Erik Erlendsson has reported that Cory Conacher has been sent back to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL.
Conacher sent back to Syracuse by #tblightning so Callahan may be ready to play or Kucherov is feeling better, 7 pm vs #nyrangers
— Erik Erlendsson (@Erik_Erlendsson) October 30, 2016
Conacher was called up prior to yesterday’s game against the New Jersey Devils after Nikita Kucherov was injured in Thursday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Conacher started the game against the Devils on the third line with Valtteri Filppula and Brayden Point, though head coach Jon Cooper mixed up the lines throughout the night looking for a spark. The Lightning only managed one goal against the Devils.
Conacher played 13:26 in the game including 2:07 on the power play. He was a -1 and had one shot on goal and one missed shot to go with one giveaway. With the Syracuse Crunch, he has two goals, three assists, and five points in four games played.
Conacher was brought back to the team this summer as an unrestricted free agent from SC Bern of the Swiss NLA league. He was signed to a one-year, one-way contract and passed through waivers unclaimed after training camp. Due to the short length of his stay and the time since going through waivers, Conacher will not have to be put on waivers at this time to return to Syracuse.
With Conacher being sent back, it means either Ryan Callahan is ready to go against his former team the New York Rangers, or Nikita Kucherov is back and ready to play. Kucherov had skated near the end of the morning skate yesterday but was wearing a red no-contact jersey. Callahan could easily slide into the spot that Conacher occupied on the third line with either Point moving to left wing, or Filppula moving to left wing with Point in the center of the line.
The Lightning take on the New York Rangers tonight at 7 pm EST at Madison Square Garden.
