive NHL minutes that led to him being non-tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers this past summer.

As an undersized winger without dynamic skating ability, Pelletier has always faced an uphill battle to earn a regular role in the NHL. So far, he hasn’t yet been able to stick in the world’s top league on a full-time basis, though he did get into almost 50 games last season.

With today’s recall, Pelletier gets his latest chance to prove himself at the NHL level. At this moment, it remains to be seen whether he’ll draw into head coach Jon Cooper’s lineup for the team’s contest this evening.

Taking a moment to look at the financial ramifications of this recall, it’s worth noting that this is the only year of Pelletier’s three-year, $775K AAV deal with the Lightning that carries a two-way structure. In each of 2026-27 and 2027-28, Pelletier is set to make $775K regardless of whether he’s on Tampa’s roster or in Syracuse.

But for 2025-26, Pelletier stands to make $250K in the AHL, $775K in the NHL, and carries a $350K total guarantee. While it’s unclear at this point how long Pelletier will remain on the Lightning’s NHL roster, this recall does at least enhance the player’s chances of eventually exceeding his $350K guarantee by the end of the season.

Lightning Recall Boris Katchouk, Scott Sabourin

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The Lightning announced they’ve recalled wingers Boris Katchouk and Scott Sabourin from AHL Syracuse. They’re the corresponding transactions for yesterday’s injured reserve placements of Dominic James and Ryan McDonagh, bringing their active roster count back to 23.

At least one of them will draw into the lineup tonight against the Rangers. Tampa Bay’s list of injuries entering the matchup is lengthy. Not only are they without James and McDonagh, but Victor Hedman and Pontus Holmberg both sustained undisclosed injuries against the Capitals on Saturday and remain day-to-day.

The recall marks Katchouk’s first stint on an NHL roster since the 2023-24 season. The 27-year-old was a second-round pick by the Lightning in 2017 and began his second stint with the organization by signing a two-way deal over the summer. He did not have an NHL contract last season. After being released from a professional tryout with the Ducks, Katchouk landed with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on a minor-league deal. The 6’2″ grinder racked up 21 goals and 49 points in 67 appearances in his first extended taste of AHL hockey since the 2020-21 season in his first go-around with Tampa. Katchouk is off to a good start this season in his familiar stomping grounds in Syracuse, rattling off four goals and five assists for nine points through 12 games.

Between his extended minor-league stints, Katchouk was a regular NHLer between 2021-22 and 2023-24. He broke into the league with Tampa but was traded to the Blackhawks during his rookie season in the Brandon Hagel deal. Katchouk remained in Chicago until being claimed off waivers by the Senators, who didn’t issue him a qualifying offer, late in 2023-24. In 176 appearances, Katchouk had a 15-21–36 scoring line with a -23 rating while averaging 11:09 per game, controlling 47.6% of shot attempts at even strength.

Sabourin’s recall is his fourth of the young season, although he hasn’t yet played for the Bolts. The club has brought him up when roster space allows so that he can serve a four-game suspension he was issued for roughing Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad in a preseason game. With that suspension now satisfied, he is eligible to play tonight. The 33-year-old enforcer has notched three goals and five points with 13 penalty minutes in 11 games for Syracuse thus far. It’s his first year in the Lightning organization after signing a two-way deal over the summer.

Katchouk can remain on the roster for up to 30 days or play 10 games until he needs waivers to return to Syracuse. Since Sabourin has already been on the active roster for four days, his waiver-exempt clock is down to 26.

Lightning Place Ryan McDonagh On Injured Reserve

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The Lightning have placed defenseman Ryan McDonagh on injured reserve, per the league’s media site. The lefty departed Saturday’s win over the Capitals with an undisclosed injury. Placing McDonagh on IR only rules him out for tomorrow’s game against the Rangers, but head coach Jon Cooper told reporters earlier today he expects McDonagh to miss a few contests (via the team’s Benjamin Pierce).

McDonagh joins center Dominic James as Bolts skaters who were banged up against Washington and are landing on IR today. The placements will give the Bolts roster space to make corresponding recalls from AHL Syracuse in advance of tomorrow’s contest, although they’ll likely wait until Wednesday morning to announce those. Not only are James and McDonagh out, but captain Victor Hedman and depth forward Pontus Holmberg also sustained undisclosed injuries against the Caps and are listed as day-to-day and doubtful for tomorrow, according to the team’s Gabby Shirley. That’s four players sustaining injuries in one game for those keeping score at home.

As things stand, the Bolts can ice 18 skaters tomorrow without Hedman and Holmberg but won’t have any extras. Still, that assumes Anthony Cirelli – who practiced today but missed the Washington game with an upper-body injury – and defenseman Maxwell Crozier, who’s missed two games with an undisclosed issue, will be cleared to play. With McDonagh on IR now, Tampa can make two recalls from Syracuse without more corresponding moves.

McDonagh is the Bolts’ No. 3 defender this season in terms of usage at 20:10 per game, but he’s still playing like a top-pairing threat in his age-36 season. The 16-year vet is fresh off receiving his first Norris votes in six years and has started this year strong with three goals, six points, and a +1 rating in 15 outings. He ranks third on the team with 26 blocks and leads Tampa defenders with six takeaways.

The increasing injury problems make the Bolts’ recent 7-1-0 surge to get back into a playoff position all the more important after starting the year 1-4-2. They’ll look to depth names like Crozier and Charle-Edouard D’Astous to step up and help mitigate the damage, which shouldn’t be too tall of a task against a Rangers offense that’s been limited to 2.41 goals per game this season.

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